Redwire's ROSA is a scalable, flexible, roll-up solar array that deploys via stored strain energy rather than motors, providing a compact, lightweight, high-power solution for satellites and crewed spacecraft.
ROSA (Roll-Out Solar Array)
Redwire's ROSA is a scalable, flexible, roll-up solar array that deploys via stored strain energy rather than motors, providing a compact, lightweight, high-power solution for satellites and crewed spacecraft.
Description
ROSA (Roll-Out Solar Array) is Redwire's flagship deployable power system, built by the company's Deployable Space Systems division. The array uses flexible composite longeron booms and an integrated photovoltaic blanket assembly that is rolled up like a carpet for compact, low-volume launch stowage. Once on orbit, ROSA deploys using stored strain energy in the booms, eliminating the need for motors or complex deployment mechanisms. The design is modular and scalable across six standard configurations, spanning beginning-of-life power from roughly 3.3 kW to 37 kW, and is compatible with a wide range of photovoltaic cell types, supporting operational voltages from 12V to over 300V. ROSA targets both civil and commercial customers needing high power-to-mass and power-to-volume ratios, including LEO, GEO, and deep-space missions. It has a 100% on-orbit success rate, with flight heritage including eight ROSA wings delivered to NASA for the International Space Station (iROSA), NASA's DART planetary defense mission, the Maxar-built Power and Propulsion Element for the Artemis Lunar Gateway (60 kW-class arrays), Maxar's Ovzon 3 commercial GEO satellite, and Thales Alenia Space's Space Inspire satellite line.
Specifications
| Deployment mechanism | Strain-energy deployment via flexible composite booms; motorless roll-out |
|---|---|
| Configuration: Diamond | 8.6 m deployed length, 36 kg mass, 3.3 kW BOL power |
| Configuration: Sapphire | 21.2 m deployed length, 160 kg mass, 12.9 kW BOL power |
| Configuration: Phenacite | 18.5 m deployed length, 521 kg mass, 37 kW BOL power |
| Operational voltage range | 12V to over 300V |
| Flight heritage - ISS (iROSA) | 8 ROSA solar wings delivered to NASA, each providing 20+ kW over a 10-year design life |
| Flight heritage - DART | Used on NASA's DART planetary defense mission |
| Flight heritage - Artemis Gateway | Selected for Maxar's Power and Propulsion Element, generating 60 kW |
| Flight heritage - commercial GEO | Deployed on Maxar-built Ovzon 3 |
| On-orbit success rate | 100% |
