EMCORE is a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optic and solar power markets. The company is also the world’s leading manufacturer of efficient, radiation-hard solar cells for space power applications, such as earth orbiting satellites and interplanetary spacecraft.

The company today announced that it has been awarded a solar panel manufacturing contract by Orbital Sciences Corporation for NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission targeted for launch in early 2016. The mission builds on measurements taken by NASA’s previous ICESat mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance (which showed thinning of the world’s ice sheets), cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics.

Solar power panels populated with EMCORE’s most advanced ZTJ triple-junction solar cells will power the ICESat-2 spacecraft, manufactured by Orbital Sciences. With a beginning-of-life (BOL) conversion efficiency nearing 30% and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode, EMCORE’s industry-leading multi-junction solar cells provide the highest available power to all types of spacecraft.

The company has become the supplier of choice for demanding spacecraft power system and has formed a mutually beneficial partnership on many occasions with Orbital Sciences. For more information about EMCORE Corporation and all its businesses, including powering spacecraft, please visit the company’s website at www.emcore.com.

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