Electrostatic Discharge Tests on Solar Array Wire Coupons Subjected to Simulated Space Environment Aging

Abstract

Solar array wire coupons have successfully completed an environmental life test that simulates 15 years at geosynchronous orbit. The environments included: ultraviolet (UV), electron, and proton irradiation; thermal cycling; electrostatic discharge (ESD); and ion thruster plume exposure on an electrostatically charged coupon. The test articles consisted of two wire coupons: one simulated the sun-facing side and the other simulated the shade side. UV irradiation was performed only on the sun-facing side coupon. Tests were performed at beginning-of-life, 7.5 years, and end-of-life. At each age point, ESD tests were performed using an electron beam at a worst case geosynchronous space environment flux of 1 nA/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . The test setup included capacitance that simulated a whole panel array harness, and a solar array simulator that generated in-flight array current profiles. The test coupon configuration contained aspects of the full panel wiring topology, which included potential fault conditions on wires. Visual inspections, documented with photographs, and isolation resistance tests were performed after each environment exposure to ensure the integrity of the wire insulation. This paper/presentation discusses each environment test level, test condition, and results from the various environmental age points.