Ascent Solar Technologies, a US-based manufacturer of flexible thin-film PV solutions, has integrated its PV blankets into NOVI’s N1-ATLAS spacecraft. The N1-ATLAS spacecraft is scheduled for launch next month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-16 mission. The toaster-sized hyperspectral imaging spacecraft is designed to generate 150 W of power in orbit. Integration of Ascent’s flexible CIGS array has enabled a tightly rolled configuration that reduces stowed volume within the spacecraft structure. The spring mission will demonstrate GENIE, NOVI’s Geospatial Ecosystem for Near Real-Time Information at the Edge, which is described as an open-access multi-sensor edge-compute platform. Ascent has stated that its domestic manufacturing capability has supported product delivery, and the company operates a 5 MW nameplate production facility in Thornton, Colorado.