Revolv Space, a leading provider of high-performance space mechanisms and power solutions, announced the launch of MARA, its next-generation Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA) for medium-sized platforms and constellations.
“MARA is the next stage in delivering superpowers for satellites. We saw a clear gap in the market for a highly compact, affordable SADA capable of handling up to 5 kW, and we engineered MARA to fill it. This product validates our commitment to providing scalable, high-reliability solutions that allow our customers to push the boundaries of what ambitious small satellites can achieve,” said Marco Sala, CEO & Co-founder at Revolv Space.
Designed to handle power requirements up to 5.2 kW per unit, MARA represents a leap in power generation capabilities for the upper end of the SmallSat market, filling the gap between body-mounted solar arrays and expensive, bespoke-design SADAs offered by legacy suppliers. MARA comes as a fully integrated assembly composed of a drive mechanism, a twist capsule, and redundant drive electronics. MARA is specifically designed to provide extra reliability at a competitive price point with aggressive lead times, making it an obvious match for small satellite programs. As an evolution and successor of SARA, Revolv Space’s Small SADA, MARA expands Revolv Space’s product portfolio to serve the growing market of power-intensive satellites between 300 and 1000 kg in wet mass. In addition, MARA has been optimized for high-volume production, making it the perfect match for both large and small constellation programs, such as Europe’s IRIS2 and the American SDA constellations.
The specifications on which MARA was developed have been set and reviewed in close collaboration with multiple commercial customers based in Europe and North America. Since early 2024, Revolv Space has engaged with several bus integrators and manufacturers active in the SmallSat market to fine-tune power transfer, envelope, and reliability requirements, as well as the qualification approach and levels. In particular, Revolv Space has been closely cooperating with a first paying customer to drive the early stages of the product design and validate key user assumptions, reinforcing the confidence that the product is well placed within the emerging small satellite industry. This first customer has already placed an order for ten units between Engineering and Flight Models to be delivered across 2026 and 2027.
The target specifications of MARA have also been validated with European large system integrators as well as with seasoned space agency professionals. MARA is currently at TRL 6, with an Engineering Model already assembled and tested, with a full environmental testing campaign scheduled for the first half of 2026.
MARA addresses critical constraints faced by both well-established and New Space manufacturers by combining high-power transfer with a compact, fully redundant architecture:
- No slip rings: a core innovation is the use of a proprietary twist capsule power transfer solution that eliminates the need for complex slip rings. This design choice drastically reduces lead times, lowers costs, and increases overall system reliability.
- Compact design: the mechanism is less than 100 mm tall along the rotation axis, ensuring superior flexibility that minimizes interference with existing spacecraft avionics and payloads.
- Fully redundant electronics: MARA is engineered for ultimate dependability with full redundancy in both power transfer and drive electronics to guarantee operational reliability over demanding target lifetimes of up to 7 years in LEO and 15 years in GEO.
- Flexible mounting options: MARA offers mechanical interfaces for different mounting configurations: inside or outside the main spacecraft wall, guaranteeing high flexibility and adaptability across several satellite bus designs.
- Enhanced radiation tolerance: The MARA drive electronics have been tested thoroughly for TID and SEE, with both proton and heavy ion tests performed on critical components, rating the system at 30 krad with an LET threshold of 38.8 MeV*cm2/mg.
The introduction of MARA reinforces Revolv Space’s position as an agile, technically mature alternative to established suppliers. By offering a reliable SADA solution capable of supporting the 10 kW satellite class, Revolv Space is directly enabling complex missions that require significantly boosted power generation capabilities and maximizing mission returns.
