China's homegrown perovskite rollable solar wing prototype has completed and is about to enter in-orbit testing phase. Photo: Screenshot from the Science and Technology Daily

China's homegrown perovskite rollable solar wing prototype has completed and is about to enter in-orbit testing phase. It can provide satellites with "ultra-light soft batteries" and marks the transition of perovskite space photovoltaic (PV) technology from laboratory validation to the engineering application stage, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday.

The prototype "Xingyun," developed by Chinese PV tech company Yanhe Tech, reconfigures the form and application model of space solar wings. During the launch phase, it can be rolled up into a compact reel form roughly the diameter of a thermos flask and flexibly mounted on the side walls of a satellite, maximizing the reduction of launch volume occupancy. 

Once in orbit, it deploys in a controlled and smooth manner via a passive drive mechanism, offering precise retraction and deployment control with stable and reliable operation, said the report.

With the accelerated development of China's commercial space industry, the mass deployment of micro-nano satellites, CubeSats, and low-Earth-orbit small constellations has become the mainstream trend. Traditional foldable solar wings, with their complex structures, relatively high self-weight, and limited packing efficiency, are increasingly revealing their shortcomings and struggle to meet the high-density launch demands of multi-satellite missions. The industry urgently needs independently controllable, lightweight new-generation solar wings.

The "Xingyun" is 25 percent to 30 percent lighter than traditional foldable solar wings, enhancing effective payload capacity. When stowed, the solar wing and its super-elastic memory composite material form a rolled configuration, with dimensional change occurring only in the diameter direction before and after stowage. 

It achieves a maximum packing ratio of 35 times, which maximizes the release of satellite payload space and better accommodates multi-satellite-per-launch and multi-satellite stacking launch modes, according to the report.

In terms of application scenarios, a single-wing prototype can meet the power supply needs of micro-nano satellites and CubeSats. When multiple wings are arrayed to expand power output, it can support diverse space missions such as low-Earth-orbit communication and remote-sensing constellations, space computing nodes, and deep-space exploration payloads, making it a preferred technical solution for the next-generation lightweight spacecraft energy system, the report said.


Global Times