A deep-space concentrator for inner and outer solar system missions

Abstract

Planetary missions pose special challenges to solar panels because of the wide range of illumination intensities and temperatures. Some missions have both near-sun and far-sun operation requirements, which impart both high illumination, high temperature and low illumination, low temperature operating regimes on the solar panel. At first, a solar concentrator may seem to be a counter-intuitive choice for surviving near-sun environments, however, we describe here an approach to using a high concentration ratio design to improve the ability to operate in both near-sun and far-sun conditions. A modular off-axis reflective concentrator was chosen as the basis for the deep space concentrator (DSC) design. Optical and thermal analysis was performed to show the ability of the design to withstand near and far-sun environments. A test model was built using graphite fiber reinforced composite (GFRC) mirrors and a GaAs solar cell receiver to demonstrate the ability to obtain tight pointing tolerance in a lightweight, thermally stable design.