AEROSPACE

Applied Solar Wins Contract: The company won the $90-million contract to supply solar cells to the Iridium satellite system, the Lockheed and Motorola project intended to revolutionize portable telecommunications. Applied Solar Energy Corp. and Hughes Aircraft’s Spectrolab of Sylmar dominate the international market for space solar cells. Applied Solar beat Hughes based on its lead in advanced gallium arsenide cells, an Applied Solar official said. The company produces 95% of all gallium arsenide solar cells. The contract, the largest so far awarded in the solar cell industry, is expected to create 30 jobs over the life of the program. City of Industry-based Applied Solar employs 150 people.