First organized in 1956 to respond to the needs of the emerging satellite industry

Products - Space - Arrays

Pictured here is a 51-foot, four-panel solar array. Each satellite is usually equipped with two such arrays (also known as wings). Solar arrays are folded so that they can be stowed inside the hulls of launch vehicle fairings. Once launched into space, they open up and position themselves such that they are exposed to the sun. Explorer 6, launched in 1959, used Spectrolab arrays and became the first satellite to use solar arrays instead of body-mounted panels.

Wing with People.jpg (25911 bytes)