Structural analysis and thermal influence of Space Solar Telescope

Abstract

The Space Solar Telescope (SST), the first astronomical satellite proposal in China, is under researched, developed and manufactured. It is designed to make observations of transient and steady state solar hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic processes. The space-frame of SST provides the mechanical interface between the telescope and instruments, and it is a crucial linker for all the optical, mechanical, and electronic subsystems. Therefore, the structural parts of SST must satisfy sufficient strength, stiffness, and thermal stability requirements of optical and other subsystems under the space environment and in the launching process. This paper first describes the static and dynamic analyses of the original structure by the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tool. Then, it presents the structure optimization with the objective to enhance the natural frequency under the total weight unchanged. Finally, it verifies the optimized structure and analyzes the thermal influence of SST. The analysis results and structural responses with all the payloads being considered are discussed and illustrated in this paper. Now, SST is in the phase of test and key technology tackle, and some main parts have been finished. All analysis results shown in this paper will be applied to further research and fabrication.