Airbus to supply over 200 Sparkwing solar panels to MDA Space

(Boursier.com) — Airbus has been selected by MDA Space Ltd, a leading provider of technologies and services to the global space industry, to supply solar panels for the MDA Aurora product line, the in-orbit reconfigurable satellites that enable constellations to extend communications networks to every corner of the globe.

Airbus will supply more than 200 Sparkwing solar panels, which will be built on a dedicated line at Airbus’ intensive production site in Leiden, the Netherlands. These are the largest Sparkwing solar panel models built to date. They consist of two wings of five panels each and provide a photovoltaic surface area of ​​more than 30 m2.

MDA Aurora's supply chain will support deliveries to Telesat's Lightspeed low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, an innovative and advanced planetary network that will bring first-class connectivity to customers around the world.

Designed to meet the changing technical and commercial requirements of the satellite industry, the Aurora reconfigurable MDA product line offers operators unmatched flexibility and functionality, significantly improving constellation performance while reducing costs and time to market.

Sparkwing is the world's first commercially available solar array for small satellites. In addition to power generation, the solar array offers high rigidity, minimal integration effort (designed to be integrated by the customer) and limited requirements for sidewall tolerances. Sparkwing is a product developed by Airbus in the Netherlands, with support from the Netherlands Space Office and ESA.