News: Photovoltaics
18 August 2026
Ascent Solar broadens thin-film space PV testing beyond NASA’s low Earth orbit results
Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which designs and makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – plans to expand testing of its CIGS PV technology beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) as the firm has received an increase in requests for solar solutions capable of supporting missions across multiple orbital environments. Ascent is preparing a series of in-house characterization campaigns designed to validate the survivability and performance of its thin-film solar technology in increasingly challenging space conditions, concluding in fourth-quarter 2026.
Previous NASA testing in LEO demonstrated CIGS PV’s potential to recover from radiation exposure through its self-annealing properties, a phenomenon described in journals as ‘Remarkable Recovery’. Now, Ascent is extending that research to determine whether that same recovery is possible in the more demanding radiation environments of medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary orbit (GEO) and other high-energy orbits, to bolster the qualifications of its thin-film solar products for an expanding range of space applications.
“Emerging space markets like on-orbit servicing and assembly, space-based solar power, orbital data centers and others, depend on power systems that can reliably operate in extremely punishing environments,” says CEO Paul Warley. “Mission operators are increasingly prioritizing solutions that reduce risk and improve long-term performance. By expanding the validation of our CIGS products’ use beyond LEO, we will establish them as the lowest-risk options for a vast range of next-generation space mission applications.”
Ascent Solar’s thin-film space solar products undamaged in atomic oxygen exposure tests
