The Design, Analysis and Testing of Low Cost Dual Deployable Solar Panels for Small Satellite Missions

The Design, Analysis and Testing of Low Cost Dual Deployable Solar Panels for Small Satellite Missions

Utah State University, Logan, UT

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded university small satellite mission, Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX) is designed to address outstanding aeronomy and space weather questions while demonstrating swarm behavior in constellations of six to twelve 3U CubeSats. SWARM-EX is limited in power, which requires the use of dual-deployable solar panels in order to maximize the number of solar cells powering the small satellite. Commercial off the shelf (COTS) dual-deployable solar panel options tend to be expensive, necessitating the creation of custom-built, dual-deployable solar panels. The design of the dual-deployable solar panels is constrained in volume, manufacturability, and survivability of the launch conditions. In the stowed launch configuration, the full smallsat assembly must fit in an 88 mm by 326.1 mm by 9 mm space. The dual-deployable solar panel assembly must also be able to withstand the vibroacoustic launch environment. The launch environment requires withstanding a vibroacoustic load of 10 Grms for one minute in each axis. The solar panel assembly underwent testing in order to ensure the system operates as expected during the mission. Deployment testing will be conducted, and vibrational testing is planned for six months before launch.