Abstract
The Electric Power System (EPS) and attitude control system (ACS) are the essential components of any satellite. EPS and ACS efficiency and compactness are substantial for the proper operation and performance of the satellite’s entire mission life. So, realizing the significance of EPS and ACS subsystems for any satellite, they have been assimilated and developed in modular forms focusing on efficiency and compactness. The EPS is comprised of three modules called the solar panel module (SPM), power conditioning module (PCM), and power distribution module (PDM) while the ACS has an embedded magnetorquer coil. For compactness and miniaturization purposes, the magnetorquer coil is embedded inside the SPM. The components used are commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components emphasizing on their power efficiency, small dimensions, and weight. Latch-up protection systems have been designed and analyzed for CMOS-based COTS components, in order to make them suitable for space radioactive environment. The main design features are modularity, redundancy, power efficiency, and to avoid single component failure. The modular development of the EPS and ACS helps to reuse them for future missions, and as a result, the overall budget, development, and testing time and cost are reduced. A specific satellite mission can be achieved by reassembling the required subsystems.
Highlights
Many universities around the world are working on various projects of small satellites [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The paper proposed a modular design for the Electric Power System (EPS) and attitude control system (ACS) of a microsatellite
The complete EPS is divided into three submodules, i.e., the solar panel module (SPM), power conditioning module (PCM), and power distribution module (PDM)
Summary
Many universities around the world are working on various projects of small satellites [1,2,3,4,5,6]. These satellites are classified into various categories on the basis of their mass and dimensions, i.e., pico, nano, and micro. The main driving force for the development of small satellites is their low budget requirement, short development time, low mass and size, new technology, and because they provide more costeffective and reliable access to space [7]. Small satellites can provide an ideal testbed to innovative technologies (e.g., hardware and software) which can be further used in large and expensive space missions. “Implementation of a product-centric space system approach to nanosatellite systems design and deployment,” in The 4S Symposium 2016, Valletta, Malta, May-June 2016
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