Redwire unveils extensible low profile solar array for mass produced satellites

by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 30, 2026
Redwire Corporation has introduced a new high-performance, low-mass solar array product, the Extensible Low-Profile Solar Array, or ELSA, targeting mass-manufactured satellites that need standardized, modular power solutions for on-orbit operations. The company said ELSA is designed to serve government and commercial customers that are ramping up satellite production to support applications such as warfighter communications and telecommunications.

ELSA is derived from the technical heritage of Redwire's Roll-Out Solar Array, known as ROSA, and uses modular subsystems and a parallel production approach to support higher volume output. According to Redwire, the new array is intended to deliver reliable, robust and affordable power in a compact foldable package that is optimized for streamlined integration.

The new solar array provides up to 50 percent more power by volume than Redwire's traditional solar arrays, the company reported. ELSA is engineered to minimize stowed volume and mass while remaining competitive with conventional solar array performance and pricing, making it suitable for a wide range of missions.

Redwire said ELSA advances modular and scalable design practices and supports rapid production for customers with low to medium power needs across all orbital regimes. This focus on scalability and manufacturability is aimed at supporting the growing demand for satellite constellations and multi-orbit architectures.

"ELSA will broaden Redwire's solar array offerings into exciting new public and private sector markets," said Mike Gold, President of Redwire's Space business segment. "Demand for power in space is already robust and will only continue to grow at a rapid pace. We're eager to leverage the singular success and flight heritage of ROSA to support the growing needs of customers for innovative power solutions."

Redwire positions itself as a market leader in space power solutions, citing a track record of innovation and on-orbit success with its ROSA technology. The company noted that its ROSA units have achieved a 100 percent on-orbit success rate on flagship missions including the International Space Station and NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission.

The company is currently manufacturing a pair of its most powerful ROSA units to date for NASA's Lunar Gateway, which will require high-reliability power generation in cislunar space. Redwire is also producing multiple arrays for Thales Alenia Space's Space INSPIRE satellites, as well as for Blue Origin's multi-orbit space mobility platform, Blue Ring.

Redwire stated that its portfolio of solar power systems, including ROSA and now ELSA, is intended to support a broad range of government and commercial missions as operators move toward more complex multi-orbit operations. By combining heritage flight hardware with new modular designs, the company aims to offer power solutions that can be quickly configured for different spacecraft buses and mission profiles.

The introduction of ELSA comes as the space industry continues to push for lower-cost, higher-volume satellite manufacturing while maintaining stringent reliability standards. Redwire expects its extensible, low-profile array architecture to meet these requirements by providing compact stowage, high power density and compatibility with existing deployment mechanisms.