Redwire, a new leader and innovator in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, announced today that it has successfully delivered the first pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSA) to Boeing, NASA’s prime contractor for space station operations. The delivery follows acceptance testing comprised of multiple ambient functional deployments, vibration, and cold and hot temperature deployments. The solar arrays are currently undergoing flight package integration and are slated to launch on SpaceX’s 22nd commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Redwire is under contract by Boeing to provide iROSA solar arrays for ISS. Redwire is responsible for the design, analysis, manufacture, test, and delivery of six new solar arrays that will augment power to the ISS. Using upgraded solar cells from Boeing’s Spectrolab, each iROSA solar array is one of the most powerful solar arrays ever manufactured and will provide more than 20 kilowatts of power. Combined, the six new arrays will produce more than 120 kilowatts, substantially improving the overall power-generating capability of the ISS by 20 to 30 percent.
“Redwire is proud to partner with Boeing to provide critical infrastructure to support human spaceflight in low Earth orbit,” said Andrew Rush, President and COO of Redwire. “The enabling iROSA technology will provide a crucial power boost to support important work being done on station, from exploration technology demonstrations to commercial activity.”
“These innovative solar arrays will be added to the ISS at an important time as the crews continue to test critical technologies for deep-space exploration and to drive research that is improving life on Earth,” said John Mulholland, VP and ISS program manager for Boeing.
The Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) is an innovative, ultra-lightweight, compact, modular and scalable solar array structure system developed by Redwire subsidiary Deployable Space Systems (DSS). For more than a decade, DSS has been developing advanced solar array technology to provide enabling performance and affordability for many mission applications. ROSA technology was successfully demonstrated on ISS in June 2017.
“We are proud to support this extraordinary mission and sustain humanity’s only orbiting outpost with award-winning ROSA technology,” said Brian Spence, President of DSS. “ROSA is a first-of-its-kind solar array system that delivers the highest quality, most affordable, and highest performance solar array structure solution available for a wide range of mission applications.”
Various modular versions of ROSA are also being produced for NASA’s DART Mission, Maxar’s Power and Propulsion Element for NASA’s Gateway program, the Ovzon 3 GEO spacecraft for Maxar’s Legion-class satellites, and many other proprietary, civilian, and commercial applications.
About Redwire
Redwire is a new leader in mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform, Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions. For more information, please visit www.redwirespace.com.
