SolAero Technologies (Rocket Lab)

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

SolAero Technologies is a space solar cell and panel manufacturer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded as an independent company and acquired by Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) in January 2022 for $80 million, it now operates as Rocket Lab’s solar products division under the brand “SolAero by Rocket Lab.” The company has powered over 1,100 satellites and spacecraft, including the Ingenuity Mars helicopter (first powered flight on Mars, April 2021), the Parker Solar Probe, and multiple Cygnus ISS cargo resupply missions. SolAero is the second major US producer of space-grade multi-junction GaAs solar cells and has a production line capitalized for over 1 MWe per year.

Key Facts

  • Parent company: Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB)
  • HQ: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
  • Type: Subsidiary (public parent: Rocket Lab)
  • Founded: 1998 (as Emcore Photovoltaics; later spun out and rebranded as SolAero)
  • Acquired by Rocket Lab: January 18, 2022 ($80M cash)
  • Products: Multi-junction GaAs solar cells (bare cells and CICs), space solar panels, STARRAY modular solar array systems
  • Production capacity: >1 MWe per year (cell production line)
  • Spacecraft powered: 1,100+ satellites and spacecraft in orbit; >100 GEO missions, >900 LEO missions, 15 lunar and interplanetary missions
  • Key markets: NASA, US Space Force, US DoD, commercial satellite operators, OneWeb constellation, NASA Artemis/Gateway

What It Is / How It Works

SolAero manufactures multi-junction III-V photovoltaic cells on germanium substrates, primarily triple-junction GaInP/GaAs/Ge architectures, using MOCVD epitaxy. Cells are sold as bare cells or as CIC assemblies, and as integrated solar panels and array systems.

Products:

  • Space solar cells and CICs: Triple-junction GaAs cells qualified for LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep-space applications. Specific efficiency figures for current product lines are not publicly detailed on the company website, but the product line is in the 28–30% BOL range based on industry context for the competitive tier. SolAero cells have been used on missions with extreme environmental requirements, including the Parker Solar Probe’s near-sun environment.
  • STARRAY modular solar arrays: Introduced by Rocket Lab, the STARRAY line offers seven variable solar array sizes ranging from 100 W to over 2,000 W output. Designed for customization and rapid integration onto spacecraft buses. Available as both rigid and deployable configurations.
  • Space solar panels: Fully integrated panels assembled on customer-furnished or Rocket Lab-furnished substrates; delivered to satellite prime contractors and spacecraft integrators.

Rocket Lab integration strategy: The SolAero acquisition is part of Rocket Lab’s vertical integration thesis: owning the launch vehicle (Electron, Neutron), spacecraft bus manufacturing (acquired Sinclair Interplanetary), flight software, and now solar power systems creates an end-to-end space systems capability. Rocket Lab’s goal is for SolAero to supply solar power for Rocket Lab’s own Photon spacecraft platform as well as for external customers.

Notable Developments

  • 2025 (upcoming): Rocket Lab to supply solar cells and radiation-hardened assemblies for the US Space Force’s Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) geostationary missile warning satellites; first launch scheduled in 2025.
  • 2024: STARRAY line expanded; SolAero continues to ramp production under Rocket Lab ownership.
  • 2022: Rocket Lab acquires SolAero Holdings for $80M cash (January 18, 2022). Integration into Rocket Lab’s Space Systems division as “SolAero by Rocket Lab.” NIST CHIPS-related designation: Rocket Lab’s Albuquerque facility recognized in the context of US domestic space solar manufacturing.
  • 2021: SolAero solar panel powers the Ingenuity Mars helicopter — the first powered, controlled aircraft flight on Mars (April 19, 2021). SolAero selected to supply Solar Power Modules for NASA Gateway (Artemis lunar program) Power and Propulsion Element.
  • 2019–2021: Supplied solar panels for OneWeb’s broadband LEO constellation. Continued supply of solar panels for Cygnus ISS cargo resupply missions.
  • 2017: Named SolAero Technologies (formerly Emcore Photovoltaics after a spin-out from Emcore Corporation).
  • 1998: Founded in Albuquerque as Emcore Photovoltaics; develops GaAs solar cell manufacturing capability over subsequent years.

Key People

Brad Clevenger — President and CEO, SolAero by Rocket Lab

  • LinkedIn: Search “Brad Clevenger SolAero Rocket Lab”
  • Role: Leads the SolAero division within Rocket Lab; retained through the acquisition to provide continuity of management and customer relationships.
  • Background: Long-tenure executive at SolAero; specific prior history not confirmed in public sources.

Peter Beck — Founder and CEO, Rocket Lab (Parent Company)

  • LinkedIn: Peter Beck
  • Role: Drives overall Rocket Lab strategy, including the vertical integration thesis behind the SolAero acquisition.
  • Background: Founded Rocket Lab in New Zealand (2006); relocated to the US; built Electron launch vehicle and Photon spacecraft bus; New Zealand Order of Merit recipient.

Leadership — Last Reviewed: 2026-04-30

Supply Chain Position

Layer Detail
Raw materials Germanium (Ge) substrates; III-V precursor gases (TMGa, TMIn, TMAl, AsH₃, PH₃)
Epitaxial growth MOCVD growth of GaInP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction structure; Albuquerque fab
Cell processing Lithography, contact metallization, AR coating, dicing
CIC assembly Coverglass bonding, interconnects, bypass diodes
Panel/array integration Assembled panels from customer or Rocket Lab-furnished substrates; STARRAY modular assemblies
End customers NASA (multiple programs), US Space Force, DoD primes, OneWeb, commercial satellite operators, Rocket Lab Photon spacecraft

⚑ Rocket Lab vertical integration: SolAero’s position within Rocket Lab creates a captive internal customer (Photon spacecraft) and potential competitive tension with external customers who are also Rocket Lab launch customers. External customers may have concerns about dependency on a competitor’s subsidiary.

⚑ US domestic GaAs supplier: SolAero is one of only two US-domiciled suppliers of space-grade GaAs solar cells (alongside Spectrolab/Boeing). Both are strategically important to US national security programs. ITAR restrictions limit which US programs can use foreign (e.g., Azur Space) cells.

⚑ Germanium substrate dependency: Shared with all GaAs space solar manufacturers; China controls the majority of global germanium supply.

⚑ Shared supplier flag: SolAero and Spectrolab both depend on the same narrow supplier base for germanium substrates and III-V precursor gases. A disruption to germanium supply would affect both US space solar manufacturers simultaneously.

Market Position

SolAero is the second-largest US producer of space solar cells, competing primarily with Spectrolab (Boeing) domestically. Its acquisition by Rocket Lab has given it strategic backing from a publicly-traded space systems company with strong government customer relationships, but also creates internal-versus-external customer dynamics.

The company’s track record — 1,100+ spacecraft, 15 lunar and interplanetary missions, the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, Parker Solar Probe — reflects decades of mission heritage. The STARRAY product line represents an effort to move up the value chain from raw cells toward integrated array systems, competing with panel integrators who previously assembled arrays using SolAero cells.

Rocket Lab’s NIST CHIPS program designation signals US government interest in maintaining domestic space solar manufacturing capability. The Next-Gen OPIR contract with the US Space Force is a significant government program win that validates SolAero’s position within defense supply chains.

Claim Verification

Claim: “1,100+ satellites powered by SolAero products”

Status: Verified — stated in Rocket Lab acquisition announcement materials and company profile

Supporting sources:

  • Rocket Lab acquisition close announcement — “over 1,100 satellites and spacecraft in orbit are powered by SolAero products”
  • IEEE conference publication on SolAero product roadmap (2023) corroborates scale

Summary: Cumulative heritage figure is consistent with SolAero’s decades of production; no contradicting sources found.

Claim: “SolAero cells powered the Ingenuity Mars helicopter”

Status: Verified — well-documented in NASA and press sources

Supporting sources:

  • Multiple press sources confirm SolAero led development and manufacturing of the Ingenuity solar panel; NASA JPL documentation.
  • The first powered flight on Mars (April 19, 2021) is a documented NASA mission event.

Summary: Factually accurate; Ingenuity’s solar panel is one of SolAero’s highest-profile mission references.

Claim: “Production capacity >1 MWe per year”

Status: Verified — stated in company/Rocket Lab acquisition materials

Supporting sources:

  • Rocket Lab acquisition announcement documentation references >1 MWe annual production capacity.

Note: 1 MWe in space solar terms is substantially more panels than 1 MWe in terrestrial solar terms due to the much higher unit cost and power density of space-grade cells.

Sources