Industry - Aerospace

Accurate and Tunable Solar Simulation for the Aerospace Industry

Remove uncertainty before launch.

Solar Simulation Trusted By These Companies
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Setting A New Course For Aerospace Testing With Tunable Class AAA LED Solar Simulators

You’re reaching for the stars. We’ll provide the sun.

Good enough, isn’t enough when it comes to taking your aerospace projects from Earth to millions or billions of miles away. This is why you test, test, and test some more to prevent mission failure. Testing ranges from novel material for radiation-hardened space travel, part of an attitude and orbit control subsystem (AOCS), or part of a satellite’s solar battery. 

Your testing aims for perfection. Good enough isn’t part of your vocabulary.

With everything on the line, you need perfection. You require the most accurate and precise lights for your ground testing. Your light needs to be able to adapt to the unknown of aerospace conditions and can’t be less than the best.

That lighting solution to move the needle to mission success is here.

At G2V, we’ve created Class AAA LED solar simulators to provide the precision, tuneability, and flexibility you need to get the right results. Every time.

Featured Innovations

The Most Advanced Technology For Your Mission Critical Applications

There are enough variables to confound your results. Our solar simulator’s light is one you don’t need to worry about.

G2V Pico Solar Simulator On Desk Vertical With Computer Pico 5

Pico™ Solar Simulator for Aerospace

Aerospace technologies need to test a variety of facets beyond light responsivity and degradation. The Pico small-area Class AAA solar simulator has a small form factor so you can integrate solar simulation with your glove box or weather chamber, and do the cross-functional testing you need as part of validation and ground testing.

Get a solution that can grow with aerospace testing requirements.

G2V-sunbrick-solar-simulator

Sunbrick™ Solar Simulator for Aerospace

Your aerospace applications require robust and repeatable ground testing to be confident in a successful launch. Anything less puts your mission at risk. The Sunbrick large-area Class AAA solar simulator has a tileable design allowing you to scale and test to any size without sacrificing quality.

Get a solution that can grow with aerospace testing requirements.

Featured Innovation

The Sunbrick™ Class AAA LED Large Area Solar Simulator For Aerospace

Aerospace requires the power of scalability without sacrificing quality. Your testing takes you from small-scale instruments to full-sized panels. This flexibility must have a light that is perfect. 

The G2V Class AAA LED Sunbrick is that perfect light. It produces light in a wide spectral range and is built with a configurable array construction to scale to the size you need, without sacrificing quality. 

Some of its features include: 

  • Up to 36 tunable LED channels
  • Spectral range options from 400 nm to 1500 nm
  • Class AAA from 20 cm x 20 cm to a tileable array
  • Calibrated presets include AM1.5G, AM0, and custom extra-solar spectra upon request
  • Automation through Python API and/or LabView DLL

Your innovations explore space. Let the Sunbrick light the way.

G2V Aerospace Sun Sensor
G2V Aerospace Solar Simulation Light Angle

How Class AAA LED Solar Simulators Enable Better Aerospace Experiments

Aerospace parts are becoming lighter and more efficient, coupled with more stringent testing methods. From guidance systems, to cameras, to the solar panels that run them; high-quality light is required to ensure findings are repeatable and accurate in order to simulate real-world conditions.

This is where tunable Class AAA solar simulators come into play.

Take your testing to the next level in all areas of aerospace with Class AAA LED solar simulator.

 

How NASA Uses A Class AAA Solar Simulator for Multidisciplinary Engineering

Problem: The OSAM-1 Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Center needed highly controllable, precise light to ground test mission spacecraft on the ground in the same conditions it would experience in flight.

Innovation: G2V was contracted to provide custom research-grade lighting to replicate the precise conditions required for this project.

Outcome

G2V's FAQs

Our maximum spectral range is currently from 350 nm to 1450 nm. While there are some LEDs that reach higher and lower wavelengths, their performance and cost are not quite at the level needed for a robust and competitive solar simulator solution. G2V is always monitoring LED material developments, however, so if a wider spectral range is needed for your application, get in touch and we can discuss the possibility of a custom solution, or the inclusion of such a solution in our product roadmap.

At this point in time we are unable to offer EQE measurements with the sunbrick, but can provide IV measurement capability through a Keithly bundle for our Sunbrick. Reach out to one of our experts if you would like to know more about the Keithly bundle option  If you require both IV and EQE, our Class AAA  Pico product can meet your small-area needs. Check out The Pico to learn more.

The Sunbrick and the directed Pico models produce light with an angular full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of approximately 20 to 30 degrees. The Lambertian Pico produces light with a Lambertian angular distribution. If you require a slightly different angular distribution for your application, get in touch and we can discuss possible solutions.

We produce a Class A spectral match with <5% spectral mismatch for AM0.

Our solar simulators offer the ability to tune every LED channel (up to 32 channels in the Pico, and up to 36 channels in the Sunbrick), giving you the ability to probe the spectral responsivity via many different types of LEDs. The resolution of this tunability is ultimately determined by the available LEDs in a given product — get in touch if you would like an exact list to compare against your multi-junction responsivity functions.

With our off-the-shelf stands, the solar simulators cannot be tilted. The Pico’s smaller size makes it much easier to tilt via standard optomechanical mounts from THORLABS and Edmund Optics. The Sunbrick’s larger form factor would require a custom stand to facilitate tilting.

No, our solar simulator is not designed for vacuum. Our solar simulators have not been designed for long working distances without a large sacrifice in power and uniformity, so beaming the light into a chamber for long distances is not currently viable.

We provide Python APIs for both the Pico and Sunbrick, which allow the solar simulators to be automated via Python scripts. For the Sunbrick, we also have a LabView DLL that can be used for automation.

Knowledge Base

Our Expertise. Your Mission Control.

We ensure that our customers have access to resources that help them understand how class AAA solar simulators are pushing what’s possible in research and applications in industries ranging from Aerospace to material testing. Visit the knowledge base to learn more about solar simulation, Class AAA standards, Total cost of ownership between xenon and LED, Photovoltaics and much more. Knowledge for mission success.

G2V and NREL collaborate to Validate LED Solar Simulators and improve Multi-Junction Testing

Solar Simulation

Our Solar Simulator Expert Are Here To Discuss Your Aerospace Solar Simulation Needs

Today’s testing is the foundation for the future’s success. No matter your task, you deserve the information you need, right when you need it.

Our experts are here to shine a light on any questions you might have in order to expedite your application’s outcomes when it comes to solar simulation and testing of your critical components. 

Let’s talk about your needs and clear up any confusion that may be slowing down your projects.

G2V Aerospace

Download the G2V Solar Simulation Brochure

For the latest information on the Pico small area solar simulator please download the LED Solar Simulation Brochure. Included is everything you need to know about the Pico, as well as a complete specification sheet. If you would like to know more please get in touch.

Download our Comprehensive Solar Simulation Brochure

For the latest information on the Sunbrick large area solar simulator please download the LED Solar Simulation Brochure. Included is everything you need to know about the Sunbrick, as well as a complete specification sheet. If you would like to know more please get in touch.