Redwire Succesfully Deploys ROSA on Ovzon-3 ComSat

Ibadan, 12 January 2o24 – Redwire Corporation has announced that two 5-kW Roll-Out Solar Arrays (ROSA) have successfully deployed and are operating nominally in geosynchronous orbit on the Maxar Space Systems-built Ovzon 3 communications satellite.

The satellite successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. Ovzon 3 represents the first-ever integration of Redwire’s ROSA technology with a commercial satellite following years of successful operations on the International Space Station (ISS) and on NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission.

As the first commercial integration of Redwire’s ROSA technology, the two solar array wings for the Ovzon 3 satellite extend ROSA’s successful heritage. This also includes the six currently installed and successfully operating ROSAs on the ISS and the two wings used on NASA’s DART mission. Furthermore, in June 2023, Redwire announced a follow-on contract to build two additional ROSAs for the ISS.

Adam Biskner, President of Space Systems at Redwire, commenting on the mission’s success, said, “Redwire is proud to support the Ovzon 3 mission with innovative ROSA technology, which will provide reliable, compact, and scalable solar power generation for the spacecraft.” The President also added, “Redwire’s ROSA technology is continuing to leverage unparalleled innovation in solar power generation to enable the most ambitious missions from LEO to GEO and beyond.”

ROSA’s groundbreaking design is also helping to supply power for the Maxar-built Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), which will be part of the first segment of the NASA-led lunar Gateway planned to launch late next year. A pair of 37-kW ROSA wings will consequently power the PPE, which are some of the most powerful spacecraft solar arrays in operation.