Thin Film Arrays
Thin Film Arrays and FITS Technology
MSI has developed a unique space qualified solar array based on thin-film photovoltaic material and a patented thin-film deployment mechanism called the Fold Integrated Thin-Film Stiffener (FITS). This mechanism provides: a very high power density (150W/kg versus standard rigid arrays at 50W/kg), minimum stowage volume (>45kW/m3 versus standard arrays at 25kW/m3) and eliminates the complex rigid structure and deployment mechanisms required for traditional arrays. The first flight of the FITS thin-film array was on the TacSat-2 program. The array is producing power and data is being collected and analyzed.
