Session
Technical Session XI: Educational Programs
Abstract
The European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) spacecraft is a student-built mini satellite being designed for a mission to the Moon. Designing and launching mini satellites are becoming a current trend in the space sector since they provide an economic way to perform innovative scientific experiments and in-flight demonstration of novel space technologies. The generation, storage, control and distribution of the electrical power in a mini satellite represents unique challenges to the power engineer since the mass and volume restrictions are very stringent. Regardless of these problems, every subsystem and payload equipment must be operated within their specified voltage band whenever they require to be turned on. This paper presents the preliminary design of a lightweight, compact, and reliable Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) for ESMO that can generate 720 W. Some of the key components of the EPS include Ultra Triple-Junction (UTJ) GaAs solar cells controlled by Maximum Power Point Trackers, and high efficiency Li-ion secondary batteries recharged in parallel.
Presentation Slides
Preliminary Design of the Electrical Power Subsystem for the European Student Moon Orbiter Mission
The European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) spacecraft is a student-built mini satellite being designed for a mission to the Moon. Designing and launching mini satellites are becoming a current trend in the space sector since they provide an economic way to perform innovative scientific experiments and in-flight demonstration of novel space technologies. The generation, storage, control and distribution of the electrical power in a mini satellite represents unique challenges to the power engineer since the mass and volume restrictions are very stringent. Regardless of these problems, every subsystem and payload equipment must be operated within their specified voltage band whenever they require to be turned on. This paper presents the preliminary design of a lightweight, compact, and reliable Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) for ESMO that can generate 720 W. Some of the key components of the EPS include Ultra Triple-Junction (UTJ) GaAs solar cells controlled by Maximum Power Point Trackers, and high efficiency Li-ion secondary batteries recharged in parallel.
