A research team of engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Brigham Young University are working together to develop solar arrays using origami folding techniques. The researchers are developing a method to simplify the structure of panels to allow for easier implementation.
The team has already developed a solar array that is 82 feet across, but when folded measures 8.9 feet wide. Currently, when a solar array is deployed into space, it needs to be assembled by an astronaut. The engineers are working to find a way to send the array into space on a single rocket and have it self deploy.
