Ascent Solar Stock Surges 150% on NASA Space Power Partnership

Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI) has entered a 12-month partnership with NASA's Marshall and Glenn Research Centers to develop beamed power technology utilizing its lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic modules. This collaboration aims to create commercial products for distributed space power infrastructure, potentially reducing spacecraft mass and volume while increasing power efficiency, which could lower costs and risks of NASA missions including lunar and Artemis campaigns. The technology focuses on receiving energy-dense light beams to generate significantly more power on-demand, enabling operations in challenging environments such as the lunar night and permanently shadowed regions. Ascent Solar will provide design and prototyping services, with NASA offering technical expertise and testing, accelerating the maturation of these innovative power solutions. The partnership follows NASA's successful demonstrations of deep space laser communications and bench-testing of Ascent's products, reinforcing the potential impact of thin-film solar technology in space exploration. Following the announcement, ASTI's stock surged dramatically, reflecting investor confidence in its pivotal role in advancing space-based solar power technology.