Launching solar panels into space is a very expensive endeavor, but the Origami in Space project hopes to reduce the cost by getting creative. With the help of origami expert and physicist Robert Lang, a team of engineers at the Brigham Young University have been working on prototype after prototype inspired by the art of paper folding.
Working in collaboration with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Origami in Space project revolves around the development of a solar array that folds open to nearly ten times its packed size, and which is capable of generating 250 kilowatts of power. Lang comments, "It's hard to predict what the greatest outcome of this collaboration will be, but it would be a great success if a solar array based on our concept flew on a NASA mission."
Unfurling Solar Panels
The Origami in Space Project by BYU Focuses on Cost and Creativity
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Industry Implications
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