Ovzon 3 Successfully Deploys Solar Arrays in Geostationary Orbit

Space News , U.S :- Redwire announced on January 10 that the solar array wings it provided for Ovzon 3, the first commercial satellite to use their Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) technology, have successfully unfolded in geostationary orbit.

These special 10-meter-long ROSA wings are working well after Ovzon 3's recent launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This successful deployment is great news for Ovzon, the Swedish satcom service provider, which ordered the satellite from Maxar Technologies in 2018. Despite manufacturing delays, Ovzon 3 is now on its journey to its final orbital position, fueled by a combined 10-kilowatts of power from Redwire's solar arrays and electric propulsion.

To give you a bit of background, Redwire first showed off its ROSA technology on the International Space Station in 2017. These flexible arrays are rolled up for launch and then unfurl in orbit, using composite booms that work like springs to simplify things compared to traditional systems.

NASA has been using Redwire's ROSA on the ISS, and by the end of this year, they plan to have a total of eight arrays, boosting the station's power generation from 160 kilowatts to over 255 kilowatts.

Redwire has also contributed to other space missions, including providing solar array wings for NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft, which collided with an asteroid in 2022.

Looking ahead, Redwire is developing powerful ROSA wings for the first segment of NASA's lunar Gateway, set to launch in late 2025. These solar arrays will be among the most powerful ever built, generating 37 kilowatts each.

As for Ovzon 3, it's expected to begin its service in mid-2024 after passing in-orbit health checks. Positioned at 59.7 degrees East, it will provide mobile connectivity primarily to government customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense. Despite pandemic-related delays, Ovzon CEO Per Norén remains optimistic, expressing the company's commitment to supporting critical missions and considering the possibility of expanding the satellite fleet in 2024 to cover a significant portion of the Earth.