The commercialization of space is poised to be one of the most transformative yet challenging arenas for innovation this decade. Terrestrial industries — telecommunications, defense, and now artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers — are rapidly pushing into the frontier of space. And, in order to flourish, these space missions will require immense power.

Similar to batteries for electric vehicles here on Earth, power in space is critical enabling infrastructure—nothing happens without it. Typically, power in space is provided by solar arrays, but these have historically been incredibly expensive and represent a significant portion of a satellite’s cost. With launch costs dropping rapidly, Space 2.0 missions are growing in scale and scope. In order for these large-scale missions to be economically viable, the solar solutions powering these missions need to be reliable and cost effective - while operating in the most extreme conditions imaginable.