Christoph Putz, Lukas E. Lehner, Stepan Demchyshyn, Bekele Hailegnaw, Phillip Jahelka, Magdalena Breitwieser, Sercan Özen, A. Denker, Jürgen Bundesmann, Alina Hanna Dittwald, Dilara Karabulut, Philipp Tockhorn, Steve Albrecht, Felix Lang, Markus C. Scharber, Michael D. Kelzenberg, Harry A. Atwater, Martin Kaltenbrunner
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer unique advantages for space-based energy harvesting, combining cost-effective manufacturing with flexible, high power-to-weight devices that can reduce payload mass in deployable structures. Despite this promise, few reports have demonstrated the viability of this technology in realistic, space-based scenarios, where they are subjected to large temperature variations and hard radiation. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of PSC performance in low Earth orbit (LEO). The champion rigid cell exhibited relatively stable in-orbit performance at ∼80% of initial efficiency over a 44-day measurement interval that concluded nearly 100 days after launch, corresponding to ∼1600 orbital eclipse cycles and temperature ranges from -25 to 35°C. Mission data was systematically compared with laboratory measurements of rigid and ultrathin flexible PSCs across temperatures from -80 to +80°C and upon exposure to high-energy proton radiation. Flexible devices retained over 92% efficiency after a proton dose equivalent to 50 years in orbit. Despite this radiation tolerance, mitigating pre-flight environmental degradation remains a challenge for ultrathin substrates. Combined, this study bridges the gap between short suborbital demonstrations and long-term orbital performance, highlighting the potential of PSCs as a low-cost, resilient alternative for light harvesting, even in harsh space environments.