🗣️ Ascent Solar Technologies Establishes Partnership with Darly Defense @darleydefense to Expand Thin-Film Solar Product Access Across Defense and Government Markets. The partnership will combine Ascent’s CIGS solar products with Darley Defense’s established procurement channels and robust reach across the defense and government sectors. 🔗 globenewswire.com/news-relea… $ASTI

From the @WSJ on @Google's recent attempt to run AI in space: wsj.com/tech/can-ai-run-in-s… "The company hopes the project, known as Suncatcher, will someday allow it to build an orbital data center with thousands of interconnected satellites, fueled by the sun’s energy. Google designed the satellite in partnership with @planet. It is powered by solar panels. In the future, the company hopes to build satellites that will circle Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit, exposing them to sunlight around the clock. The panels, which power the TPUs, are expected to harness up to eight times as much energy as a solar panel on Earth. The atmosphere, weather and nighttime limit how much power ground-based systems can harness. “The sun is the biggest power source in our solar system by far,” said Travis Beals, senior director of Paradigms of Intelligence, an AI research team at Google, a unit of Alphabet. Google’s prototype satellite is about the size of a refrigerator, the company said. But in the future, satellites will carry dozens of TPUs at a time, requiring solar panels and radiators orders of magnitude larger than the chips themselves. For example, while one TPU is a few inches wide, radiators of future satellites could be the size of a Boeing 747, said Elbert. $ASTI

Space-Based Solar Power Is On Its Way, via @CACMmag Emerging projects suggest technologies that could supply the grid, datacenters, and other energy-hungry facilities with electricity from space could be here within five years. cacm.acm.org/news/space-base…

Thank you to @Semiconductor_T for covering last week's leadership appointments at $ASTI: semiconductor-today.com/news…

Ascent Solar Technologies Expands Commercial and Defense Industry Expertise with Strategic Leadership Appointments globenewswire.com/news-relea… $ASTI

"The next frontier for #solar PV power generation is in space,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson. “As demand for space-grade PV skyrockets, this investment will establish American leadership in next-generation, space-based PV, bolster our national security, and enhance our economic competitiveness.” Read more in the Department of @ENERGY announcement from this week: energy.gov/cmei/articles/doe… $ASTI #solarpower

In yesterday's @WSJ: "@SpaceX and Rivals Dodge Traffic as Satellites, Debris Crowd Low-Earth Orbit" wsj.com/science/space-astron… $ASTI's durable, flexible design makes it an ideal technology to withstand the impact dangers of wandering space debris. Upon impact with a piece of space junk, the thin-film solar array will continue functioning, as normal, with only the area that sustained the direct impact losing functionality. This acts in stark contrast to traditional panels that have glass coating that shatters upon impact, rendering the entire array null and in need of costly repairs or replacement.

“Emerging #space markets like on-orbit servicing and assembly, space-based #solarpower, orbital data centers and others, depend on power systems that can reliably operate in extremely punishing environments,” said Paul Warley, CEO of $ASTI. Learn more about how Ascent is extending prior NASA research to determine whether that same recovery is possible in the more demanding radiation environments of medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary orbit (GEO) and other high-energy orbits, to bolster the qualifications of its thin-film solar products for an expanding range of space applications 🛰️ 🔗globenewswire.com/news-relea…

Why the next #space race could depend on solving a massive #power challenge: Paul Warley (CEO, Ascent Solar) on powering satellites, #drones and orbital data centers interestingengineering.com/e… Thank you to @IntEngineering for interviewing $ASTI CEO Paul Warley for this piece #spacetech #solar #energysecurity #energy

Ascent Solar today provided an overview of its entry to the drone market, expanding the spectrum of commercial opportunities for its thin-film offerings, while maintaining its paramount focus on space applications. The announcement details: ✅ Working with a European organization to supply its products for integration into a high-altitude platform station (HAPS) project, expecting to deliver an initial 250-watt sub-array by the end of the summer. ✅ Receiving orders from two Eastern European drone manufacturers that will integrate Ascent’s products into aircraft wing designs. These initial orders have the potential to become recurring business, reaching between 200KW-300KW of product demand annually ✅Securing product orders from two unmanned marine vehicle (UMV) companies; one global manufacturer and the other US-based. These initial orders have the potential to become recurring business, reaching between 125KW-200KW of product demand annually. ✅ Maintaining focus on new orbital missions, such as the recent integration of its thin-film solar products into @ReditusSpace's ENOS spacecraft, which is scheduled for launch this fall, and a recent order for 100 modules for a satellite which will manufacture components in space. Both of these could lead to annual recurring business of 10 to 25 KW. Full release here: globenewswire.com/news-relea… $ASTI

Many, including @elonmusk, believe that "solar energy captured in orbit could push economics away from dollars and toward a system that prices scarcity in energy and mass" per this @Benzinga article: benzinga.com/news/space/26/0… $ASTI ⬇️ ☀️🛰️⚡️

Ascent is proud to provide to be a preferred supplier to @ReditusSpace! linkedin.com/posts/spcrum_go… $ASTI

Ascent Solar $ASTI published a recap of commercial progress and solar material development in the first half of 2026, and outlined its objectives to spur growth and advancement throughout the second half of the year. Among them: ✅Cultivating new business relationships and making deliveries to new customers in need of repeat orders across multiple sectors to continue the expansion of the Company’s strategic partners and customer base; ✅Making further enhancements to the Company’s thin-film PV technology; ✅Executing advanced environmental testing to quantify product performance and resilience in the punishing conditions of space and marine environments; ✅Continuing development of UAV and HAPS arrays and pilot designs for delivery to Ascent’s European partners in the near future; and ✅Further building upon existing strategic partnerships to meet mutually beneficial goals and delivery of combined solutions for space prototype deployables. Full release here: globenewswire.com/news-relea…

Thank you to the following media outlets for covering $ASTI's recent announcement detailing the results of its preliminary Atomic Oxygen (AO) exposure testing for its space grade thin-film PV products. Testing has shown significant resilience to Atomic Oxygen in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). @Semiconductor_T 🔗 semiconductor-today.com/news… @Solar_Builder 🔗 solarbuildermag.com/pv-modul… @RenewablesNews 🔗 renewablesnow.com/news/ascen…

“These positive results represent yet another critical value proposition of our PV technology, enabling spacecraft operators to endure the punishing conditions of space,” said Paul Warley, Ascent CEO. ✅ Ascent has completed several rounds of AO exposure testing, with highly favorable results for space-grade products that include 1 mil FEP film as the primary barrier and encapsulant. ✅ With exposure rates equivalent to that of six months on orbit at the altitude of the International Space Station (400km), results indicate zero loss of power. ✅ Now, Ascent will conduct additional advanced AO exposure testing, simulating longer mission durations in this AO-rich environment. 🔗 globenewswire.com/news-relea… $ASTI

“What excites me in general is the scale of what’s coming. Ten years ago, approximately 2 MW to 3 MW of power were deployed in space. Now you have companies like Amazon and SpaceX deploying solar in space...Looking ahead, in about five years, the industry will need hundreds of megawatts in space every year, which creates a significant opportunity for Ascent.” - CEO Paul Warley in an interview published today with @SeeNewsRenew 🔗 renewablesnow.com/news/inter… $ASTI

Reposting for our many new followers ⬇️ Thank you again to the @SpaceShow for having CEO Paul Warley on the program to talk shop. $ASTI

Thank you @autonocion for mentioning Ascent and its partnership with NovaSpark, and highlighted by our lightweight, flexible photovoltaic panels being paired with the HyTEC unit to deliver an air-droppable, lighter version of the system for #defense and disaster applications autonocion.com/us/america-hy… $ASTI

CEO Paul Warley recently joined @SpaceShow podcast with Dr. David Livingston to discuss: 🌌 Space missions and power requirements, detailing the different power levels for various orbital ranges 💲 The cost and efficiency differences between various solar panel technologies for space applications 💪 The development and specifications of Ascent's flexible #solar panel technology, highlighting its advantages over traditional silicon wafers, including being 3-10x lighter and providing roughly 4x the power. It also highlighted its durability and competitive advantage over Chinese alternatives in the consumer market. 💡 Ongoing R&D efforts to improve product efficiency and reduce waste, including work with perovskite coatings and a collaboration with a company that has developed 400 patents around perovskite technology. ⚡ Ascent's focus on DoD and commercial space markets, with plans to expand in MEO, GEO, and #lunar applications in the coming years. Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7qs… Website: thespaceshow.com/show/17-apr… $ASTI