Sierra Space’s $45M power station can build a solar panel a day and a satellite wing a week
Sierra Space, the company behind the in-development Dream Chaser spaceplane, announced a technology center expansion that will allow it to scale its solar power systems manufacturing.
The $45 million power station facility in Broomfield, Colorado, will focus on manufacturing the company's Surface Mount Technology (SMT) solar arrays—compact, resilient, and built with commercial pick-and-place electronics tech. The result: power systems that are scalable from 10 watts to 10 kilowatts, with fast lead times and high durability.
Sierra Space's new Power Station
Sierra Space's new facility spans 70,000 square feet and features integrated testing capabilities, including a thermal vacuum chamber, air chamber, and dynamics lab.
According to the company, the SMT solar cells are attached to Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and are assembled using "standard commercial electronics pick-and-place technology."
"Sierra Space is re-industrializing the space-defense technology sector," Sierra Space Vice President Erik Daehler explained in the press statement. "We have the ability to build a solar panel a day and a wing a week. We plan to deliver 40 satellite wings in the first phase of production and are scaling up to 100 satellite wings per year by our full rate of production."
"Additionally, because of our unique architecture, our solar arrays are more resilient," Daehler continued. "The Power Station is a proof point in our dedication to support national security."
The solar arrays will play a critical role in Sierra Space Defense, the company’s new division focused on supplying technologies to the US government. That includes powering satellites built at its recently announced "Victory Works" facility.
Building power for a crowded orbit
Sierra Space says 100 team members are currently working at the Power Station, and it will continue to create new job opportunities as it expands.
Space missions require increasingly efficient arrays capable of harvesting more energy with lower-weight solutions.
"Using state-of-the art tools and integration equipment, our engineering and production teams have the expertise and experience to define, analyze, build, and test complete solar array systems," explained Brian Anthony, Vice President of Spacecraft Systems at Sierra Space. "Our scalable power systems can be tailored to fit a wide variety of mission options with reduced cycle time and risk by incorporating existing qualified and flight-proven designs."
"With this new production facility coming online, Sierra Space is ready to meet the needs of the rapidly emerging satellite constellation market and deliver space power at lightning speed," Anthony continued.
Sierra Space is one of a growing list of companies looking to change the way we operate in Earth's orbit. The company is developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane, which will eventually fly astronauts to the International Space Station. The spacecraft will also eventually fly astronauts to Sierra Space and Blue Origin's in-development private space station, Orbital Reef.
