Space Economy as a Power, Mass, and Qualification Problem: Role for Emerging Photovoltaics

The rapid expansion of the near-Earth space economy is turning space photovoltaics into a coupled power, mass, and qualification problem. As megaconstellations, orbital data infrastructure, and other proliferated architectures scale, current silicon and III–V based solar arrays face growing penalties associated with mass, drag, shielding, and end-of-life power retention. Here I discuss why emerging thin-film photovoltaics, including CIGS, CdTe, halide perovskite, and organic solar cells, are attracting interest for space applications. I argue that their true potential will depend not only on lightweight form factors and scalable manufacturing but also on the development of orbit-relevant benchmarking frameworks that can properly assess space tolerance across the broader environment likely to define future space systems.