The ECAPS project (Experimental Characterization of Advanced Photovoltaics in the Stratosphere) aims at the characterization of performance of a number of different solar cells in the stratospheric environment.
Testing solar cells in the stratosphere is of great interest for the development of High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) platforms, which will be equipped with high efficiency, flexible solar cells capable to operate at 20-30 km altitude for weeks or months, as well as to perform high-quality calibration of spacecraft solar cells in a near-air mass zero environment.
Solar cells intended for spaceflight need to be tested against a calibrated reference to verify their performance; calibration of the reference cell can be done at relatively low cost in the stratosphere, where insolation conditions are very close to those of the Air Mass Zero environment encountered in LEO and beyond. As a matter of facts, such calibration is carried out using stratospheric balloons since the 60′ s.
We have successfully flown 4 version of our ECAPS facility to characterize solar cells, measuring their characteristic curve (I-V) at high altitudes, for different temperature and irradiance conditions.
We are open and flexible to fly any kind of experimental or commercial solar cell, if you want to fly please contact us!
ECAPS 4
