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Friday, February 05, 2010
High-Flying Solar Panels Emcore wins NASA-based contract but program's future put in doubt
By Michael Hartranft
Journal Staff Writer
Albuquerque-based Emcore Corp. announced this week it has landed contract from ATK Space Systems to manufacture solar panels for ATK's solar arrays that would power the Orion reusable spacecraft being developed for NASA.
But the $9 million to $11 million contract could be in jeopardy because earlier this week the Orion program was one of a number of space programs President Barack Obama said he wants to eliminate in his budget. More than 4,000 people and 100 companies have been working on Orion, which is part of the Constellation program designed to replace the space shuttles NASA is scheduled to retire after five more flights this year.
The spacecraft is being developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. The company said it was disappointed in the news this week, but would continue to work with NASA. The immediate future of the project was unclear.
Emcore said its latest generation triple-junction solar cells would be designed into the solar panels for ATK's solar arrays. The cell's sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 30 percent makes it the highest performance space qualified solar cell in the industry, the company said.
Separately this week, Emcore announced it has entered into an agreement for Tangshan Caofeidian Investment Corp. of China to buy a 60 percent interest in Emcore's fiber optics business.
The agreement will create a joint venture fiber optic business that will be renamed Emcore Fiber Optics Ltd. and will be registered in Hong Kong.
The Chinese company will pay Emcore about $27.8 million in cash and provide $27 million to the new business after the deal closes, according to a news release. It will focus on developing a high-volume low cost manufacturing infrastructure to serve the expanding market in China and elsewhere.
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