The Italian-Dutch firm Revolv Space has announced its first customer for their innovative solar array drive assembly (SADA), named MARA. This next-generation technology is designed for medium-sized platforms and satellite constellations.
Filippo Oggionni, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of Revolv Space, revealed to SpaceNews that they have already sold 10 units of MARA. The official product launch took place at the recent Space Tech Expo in Bremen, Germany. "We’ve been working on a new solution to solve a major industry bottleneck, and we’re excited to finally bring it to market with an official product launch," Oggionni stated.
Revolv Space is positioning MARA as an intermediate solution, bridging the gap between basic body-mounted solar arrays and the more expensive, custom-designed SADAs offered by traditional manufacturers. A company statement highlighted that MARA is an evolution of their earlier SARA product, targeting power-intensive satellites in the 300 to 1000 kg weight class. They anticipate its use in constellations like Europe’s IRIS2.
This innovative actuation system, leveraging Revolv's established twist capsule technology, significantly boosts power generation for demanding satellite platforms, accommodating up to 1,000 kg and 10 kW. Earlier in the year, Revolv Space secured a contract to provide six SARA units to Blue Canyon Technologies for a cubesat mission.