A High-Efﬁciency Off-Axis Space Solar Concentrator with Large Tolerance for Acceptance Angle Variations

Yanlong Zhang; Pengzhen Guo; Mengfan Tian; Yun Chen; Zin Min Khant; Yiming Kong; Dingkun Gao; Linghao Li; Hongwei Guo; Rongqiang Liu; Zongquan Deng; Lifang Li

doi:10.1016/j.eng.2026.08.029

Engineering ›› :202608029 DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2026.08.029

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A High-Efﬁciency Off-Axis Space Solar Concentrator with Large Tolerance for Acceptance Angle Variations

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Abstract

The use of solar energy for lunar regolith melting plays a key role in the construction of lunar bases and in-situ resource utilization. In this process, solar concentrators should achieve high efﬁciency while minimizing the reliance on precise solar tracking, which helps reduce installation costs and precision requirements during space exploration. In this work, we propose an off-axis conjugate point-focus solar concentrator that combines a zero-occlusion triple-mirror conﬁguration with aberration-compensated freeform surfaces to enhance both concentration performance and angular acceptance. The 300 mm-aperture system is optimized to maintain efﬁcient focusing within an acceptance half-angle of ±0.5°, where the acceptance angle is deﬁned as the maximum incidence-angle deviation from the ideal normal incidence for which the concentration ratio remains above 90% of its on-axis value, representing roughly a two-fold improvement in angular tolerance compared with conventional off-axis dish concentrators reported in the literature, while keeping a higher concentration ratio. A feedback-based optical design method is developed, in which a conjugate mirror and iterative adjustment of the mirror normals are used to suppress coma and spherical aberrations and improve the focal-spot energy distribution. Monte Carlo ray-tracing and aberration analysis show that the optimized design achieves a high optical concentration ratio and a compact focal spot with low residual aberrations over the design ﬁeld of view. Outdoor solar concentration experiments under a solar irradiance of 390 W m⁻² and an ambient temperature of 5 °C demonstrate a peak focal temperature of 892 °C and an effective concentration ratio of 548. Under lunar irradiance with radiative boundary conditions, the model predicts a focal temperature of 1326 °C, which is competitive with previously reported off-axis concentrator systems designed for space applications. These results indicate that the proposed concentrator can provide the high-temperature ﬂux required for lunar regolith melting and other in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) processes, and that its enhanced angular tolerance makes it well suited for deployment on lunar surface platforms and deep-space energy systems.

Keywords

Aberration compensation / Solar concentrator / High concentration ratio / Deep space exploration

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Yanlong Zhang, Pengzhen Guo, Mengfan Tian, Yun Chen, Zin Min Khant, Yiming Kong, Dingkun Gao, Linghao Li, Hongwei Guo, Rongqiang Liu, Zongquan Deng, Lifang Li. A High-Efﬁciency Off-Axis Space Solar Concentrator with Large Tolerance for Acceptance Angle Variations. Engineering 202608029 DOI:10.1016/j.eng.2026.08.029

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