Overview of Satellite Thermal Analytical Model

Abstract

Thermal analysis is the major engineering work throughout the entire satellite development process, with some crucial stages such as design, test, and ground operations simulation. In the formal design and verification (by test) phases, a general thermal mathematical model for the entire satellite is constructed from a combined conduction and radiation heat transfer equation with environmental heating and cooling as boundary conditions. Some representative numerical schemes with constraints used in satellite thermal analysis, as well as an introduction to the thermal model for the thermal balance test, are presented. However, the general thermal model may be too complicated or inefficient for conceptual design, test monitoring, and ground-operation simulation while developing a satellite. Therefore, simpler governing equations for pure radiation heating and cooling with exact mathematical solutions are developed to fulfill this objective at the expense of analysis accuracy. The linear approximation and exact formulation for solving this simplified problem, as well as the corresponding results shown in graphical form, are also discussed.