Sierra Space's new tech center to produce solar panels for satellites and defense

Sierra Space has inaugurated a $45 million Power Station facility in Broomfield, Colorado, to scale up manufacturing of its Surface Mount Technology (SMT) solar arrays designed for satellites and defense applications. The 70,000-square-foot center uses commercial pick-and-place electronics technology to produce compact, resilient solar panels that range in power from 10 watts to 10 kilowatts. Equipped with integrated testing capabilities such as thermal vacuum chambers and dynamics labs, the facility can build one solar panel per day and one satellite wing per week, aiming to deliver 40 satellite wings initially and ramp up to 100 annually. The new Power Station supports Sierra Space’s Defense division, which focuses on supplying power systems for government satellites, including those manufactured at its Victory Works facility. The company emphasizes that its solar arrays are more durable due to their unique architecture and are tailored to meet the demands of increasingly crowded and complex space missions requiring efficient, lightweight power solutions. With about 100 employees currently and plans for expansion