A CubeSat Power System Implementing a Zero Voltage Switching Resonant Buck Converter Design with Low Electronic & Radio Frequency Noise

A CubeSat Power System Implementing a Zero Voltage Switching Resonant Buck Converter Design with Low Electronic & Radio Frequency Noise

Utah State University, Logan, UT

Noise from power systems can be a limiting factor in how well scientific instruments on CubeSats can perform. Instruments such as microwave radiometers which are on TROPICS, TEMPEST-D, and IceCube, or wide-band software defined radios such as those used on AERO/VISTA for Earth auroral hiss observations, or precipitation instruments used on RainCube are all affected by electronic and radio frequency (RF) noise. Current hybrid DC/DC converter technologies can also be prone to failure and anomalies during flight. The GRACE mission had the converter fail due to high temperatures, which caused a reduction in switching frequency. This research project will provide a way for CubeSat power subsystems to become more optimized and efficient by reducing the noise produced, enabling CubeSats to support a wider range of science missions. This paper presents a design for a CubeSat power subsystem that uses a phase-locking control scheme where the voltage ripple and RF noise can be significantly reduced so that the power converter does not affect the CubeSat instruments. CubeSats are now returning valuable scientific data and can improve temporal and spatial coverage. Optimizing CubeSat power subsystems enables its payload to become more effective.