Solar array reliability in satellite operations

Rodiek, Julie A.; Brandhorst, Henry W.

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2008.4922704

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The Electrical Power System (EPS) subcategory, including solar array, battery, bearing and power transfer assembly, DC-DC converters and power regulators accounted for 21.1% of the total anomalies and 11.6% of the total critical failures. Rodiek and Brandhorst carried out a detailed analysis of the satellite solar array reliability in the years between 1998 and 2008 [ 40 ], and they report that power anomalies ranked the third cause for anomalies (at 19% of the total), solar array anomalies accounting for the majority of them. They gained further insight by analyzing the corresponding insurance claims, finding that power anomalies accounted for 47% of the total, and that solar arrays were the cause in 69% of the cases.…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

GaN-Based Laser Wireless Power Transfer System

et al. 2018

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The aim of this work is to present a potential application of gallium nitride-based optoelectronic devices. By using a laser diode and a photodetector, we designed and demonstrated a free-space compact and lightweight wireless power transfer system, whose efficiency is limited by the efficiency of the receiver. We analyzed the effect of the electrical load, temperature, partial absorption and optical excitation distribution on the efficiency, by identifying heating and band-filling as the most impactful processes. By comparing the final demonstrator with a commercial RF-based Qi system, we conclude that the efficiency is still low at close range, but is promising in medium to long range applications. Efficiency may not be a limiting factor, since this concept can enable entirely new possibilities and designs, especially relevant for space applications.

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Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

GaN-Based Laser Wireless Power Transfer System

et al. 2018

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“…Usually, for small size satellites, solar panels are manufactured using commercial solar cells or modules, connecting them in series or in parallel depending on the system requirements. After assembly operations, the performance of the solar panels must be evaluated by functional testing to identify any malfunction that may occur, as most of the failure issues regarding spacecraft power subsystems are related to the solar arrays [3,4]. These tests should include solutions with high flexibility and reduced cost, avoiding the need for dedicated and expensive technologies and facilities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing solar panels for small-size satellites: the UPMSAT-2 mission

Roibás-Millán¹,

Alonso-Moragón²,

Jiménez-Mateos³

et al. 2017

Meas. Sci. Technol.

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At present, the development of small-size satellites by universities, companies and research institutions has become usual practice, and is spreading rapidly. In this kind of project cost plays a significant role. One of the main áreas are the assembly, integration and test (AIT) plans, which carry an associated cost for simulating environmental conditions. For instance, in the power subsystems test and, in particular, in the testing of solar panels, the irradiance and temperature conditions might be optimum so the performance of the system can be shown next to real operational conditions. To reproduce the environmental conditions in terms of irradiance, solar simulators are usually used, which carries an associated increase in cost for testing the equipment. The aim of this paper is to present an alternative and inexpensive way to perform AIT plans on spacecraft power subsystems, from a testing campaign performed using outdoor clean-sky conditions and an isolation system to protect the panels. A post-process of the measured data is therefore needed, taking into account the conditions in which the test has been accomplished. The I-V characteristics obtained are compared with a theoretical l-diode/2-resistor equivalent electric circuit, achieving enough precisión based solely on the manufacturer's data.

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“…Detailed information on failure occurring in orbiting spacecraft is seldom released. However, when looking at the history of spacecraft anomalies, it appears that solar array failures represent a very significant fraction of the insurance claims [1]. Even if not all of them are of electrical nature (deployment failures are a significant contributor) it is known, even if not published, that cell to substrate short circuits are far from being uncommon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In Flight Detection and Localisation of Short Circuits on Solar Generators

et al. 2017

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In the last decades a number of failures in which a solar cell is short-circuited to the panel substrate have been reported or suspected. In the meantime protective measures, like single string connection and use of bleed resistors in the grounding circuit have been implemented. However it is still not always clear whether such an anomaly occurred and the in-flight instrumentation is usually not sufficient to provide unambiguous evidence. This paper describes a simple way to identify both the occurrence of such a cell to substrate short circuit and the panel on which it is located. The paper is then completed with the main results from the CNES study performed in 2012 to demonstrate the performance, analyse the reliability and assess the industrial feasibility of such a system.

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Solar array reliability in satellite operations

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

GaN-Based Laser Wireless Power Transfer System

GaN-Based Laser Wireless Power Transfer System

Testing solar panels for small-size satellites: the UPMSAT-2 mission

In Flight Detection and Localisation of Short Circuits on Solar Generators

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