News: Photovoltaics
11 August 2023
5N Plus solar cells powering Chandrayaan-3
Specialty semiconductor and performance materials producer 5N Plus Inc of Montreal, Québec, Canada says that solar cell technology produced by its subsidiary AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH is being used in the third and most recent Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lunar exploration mission.
“AZUR solar cell technology is in high demand, and we are especially excited to have it included in the Chandrayaan-3 mission as it powers all aspects of the travel, landing and exploration,” says president & CEO Gervais Jacques. “The 3G30-Advanced is AZUR’s latest qualified solar cell product and provides the highest end-of-life efficiencies in space,” he claims. “With various configurations in production, our AZUR R&D team continues to exceed client expectations with their ability to address challenging conditions with unique solutions.”
Launched on 14 July, Chandrayaan-3 consists of a propulsion module that takes a lander and rover to the moon. The mission, which began its orbit of the moon on 5 August, comprises a soft landing on the moon and exploration of the moon’s surface with the rover to better understand its composition through experiments and observation. Expected to land near the lunar south pole region on 23 August, AZUR supplied the 3G30 solar cells for the propulsion module (758W), the lander (738W) and the rover (50W).
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