Solestial, the solar energy company for space, announced a Space Act Agreement with NASA’s Glenn Research Center to advance the performance and resilience of ultrathin silicon solar arrays in space environments.

The collaboration will leverage NASA’s expertise in spacecraft charging and Solestial’s leadership in ultrathin silicon solar technology to better understand and mitigate the effects of spacecraft charging on thin-film solar arrays. As part of the agreement, Solestial will provide solar power modules that will undergo testing in NASA’s Glenn Research Center Plasma Interaction Facility (“PIF”). NASA will characterise changes in electrical performance, share resulting data, and provide subject matter expertise to guide design improvements.

Through a cycle of design, testing, and iteration, Solestial will refine its solar array architecture to enhance durability and performance in lunar and orbital environments, while NASA gains valuable data for ongoing research into spacecraft charging and thin-film solar cells, including perovskite solar cells, which use a class of crystalline materials known as perovskites to achieve high efficiency with low-cost manufacturing.

“We’re honored to partner with NASA’s Glenn Research Center on this agreement,” said Margo de Naray, CEO of Solestial. “Their testing capabilities and subject matter expertise will help us further validate and improve our silicon solar technology, while advancing research that benefits the next generation of solar energy in space.”

The agreement will also support NASA’s Glenn Research Center in its broader campaign to develop passive and active electrostatic discharge mitigation strategies for photovoltaic systems, which generate electrical power by converting sunlight into electricity. This work will contribute to safer, more reliable power generation in space.

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