Space

Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) has launched CRIMSON-1, a nanosatellite carrying perovskite solar cells developed together with NUS spin-off Singfilm Solar, marking the first time a Singapore-made perovskite solar module has flown in orbit. The satellite lifted off on October 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, and was deployed about 520 km above Earth using Exolaunch's EXOpod Nova system.

The team from NTU Satellite Research Centre and their partners. Image credit: NTU

CRIMSON-1 is NTU's 14th research satellite, built by the university's Satellite Research Centre (SaRC). The 5 kg, shoebox-sized spacecraft is designed to run a year-long mission testing two technologies under real orbital conditions: the perovskite solar cells, and an onboard AI system that filters and analyzes satellite imagery before transmitting it to Earth, cutting down on the raw data scientists would otherwise need to process manually.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield, AMRC Sheffield, solar-powered drone developer Limosaero, and Loughborough University have secured funding to integrate perovskite photovoltaics directly onto carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), the structural material used in aircraft skins, as part of a UK government push to build aircraft that can hold station in the stratosphere for extended periods.

The project, led by David G. Lidzey at the University of Sheffield and titled "Structural Solar: Integrating perovskite PV onto carbon fiber for high specific power," is one of 18 teams sharing £70 million (about US$80.2 million) from the UK's Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) under its Enduring Atmospheric Platforms program. The program targets aircraft able to continuously supply 300 watts of power to a communications payload for a full week while holding station above the UK, with the aim of creating a new connectivity layer between the ground and space. Structural Solar sits within the program's Technical Area 1, which funds materials and power technologies meant to de-risk development of a full stratospheric platform; ARIA has not disclosed the funding amount awarded to this specific project out of the overall £70 million.

Perovskia Solar has announced a transition from lab-scale development to commercial-scale manufacturing and commenced shipping custom-designed perovskite cells to customers. The company previously launched the Sun-a-Wear UV tracker, which it describes as the first commercially available product powered by perovskite photovoltaics, and now supplies cells to customers developing energy-autonomous electronics such as IoT sensors and other smart devices, including a US-based customer building a tracking device. CEO and Founder Anand Verma said the company also has proof-of-concept projects underway with industrial and tech partners across Europe and Asia.

Perovskia has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Indian company AkashaLabdhi to explore its perovskite photovoltaic technology for space applications. Verma was careful to frame the scope of the agreement: "At this stage, we are working to provide cells for evaluation and qualification purposes, rather than confirming their deployment on future Indian satellites or space stations. Space-grade applications require extensive testing, and this partnership is a crucial first step." 

Yanhe Technology (formerly Yanhe Solar), the Chinese flexible perovskite PV developer, has launched its self-developed flexible perovskite module into orbit aboard the Tianyi-52 satellite, which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 17. The company says this is China's first module-level, full-operating-conditions in-orbit engineering validation of flexible perovskite PV technology in the commercial space sector.

The module now begins long-term performance monitoring in orbit, where it will be evaluated under high vacuum, temperature cycling between -100°C and +100°C, high-energy particle irradiation, and atomic oxygen erosion. Yanhe will track electrical output, interconnection reliability, and mechanical stability, with data relayed in real time through the satellite's telemetry system.

Xingyi Core Energy Technology (Sometimes known as "Starwing"), a China-based developer of space-grade perovskite solar cells and flexible packaging substrates, has completed a Pre-A round of strategic financing worth nearly RMB 100 million (about $14 million). The round was led by Junda Co., Shanghai Future Industry Fund, Lingang Blue Bay Capital, and Nanxun Luyao, with additional participation from investors tied to the co-founders of Xinyang Semiconductor, while existing shareholder Zhongke Shenguang increased its stake. 

The company says the funds will go toward technical iteration, space-environment testing, and on-orbit satellite verification of its perovskite photovoltaic cells and space-grade CPI flexible packaging substrates.

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Plasma-lit climatic, altitude and thermal-shock chambers that hold the full AM1.5G or AM0 spectrum, UVA + UVB (+ UVC), for the entire duration of the ageing run.

Perovskite research has changed its unit of measurement. Efficiency records still make headlines, but the numbers that now decide whether a device gets published, funded or flown are T80 lifetimes, retention after thousands of hours under continuous illumination, and the ISOS protocol used to get there.

That shift puts an uncomfortable amount of weight on a single instrument: the lamp.

The two blind spots in accelerated ageing

LED simulators stop where the interesting chemistry starts. They are stable, efficient and have become the default for light soaking. But below roughly 350 nm they have little to offer, and UVB and UVC are simply absent from the spectrum. Every degradation pathway driven by high-energy photons stays invisible for the whole test.

Hanwha Solutions, parent company of solar manufacturer Qcells, and Hanwha Systems, its sister company specializing in defense and satellite systems, recently signed a joint development agreement to develop high-efficiency perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells for satellite power systems, marking Hanwha's entry into the space solar power market. Hanwha Systems is investing 30 billion won (about $20 million) in a research program running from 2026 through 2028.

Under the agreement, Hanwha Solutions will lead research through 2028 focused on improving high-efficiency cell design and performance and verifying reliability under space conditions, developing power solutions optimized for very low Earth orbit (VLEO), where lightweight structures and resilience to a demanding orbital environment are critical. The companies plan to conduct an in-orbit demonstration in 2028 to validate the technology under real space conditions, with a commercialization pathway aimed at integrating the tandem cells into Hanwha Systems' planned constellation of 64 very-low-Earth-orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, capable of resolving ground objects as small as 15 centimeters, with deployment targeted to begin in 2029. Beyond VLEO, the companies say they intend to further develop the technology for use across other orbital environments, including low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO).

Researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), led by corresponding authors Professor Changduk Yang, Professor Seung-Jae Shin and Professor Myoung Hoon Song, have developed a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) hole-selective contact for inverted perovskite solar cells that keeps working through repeated thermal cycling between −100°C and +100°C. The material, named LY-m, isolates the effect of molecular linker position on interfacial packing and pushed cell efficiency to 26.39% (certified 26.37%) with a record-high open-circuit voltage of 1.231 V.

In inverted (p-i-n) perovskite solar cells, SAMs form a molecule-thin hole-selective layer between the transparent electrode (ITO) and the perovskite absorber, and their performance is highly sensitive to incomplete surface coverage, molecular aggregation, and interfacial heterogeneity, particularly under heat and large temperature swings. While SAM chemistry has been widely explored, how the molecular topology of the linker itself governs packing and device durability had remained poorly understood. To isolate that variable, the UNIST team synthesized three isomeric SAMs, LY-ortho (LY-o), LY-meta (LY-m), and LY-para (LY-p), that share an identical carbazole head group and differ only in where the linker attaches to the ring.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation has announced a $12 million funding opportunity to accelerate technical innovation and expand domestic manufacturing for space-grade solar panels, through the Space Photovoltaics (PV) Research and Development Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA). While the program covers space PV broadly, both of its topic areas specifically call for perovskite-based projects, according to program representatives.

“The next frontier for solar PV power generation is in space,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson. “As demand for space-grade PV skyrockets, this investment will establish American leadership in next-generation, space-based PV, bolster our national security, and enhance our economic competitiveness.”

GCL Optoelectronic Material (also referred to as GCL Perovskite) is leading the drafting of a group standard for single-junction perovskite solar modules intended for space applications. The Perovskite Industry Branch of the China International Association for Promotion of Science and Technology (CIAPST) organized the first drafting meeting, hosted by GCL. 

The standard is meant to establish technical requirements and test methods for single-junction perovskite modules used in space, supporting their transition from technology validation to standardized, industrial-scale application. The move comes as the company continues building out its perovskite manufacturing and certification track record, including its 18.04% efficiency milestone for single-junction perovskite modules and certification for 3x IEC accelerated aging tests.