Escalating environmental and energy supply concerns, coupled with an increasing interest in space exploration, are driving the development of advanced energy harvesting systems and the adoption of cutting-edge photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Photonics allows precise light manipulation in a multitude of ways, empowering PV with the means to tackle the multifaceted challenges inherent to the harsh space environment, with great potential to concomitantly spin off to on-Earth systems, prioritizing efficiency and reliability. This review thus synthesizes the key insights from the latest experimental and simulation R&D outcomes to inform the design and implementation of advanced photonic strategies for various PV applications. The state-of-the-art performance and foreground of photonic-managed thick- (single-junction crystalline silicon, c-Si, and perovskite-on-silicon tandem) and thin-film (hydrogenated amorphous silicon, a-Si:H, and perovskite) PV devices are assessed by comparison with theoretical ideal light-trapping scenarios (single-, double-pass, and Lambertian absorption models), looking also at the potential of photonic coolers as an emergent platform for effective thermal management. Finally, this work examines novel photonic approaches for spectrum modification, emphasizing the relevance of illumination-tailoring for outer space systems.

Funding Information: This work received funding from FCT (Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia, I.P.) under the projects M-ECO2 (Industrial cluster for advanced biofuel production, Ref. C644930471-00000041) cofinanced by PRR - Recovery and Resilience Plan of the European Union (Next Generation EU). The work was also supported by the European project X-STREAM (Horizon EU, ERC CoG, no. 101124803).Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Solar RRL published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.