For almost sixty years, solar energy for space applications has relied on
inorganic photovoltaics, evolving from solar cells made of single crystalline
silicon to triple junctions based on germanium and III-V alloys. The class of
organic-based photovoltaics, which ranges from all-organic to hybrid
perovskites, has the potential of becoming a disruptive technology in space
applications, thanks to the unique combination of appealing intrinsic
properties (e.g. record high specific power, tunable absorption window) and
processing possibilities. Here, we report on the launch of the stratospheric
mission OSCAR, which demonstrated for the first time organic-based solar cell
operation in extra-terrestrial conditions. This successful maiden flight for
organic-based photovoltaics opens a new paradigm for solar electricity in
space, from satellites to orbital and planetary space stations
