Photovoltaics have been powering satellites in space for over 50 years, and payloads such as the Hubble Space Telescope and Ingenuity (the Mars Helicopter) depend upon them. The major driving force in PV technologies for space applications has long been maximising the Specific Power of the PV system, minimising payload weight. UK research in this field has gathered importance with the announcement of the Space Energy Initiative in 2022: a consortium bringing together government, academic research and industry to explore Space Based Solar Power – harvesting solar energy from huge arrays of solar panels high in earth orbit.

This FREE webinar brings together leading UK researchers in the field with the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts scientist and award winning science fiction author, Geoffrey Landis to discuss the latest exciting developments.

Speakers:

Geoffrey Landis (NASA Advanced Concepts)

Talk title “Space Solar Power for Earth: Choice of Orbits”

Louise Hirst (University of Cambridge)

Talk title: “Ultra-Thin Photovoltaics for Space Based Solar Power”

Dan Lamb (Swansea University)

Talk title: “From lab to Low Earth orbit – a cadmium telluride thin-film solar cell flight test”

Nina Vaidya (University of Southampton)

Talk title: “Space Based Solar Power: Fiction to Prototypes”

Ian Cash (International Electric Company Ltd)

Talk title “CASSIOPeiA Solar Power Satellite”