Sierra Space Pioneers New Solar Array Drive Assembly Options to Support High-Volume Satellite Market

Sierra Space, a leading commercial space-tech company that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, has announced two new complementary products to support the growing satellite market. A new Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA), with multiple options, and a new commercial variant of its heritage Universal Microstepping Control Driver (UMCD) combine recent technological-component advancements with Sierra Space’s 35+ years of spaceflight expertise to create cost-effective solar array-management systems at reduced lead times.

These new product offerings will benefit the satellite industry by making solar array mechanisms more affordable and more quickly available for burgeoning high-volume applications.

“We’re committed to growing a Low Earth Orbit economy and one aspect of supporting that mission is creating cost-effective commercial products delivered in reduced lead times,” said Rusty Thomas, SVP & General Manager of Sierra Space’s Space Applications Sector and Chief Technology Officer. “To build a robust Low Earth Orbit economy, the industry needs to move at a pace in which it can grow unimpeded. These new solar array products will help support that much-needed high-volume growth.”

The new SADA and UMCD variants will help spacecraft position their solar panels toward the sun to maximize power generation. While the SADA mechanism works to physically point the solar array, the UMCD receives and interprets input signals from the flight computer and then outputs the power signals that drive the SADA rotation.

The new commercial variant of the heritage UMCD improves capability while drastically decreasing SWaP, cost, and schedule time. Notably, the SADA product will include four base options of varying capabilities and features. With this variety of base options, Sierra Space can canvas the needs of the satellite market for pointing applications.

All of these products are now available to order as a solution for new space customers where high-reliability products are needed with expedited lead times.