Mitigation of Electrostatic Discharge in Space Flexible Solar Arrays via Pseudomorphic Glass-Integrated Encapsulation

High-voltage flexible solar arrays are critical for high-power spacecraft and large-scale space facilities due to their reduced transmission losses and lightweight advantages. However, electrostatic discharge (ESD) induced by space plasma remains a major reliability constraint under high-voltage operation. This work proposes a material-driven mitigation strategy for space solar arrays that suppresses ESD susceptibility through dielectric modulation and integrated encapsulation. Dielectric matching between pseudomorphic glass (PMG) and the substrate enables interfacial electric field regulation. The integrated encapsulation strategy further eliminates triple-junction regions, altering ESD-prone regions and interrupting the evolution toward permanent sustained arc (PSA). The flexible solar array maintains electrical performance comparable to rigid panels while offering reduced mass and volume. Meanwhile, compared with traditional coverglass-encapsulated rigid panels that experience PSA at 110 V, the proposed PMG-integrated flexible solar array exhibits no PSA events at 800 V under equivalent conditions. Apparently, the high-voltage flexible solar array in this study exhibits significant potential for enabling efficient and reliable space power generation, holding the promise for assuming a significant role in future space energy systems.