In‐Orbit Performance Analysis of Solar Array for Chang'e‐4 Relay Satellite in an Earth–Moon Lagrangian Point 2 Halo Orbit

Abstract

Herein, the in‐orbit performance of the solar array for Chang'e‐4 Relay Satellite in an Earth–Moon Lagrangian point 2 (EML2) Halo orbit is analyzed. The daily degradation coefficient of the photovoltaic current is calculated to be 0.99989 independent of whether the relay antenna outspreads, indicating an annual degradation coefficient of 3.94%. However, due to the shading effect of the antenna and the electrical performance degradation, the output voltage of the solar array dissatisfies the requirement of the power controller on around the 700th day, resulting in an abrupt decrease of the photovoltaic current. In addition, the in‐orbit working temperature of the solar array for Chang'e‐4 Relay Satellite is also studied. The working temperature mainly ranges from 52.3 to 76.8 °C, while the working temperature decreases to the range of 0–25 °C once the relay antenna outspreads. The present work is helpful to a deepen the understanding of EML2 Halo orbit and provide reference to the solar array design for a deep space exploration aircraft.

Long‐Term In Situ Performance Comparison of Si and GaAs Solar Arrays in Medium Earth Orbit

“…[4] The intense irradiated charged particles degrade the electrical property of the semiconductor devices, especially the rarely shielded solar array. [5,6] The on-orbit performance of the solar array is jointly affected by the thermal cycle, UV exposure, and the charged particle radiation, which cannot be simultaneously experimented and verified on the ground. [6][7][8] Moreover, some uncertainty exists in space environment simulation, ground-experimental verification, and the short-term flight experiment, which is detrimental to the precise design, especially for the severe MEO orbits considering the unexpected degradation of the GPS satellite solar array.…”

“…[ 4 ] The intense irradiated charged particles degrade the electrical property of the semiconductor devices, especially the rarely shielded solar array. [ 5,6 ]…”