York University

Published purpose

This project entitled « On-Orbit Technology Demonstration of Sub-wavelength Antireflection Surface (SWAS) for CubeSat Solar Power Production Increase » from this project, a CubeSat payload will be developed to engineer and test the flight-ready solar power payload, demonstrate the technology on a CubeSat for on-orbit demonstration, and analyze the on-orbit data to validate the performance. Therefore, the principal technology development activity is to design, characterize and operate a technology-demonstration payload for a CubeSat mission to examine the increase in power production when using an anti-reflection surface on solar cell cover glass. This new technique has great potential to increase power production without adding mass or volume to the CubeSat. Furthermore, this general technique may be combined with deployable solar arrays, or high-efficiency solar concentrator cells. By demonstrating the on-orbit performance of this made-in-Canada technology, this project aims to enable the CubeSat community to extend their mission capabilities. Hence, it is likely to be integrated into numerous CubeSats and other small satellite missions where surface areas are limited for solar panels. Consequently, the commercialization of this technology is also a likely outcome, as the proposed technology presents a low-cost solution for high-demand applications for the small satellite community. They will also work closely with the mission team in Germany to gain valuable experience in working with international collaborators for an end-to-end project.