Session
Technical Session X: Mission Enabling Technologies 1
Abstract
Electrostatic discharge for polar low-Earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft is a relatively new and unexplored issue. Discharge mechanisms for LEO spacecraft are significantly different from those encountered in high Earth orbits, and seemingly few designers of new, high-voltage small satellites are aware of the differences between the two environments. Polar-LEO spacecraft encounter both plasma-induced arcing risks (at equatorial latitudes) as well as differential surface charging risks (over auroral zones): two different issues that require very different design techniques to address. There do not appear to be any comprehensive guidelines in the open literature that polar-LEO spacecraft designers can use to avoid the potentially catastrophic risk or arcing in high-voltage satellites. The issue of spacecraft charging and electrostatic discharge (ESD) in the low-Earth orbit environment is discuessed, in the context of satellite power system design. Options for controlling spacecraft charging and for preventing trigger and sustained arcs between high-voltage conductors are presented. These guidlines have been used to size solar panels for the upcoming Canadian Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Microsatellite (M3MSat)-a highly capable mission with relatively high power demand-which is used as a design example. It is concluded that ESD issues for polar LEO spacecraft are both challenging and subtle, and demand careful attention from engineers early in the design process.
Presentation Slides
Solar Array Arcing Mitigation for Polar Low-Earth Orbit Spacecraft
Electrostatic discharge for polar low-Earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft is a relatively new and unexplored issue. Discharge mechanisms for LEO spacecraft are significantly different from those encountered in high Earth orbits, and seemingly few designers of new, high-voltage small satellites are aware of the differences between the two environments. Polar-LEO spacecraft encounter both plasma-induced arcing risks (at equatorial latitudes) as well as differential surface charging risks (over auroral zones): two different issues that require very different design techniques to address. There do not appear to be any comprehensive guidelines in the open literature that polar-LEO spacecraft designers can use to avoid the potentially catastrophic risk or arcing in high-voltage satellites. The issue of spacecraft charging and electrostatic discharge (ESD) in the low-Earth orbit environment is discuessed, in the context of satellite power system design. Options for controlling spacecraft charging and for preventing trigger and sustained arcs between high-voltage conductors are presented. These guidlines have been used to size solar panels for the upcoming Canadian Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Microsatellite (M3MSat)-a highly capable mission with relatively high power demand-which is used as a design example. It is concluded that ESD issues for polar LEO spacecraft are both challenging and subtle, and demand careful attention from engineers early in the design process.
