Sydney startups target space with Australian-made solar panels

Sydney technology companies SunDrive Solar and Space Machines Company have joined forces to develop Australian-made solar panels for spacecraft, targeting a critical part of the global satellite supply chain currently dominated by overseas suppliers.

The partnership will combine SunDrive’s copper-based solar cell technology with Space Machines Company’s spacecraft engineering capability to design, build and test solar arrays for use in orbit.

The first phase will run until April 2027 and produce a body-mounted solar panel for Space Machines Company’s next-generation Optimus Viper, a 200-kilogram spacecraft designed for autonomous operations in low Earth orbit.

Copper solar cells head to space

SunDrive’s technology replaces silver with copper in solar cell manufacturing, reducing reliance on a more expensive and constrained material while maintaining high efficiency.

Its heterojunction cells are also ultra-thin and lightweight, attributes that are particularly valuable in space applications where every kilogram added to a spacecraft increases launch and operating costs.

SunDrive will lead cell selection, module design, lamination and electrical testing, while Space Machines Company will handle structural and thermal design, assembly and spacecraft integration.

The panels will undergo thermal-vacuum and vibration testing to determine whether they can survive launch and the extreme conditions encountered in orbit.

Building sovereign space capability

Australian satellite programs currently rely heavily on imported space-grade solar arrays, which can increase costs and expose projects to supply-chain constraints.

The two companies believe locally produced arrays could reduce that dependence while creating an Australian supply chain for one of the most important and costly components of a spacecraft.

If the first phase succeeds, later stages are expected to target a flight-ready deployable array for future Space Machines Company spacecraft and potentially the wider international satellite market.

The collaboration gives SunDrive a new commercial pathway beyond terrestrial solar and highlights how Australian advanced manufacturing is increasingly moving into high-value sectors such as space, defence and sovereign technology.