Patent Certificate Issued for Iran-Made Space-Based Solar Panels

The space-based solar panels have been developed by the efforts of researchers at the Materials and Energy Research Institute of the Iranian Space Agency and cooperation of the Intellectual Property Center of the Patent Office of the Bureau for Registration of Deeds and Landed Property of Iran.

“Solar panels are used in satellites to provide electric power,  which are a set consisting of a number of cells placed on a special substrate with a high strength-to-weight ratio, along with a variety of insulation layers, a protective layer against particle radiation, layers to prevent the discharge of electric charges, all kinds of electrical connections, protective diodes and connecting connectors,” Caretaker of Iran's Space Agency and Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Technology Hassan Salarieh said.

He added that in a bid to convert the energy from sunlight into electrical energy, the complex should have all technical requirements of a space product, including long life, magnetic requirements, high power density and low mass, thermal requirements, and resistance to destructive particle radiation like energetic ions and electrons.

“This invention enjoys the least added mass among similar products and is made by using components with negligible magnetic hysteresis and optimal circuit layout to minimize the magnetic field around,” Salarieh said.

Iran is among the 10 countries with knowledge of space technology and is the 11th country in the world in terms of space science and the leading country in the region.

Iran’s global ranking in space technology has improved from 95 in 1996 to 11 in 2017.

Iran launched its first satellite, called Omid (literally meaning hope), in 2009. Rasad (literally meaning observation) satellite was also sent into orbit in 2011.

In 2012, Iran successfully put its third domestically manufactured satellite, named Navid (literally meaning promise), into orbit.

The first and most advanced homegrown remote-sensing satellite is Pars-1, which has been designed and constructed by the researchers of the Iranian Space Research Center.

Pars-1 is supposed to take pictures of all parts of the country using a high-resolution 15-meter-camera and send its photos from a 500-kilometer distance to the earth stations using a high-powered telecommunication transceiver.

According to previous reports, the Iranian Space Agency has plans to launch a number of satellites including Pars-1, Pars-2, Zafar-2, and Nahid-2.

In February, the Iranian Space Agency announced that the Kosar satellite, designed and launched by eight technological companies, was scheduled to be in a 500-kilometer orbit by the current [Iranian calendar] year (which began on March 21).

Iran also launched Nour-1 satellite into orbit in 2020 and the second one, Nour-2, earlier this year in March with an accuracy of 10 meters.

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