Benzinga | Jan 31, 2022 05:36AM EST

Ascent Solar Selected By Momentus to Produce Flexible CIGS Space-Qualifiable Laminated PV Modules for Upcoming Space Flight

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. ("Ascent Solar", "Ascent" or the "Company") (OTC:ASTI), a developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art, lightweight and flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, announced today that the Company was selected by Momentus, Inc. ("Momentus"), a developer and manufacturer of novel last mile' space solutions, to produce customized flexible CIGS PV modules to provide power to a demonstration deployable PV array to fly on an upcoming Vigoride spacecraftscheduled for flight in 2022.

Management believes that the Company has done well to demonstrate its PV solutions as viable options for space and near-space endeavors. On the heels of outstanding performances reported in the MISSE X experiment and at the 2021 SPRAT 26 conference, Ascent Solar has been working with Momentus to design deployable PV arrays. These deployable PV arrays, which use similar protective coating materials to build a nominally 71W laminated panel (AM0 25C) as a building block, includes all of the features desirable for a space product. This includes (not limited to) zero-moment magnetic interaction, enhanced thermal management and bypass diodes laminated directly into the PV product.

Ascent's flexible, ultra-lightweight, monolithically-integrated photovoltaics (PV) are based on the copper-indium-gallium-selenium (CIGS) chemistry and will benefit various future missions, ranging from CubeSats, solar sails, and potentially missions to the moon and Mars.

Dr. Joseph Armstrong, Founding Team Member, Chief Technology and Chief Operating Officer of Ascent Solar said, "We have been working with a number of companies to develop our flexible, monolithically integrated CIGS product for various space applications. With the impending launch of the flight experiments by Momentus to validate the PV and deployment approaches, we envision providing a novel solution to the upcoming Vigoride(tm) mission, as well as future Ardoride missions.

"The module developed by Ascent Solar and Momentus is designed for rapid integration into Momentus' deployable PV array. We developed a customized monolithically-integrated submodule for their application to maximize the space utilization of the PV. We then integrated it into our laminated packaging with harnessing that cancels out all magnetic interaction with the current loops, and placed protective bypass diodes onto each circuit to make a truly robust building block for their deployable PV arrays. This is only the first generation of our basic space building block. We will continually look to improve it, especially to reduce the weight of the module."

"We look forward to developing an ongoing strategic relationship with Momentus as they transform the commercial space economy by providing in-space transportation and last-mile delivery services for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) customers," said Victor Lee, President and CEO of Ascent Solar. "Integrating our essentially "mass-less" and resilient PV technology into future-generation Spacecrafts will allow Momentus to provide critical portable power for their customers, distinctively separating Ascent Solar from the competition. I believe this will help position Ascent to become a leader in these developing premium markets."