As the power requirements of data centers in orbit scale from kilowatts to megawatts, massive solar arrays will be needed to meet their energy demands, according to American aerospace manufacturer Redwire Space President Mike Gold.
Redwire plans to use its roll-out solar array technology to meet the growing power needs of orbital data centers, Gold told Anadolu on the sidelines of the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in Antalya.
"Orbital data centers are power hogs, power consumers, and Redwire is uniquely positioned with our innovative roll-out solar arrays to power these orbital data centers," he said.
Gold said Redwire's solar arrays are compacted like a carpet before launch and roll out after reaching orbit, saving space inside the rocket fairing while providing a large surface area and high power output.
He said demand for power systems will grow exponentially as orbital data centers' capacity increases, making the ability to deploy large structures increasingly important.
"The only way you're going to be able to fit them into a rocket is if you roll them up," he said.
"Among the many programs that Redwire has executed for NASA, we're building for SR-1 Freedom, the power propulsion element, the largest solar arrays ever deployed by humanity," Gold said.
"We really view Redwire and the roll-out solar arrays as the solution to the power problem that orbital data centers suffer from," he said.
Gold said Redwire's final set of roll-out solar arrays will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) on Oct. 13, completing the replacement of the station's old solar arrays with the company's new systems.
- Silicon could be alternative to germanium-based solar cells
Gold said the biggest challenge in generating, distributing and managing large amounts of power in space is the supply chain on Earth rather than conditions in space.
He said germanium, a rare earth element used to produce solar arrays, is becoming scarce and very expensive, prompting Redwire to explore alternatives such as silicon solar cells with ROSA.
Silicon-based arrays need to be larger than germanium arrays to produce the same amount of power, but Redwire's lightweight roll-out technology allows the company to deploy larger area arrays with lower mass than other types of solar arrays, Gold added.
He said Redwire is looking to expand into different types of solar cells, including silicon, and other low cost technologies, to meet the power needs of orbital data centers at an affordable cost.
By Basak Erkalan Koprubasili and Mert Davut
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr