SIERASat: A 6U CubeSat Platform for Space-Based Solar Power

Presenter Information

• Sutharsan Indrakumar, University of GeorgiaFollow
• Ahmed Guller, University of Georgia
• Leann Cwieka, University of Georgia
• Justin Parry, University of Georgia
• Minh Nguyen, University of Georgia
• Kaegan Lucas, University of Georgia
• Carson Bove, University of Georgia
• Chaitra Nulu, University of Georgia
• Myles Thomas, University of Georgia
• Sophia Jones, University of Georgia
• Deepak R. Mishra, University of Georgia

Session

Poster Session 2

Location

Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Abstract

Reliance on fossil fuels, combined with the physical limits of ground-based solar arrays, makes a strong case for collecting solar energy in orbit. Earth intercepts roughly 1.4 kW/m² at the top of the atmosphere, but absorption by carbon dioxide and water vapour and atmospheric scattering cut peak surface intensity to about 1.1 kW/m², this results in an over a 20% reduction. While inclination, time of day, and weather restrict that to a narrow band of land for a few hours each day.

The Solar Incident Energy Relay Array (SIERA) is a proposed mission that will create a single 6U CubeSat platform that will serve as the foundational architecture and proof of concept for the larger a network of CubeSats. This constellation will collect solar energy above the atmosphere, store it onboard, and relay it on demand to rectifying antennas on the ground or to neighbouring spacecraft. SIERASat is the single-spacecraft pathfinder for that architecture. A 6U CubeSat closing the complete orbit-to-ground energy chain from 400 km LEO. Developed at the University of Georgia Small Satellite Research Laboratory, it leverages flight-proven heritage in ROSA-derived deployable arrays and coordinated constellation operations to retire core RF and power-transfer risk before larger apertures and coherent multi-satellite beamforming are attempted.

Document Type

Event