Mike Gold, president of Redwire Space, said that the shift in orbital data centers’ power needs from kilowatts to megawatts will require large solar arrays that can be folded and deployed in orbit. The company is studying the use of silicon as an alternative to germanium to reduce costs and overcome supply-chain constraints.
Data centers being envisioned in orbit may need solar arrays far larger than the systems currently in use, as their electricity needs rise from the kilowatt range to megawatts. Gold, president of U.S. space infrastructure technology company Redwire Space, said that this shift will make large-scale solar power systems a crucial component in operating these facilities.
Gold made the remarks during the 77th International Astronautical Congress, held at the Antalya NEST Convention Center in Turkey, where he discussed the foldable and deployable solar-panel technology developed by Redwire. The panels are compressed before launch into a compact, carpet-like structure, then opened in orbit to provide a larger generating area than the rocket’s payload bay would allow.
Solving the Space and Mass Problem
Redwire believes this structure could help address the fundamental contradiction in space-system design: orbital data centers need substantial power, while rockets impose strict constraints on payload volume and mass. According to Gold, foldability and deployability make it possible to carry large panels and operate them after reaching orbit, similar to a tent that is folded during transport and opened at a campsite.
Gold noted that, as part of one of its programs carried out for NASA, the company built solar-panel systems that he described as the largest humanity has deployed in space to date. However, he explained that the next arrays, which will be sent to the International Space Station on October 13, will be used to upgrade the station’s aging panels, not to directly power orbital data centers.
Why Does This News Matter?
The important development here is not the announcement of an operating data center in orbit, but the emergence of power as one of the main engineering constraints facing this type of infrastructure. Increasing capacity from kilowatts to megawatts requires not only larger panels, but also creates challenges related to mass, deployment mechanisms, manufacturing, and the long-term supply of materials.
Silicon Instead of Germanium
Gold said that the industry is examining the use of silicon-based solar panels because of declining availability of germanium used in panel manufacturing. Silicon is less expensive and more abundant, but it requires more area to produce the same amount of power compared with germanium-based solutions.
Redwire is attempting to address this disadvantage through a lightweight, foldable and deployable design that allows a larger surface area to be used without a comparable increase in mass. According to the remarks, switching to silicon could help reduce costs, but the source provides no figures on the targeted capacity, mass, or panel efficiency, or on when these systems will actually be used in orbital data centers.