SpaceX has signed a supply deal worth more than $69 million with German equipment maker SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES to build a production line for high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells, securing a manufacturing route for its planned Starmind satellite network.

The first turnkey production line is scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2027. It is part of a wider strategic partnership under which SINGULUS plans to supply multiple additional lines as SpaceX accelerates satellite manufacturing at its Bastrop, Texas, facility.

SINGULUS disclosed the contract on November 10, saying the partnership will involve developing both high-performance solar cells and the equipment needed to manufacture them. The company said production would scale to support more than 100 gigawatts (GW) of production equipment, although it did not specify the output capacity of the first line.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk subsequently clarified the scale of the order in a post on X, saying the company had ordered 100 GW per year of HJT solar manufacturing equipment from SINGULUS in Germany. He linked the order to Starmind, describing its ambition as creating a “sentient sun.”

SpaceX Senior Vice President of Starlink Mike Nicolls said the partnership provides a manufacturing path for solar cells intended for its Starmind satellites.

HJT technology combines a crystalline silicon wafer with thin layers of amorphous silicon. These layers help reduce the loss of electrical charges at the wafer’s surfaces, improving the cell’s ability to convert sunlight into electricity.

Manufacturing the cells requires several processes, including wafer cleaning, thin-film deposition, and thermal treatment.

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