Mantis Space teams with Atomic-6 to bring power to orbit

An artistic impression of a Mantis Space satellite with solar arrays deployed and high-powered lasers for delivering energy to customer satellites. (Mantis Space)

Mantis Space has partnered with Atomic-6, which will provide solar power and thermal management systems for its proposed orbital energy infrastructure, according to a company statement on 27 April.

Under the preferred vendor partnership, Atomic-6 will supply its Light Wing solar array and Hot Wing radiator systems for integration with Mantis Space's orbital energy platform, the statement said.

The planned platform consists of a “constellation of spacecraft designed to remain almost continuously in sunlight to transmit power to satellites operating in eclipse”, the statement said.

Atomic-6's Light Wing arrays will supply high-efficiency power generation, and the Hot Wing radiators will provide thermal management to “dissipate heat during high-capacity power transmissions”, according to the statement.

Orbital power

Mantis Space's satellites will operate in medium earth orbit (MEO), collecting energy to distribute it to lower orbit, Eric Truitt, CEO for Mantis Space, told Janes on 6 May. “The idea is that you essentially create infrastructure akin to a power grid that will provide power to satellites when they're in the shadow of the earth,” he explained.

Space operators design their satellites and missions around the expectation that they will spend approximately 15% of their service life in eclipse, Truitt said. Providing power through that eclipse period would enable customers to extend their mission time and operational life, he said.

Satellite solar cells and batteries “degrade 5–10% a year on average. By that third or fourth year of operations, [you have] significantly lower power generation capability for your satellite than before, and that's usually the point in which people decide to de-orbit their satellite”, Truitt said.