NASA Upgrades International Space Station Power Supply With Next-Generation Roll-Out Solar Arrays

Over the past five years, NASA has upgraded the International Space Station’s power system by installing next-generation roll-out solar arrays. These compact units generate additional electricity to support life support systems and hundreds of research investigations 250 miles above Earth. The technology relies on an International Space Station Roll Out Solar Array, which is a lightweight design that launches as a cylinder and unfurls autonomously like a yoga mat.

Testing began with a 2017 technology demonstration on the station. NASA later delivered the first two units inside a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft during a 2021 resupply mission. Crews installed six of these arrays outside the orbiting laboratory between 2021 and 2023. Growing power needs prompted NASA to request another set, which launched aboard a subsequent SpaceX resupply mission.

While each new array is roughly half the size of legacy solar panels, it produces about 28 kilowatts of extra power. Once all eight arrays are fully integrated, they will boost the station's total power supply by more than 160 kilowatts. NASA states that this revitalized power system supports current low Earth orbit operations and helps advance technologies for future deep space exploration.