ATK Demonstrates Advanced MegaFlex Solar Array
Artist’s conception of ATK’s High-Power Megaflex Solar Array. (Credit: ATK)
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 21, 2014 (ATK PR) — ATK (NYSE: ATK) demonstrated full deployment of a large MegaFlex™ solar array under a NASA contract to further the development of a high-power system to be used for future robotic and manned exploration missions.
ATK’s 9.6 meter (32 ft) diameter Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) MegaFlex solar array design is capable of generating approximately 40kW of power with two wings when fully populated with solar cells, and it has been considered for near-term mission concepts such as NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission. The full deployment demonstration of MegaFlex was successfully conducted at ATK’s Goleta, Calf. facility on Dec. 9. The system completed validation testing through December before being shipped to NASA’s Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station for thermal vacuum deployment testing this month.
“NASA’s over-arching objective is to further the development of low mass solar arrays that can be stowed very compactly for high-power SEP systems to be used for future robotic and manned exploration missions,” said David Shanahan, vice president and general manager of ATK Aerospace Group’s Space Components division. “By building on our family of solar arrays, our team was able to develop this breakthrough with affordable innovation and in rapid fashion to support NASA’s far-reaching planning efforts.”
ATK received a $6.4 million contract for the MegaFlex development in October 2012. The phase 1 SEP MegaFlex solar array Tech Development program goal is to further the maturity of an extensible (>250kW total) solar array structure through design development and validation testing, resulting in a technical readiness level of 5+ maturity in preparation for a non-specified Technology Demonstration Mission.
ATK’s MegaFlex solar array is based on ATK’s spaceflight-proven UltraFlex™ solar array family of platforms that powered NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander in 2008. The solar array is also in series production of 10 wings for Orbital Science’s Commercial Resupply Services spacecraft and is base-lined on NASA’s recently announced Insight Discovery Mission to Mars awarded to Lockheed Martin. The exceptional performance of smaller (6-foot diameter) solar arrays used to power the Phoenix Lander contributed to the Phoenix mission being extended three times.
The unique circular architecture of the UltraFlex and MegaFlex systems enables very low mass and small stowed volume for multiple space exploration missions. A follow-on Phase 2 Technology Development effort to further develop a flight-ready version of MegaFlex would support a future space flight demonstration to finalize an operational system.
ATK is an aerospace, defense and commercial products company with operations in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atk or on Twitter @ATK.
4 responses to “ATK Demonstrates Advanced MegaFlex Solar Array”
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very interesting design. http://www.nasa.gov/sites/d…
place your bets now, gentlemen. will its first use be for VASIMR? or perhaps a solar powered mission to Saturn?
i wonder how well the jointed arm would hold up under gravity. would be nice for a lander.
i notice it also says “and manned missions” think they will use these for Orion’s SM at some point?
that is cool.
Personally, I would like to see us develop a system for beaming energy in space. In particular, it would be useful to put solar collectors around the moon and mars and have them beam some amount of energy to robotics. When a base comes, then it can be used for that as well.
But, it is good that ATK is working on something that they could potentially develop a manufacturing line for.
I have not been a fan of VASIMR since I found out how much energy it requires. Basically, the generators for it would not enable them to be efficient. However, a small generator on-board, combined with beaming extra energy at earth, as well as at mars, could be used to really get these moving, in the gitgo and then at the end.
VASIMR to Mars, as in a spacecraft large enough to be a sizeable human transport would need a nuclear reactor, or more specifically a molten salt reactor.
Correction: ANY electrically propelled spacecraft FAST enough to be a viable human transport to mars will require a > 10 MW powerplant.
I define fast enough as “at least as fast as most chemically propelled mission designs”. The speed is the issue due to radiation exposure. The power level is dictated by the low thrust and can be derived easily from ballpark public numbers on efficiency and Isp for various electric thrusters.
There is nothing different about VASIMR when talking about power generation requirements for high power EP, other than the fact that it is actually a bit higher thrust to power than Hall or gridded ion thrusters and thus requires a somewhat SMALLER powerplant to achieve the same transit time.