Breakthrough Solar, with Stan Herasimenka (Solestial)

Pathfinder

Did you ever think that solar power generation in space could be 10x cheaper, 20% more efficient, and extend operational life to over 50 years? Well, that’s what the Arizona-based startup Solestial believes it can achieve with its silicon cell technology. We bring in CEO and cofounder Stan Herasimenka for his first-ever podcast to discuss the unique challenges and differences between terrestrial and space solar cells, and the technological advancements his company is making to produce radiation-hardened, thin, and flexible solar cells for space use.

Stan and Mo also cover:

• Market potential for solar technology
• Reengineering long-established technology
• Solestial’s business model and scaling plans
• Future trends in space solar

And much more…

• Chapters •

00:00 - Intro

00:36 - What are you building?

00:59 - What prompted Stan to start Solestial?

01:57 - Terrestrial vs extraterrestrial solar cells

05:10 - How long would a terrestrial solar cell last in space?

08:27 - Who are the main players?

11:02 - What is III-V?

12:25 - Supply/demand gap

16:03 - Core product offering

18:26 - What is the reason not to have a turnkey solution?

19:53 - Cost of activeness vs COTS

23:40 - Target cost of cells

24:30 - Why would a customer pay more for a premium solar cell?

27:37 - Self-curing radiation damage

30:52 - Perovskite cells

33:20 - Manufacturing and scaling

36:18 - Where is Solestial based?

37:01 - Customer traction

38:39 - Team makeup

40:18 - Financing plans?

41:51 - When will Solestial have their first array in space?

43:13 - What does Stan do when he's not talking about solar cells?

44:09 - Other companies Stan is excited about

• Show notes •

Solestial’s website — https://solestial.com/

Stan’s socials — https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-herasimenka-5932561b/

Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam

Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace

Pathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes

• About us •

Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 19,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We’re also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.

Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we’re a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing five media properties across multiple platforms:

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