Deployable Solar Energy Generators for Deep Space Cubesats

Cubesats require highly compact technologies to maximize their effectiveness. As cubesats are expected to be low-cost and, relative to the space industry, mass produced, their technologies should be simple to manufacture, yet achieve aerospace quality standards. This proposal aims to describe a novel high-efficiency (i.e., comparable to solar panels) fabricated power supply for cubesats and other small satellites that has marked advantages over solar photovoltaic cells. Nanohmics Inc. proposes to develop and test a compact, high efficiency solar thermoelectric generator. The technology is amenable to mass manufacturing and is based on recent development successes at Nanohmics: thermoelectrics development and coatings to maximize emissivity. On a space vehicle, the energy generator would be deployable in a number of ways including a folding fan-like unpacking or other compact designs.

A low-cost alternative to solar panels could enable long-term operations for cubesats and cubesat constellations. As a scalable technology, it could be applied to 1U through 6U cubesats for missions in Earth orbit and beyond. Due to the lack of a fragile semiconductor junction, the energy generators would be robust to radiation and increased life. Additionally, the robust architecture would improve ease of handling, packaging, and deployment.

Thermoelectric waste heat recovery is a growing industry. A low-cost manufacturing solution for thermoelectrics, even at moderate efficiency, would allow regeneration of substantial power from parasitic heat losses in industrial and commercial systems.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.