ISS solar array upgrade completed over past five years with 6 IROSAs

Over the past five years, NASA augmented International Space Station power generation and distribution capability with IROSAs.

The arrays' effectiveness was tested in 2017, and power projections in 2023 prompted a request for another set.

The station's full upgrade is in place.

The station is in low Earth orbit, and the Sun is described as a vital energy source.

Solar electricity supports life-support systems, routine operations, and hundreds of research investigations.

The Roll Out Solar Arrays are described as next-generation, lightweight and compact. They launch in a cylindrical form, unroll after installation, and reduce mass and volume at launch.

An autonomous self-deploying system lowers rollout risk, and the arrays are about half the size of legacy arrays.

The arrays can scale to mission requirements, and their effectiveness was tested in 2017.

There are 6 installed IROSAs. SpaceX's 35th commercial resupply services mission carried IROSAs in the Dragon spacecraft's trunk for NASA.

Power projections in 2023 prompted a request for another set, and the full upgrade is in place.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, the station matters because it is described as an essential testbed for technologies needed for expeditions beyond Earth's orbit and for future human exploration efforts. It also helps advance technology to extend reach into the solar system.