Thermal control subsystem requirements and challenges for a responsive satellite bus

Andrew D. Williams; M. Eric Lyall; Derek W. Hengeveld; Quinn E. Young

doi:10.1117/12.818826

6 May 2009 Thermal control subsystem requirements and challenges for a responsive satellite bus

Andrew D. Williams, M. Eric Lyall, Derek W. Hengeveld, Quinn E. Young

Proceedings Volume 7330, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications III; 73300E (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818826
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2009, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

The traditional approach to satellite design is a customized and highly optimized satellite bus. The primary design driver is to minimize mass but often at the expense of schedule and non-recurring engineering costs. The result after years of development is a high performance system with minimal flexibility. Consequently, there is a need for responsive, small satellites that are able to accommodate different missions, changing threats, and emerging technologies for which the traditional development approach is unable to satisfy. Instead, systems must be modular and/or robust. One of the subsystems that will be challenging for the development of modular and/or robust architectures is the thermal control subsystem (TCS). To design a traditional TCS, virtually every aspect of the mission, the satellite, and the components must be known before an intense design program can be completed. However, the mission, payload, components, and requirements are largely unknown before mission initiation. To provide a baseline for the TCS design and to help bound the problem for the development of robust thermal systems, the range of external and internal heat loads for small satellites were evaluated. From this analysis, the realistic worst design cases were identified along with other requirements for robust thermal control systems. Finally, the paper will discuss the merits of various thermal architectures and the challenges associated with achieving the requirements for robust thermal control for responsive satellite buses.

Citation Download Citation

Andrew D. Williams, M. Eric Lyall, Derek W. Hengeveld, and Quinn E. Young "Thermal control subsystem requirements and challenges for a responsive satellite bus", Proc. SPIE 7330, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications III, 73300E (6 May 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818826

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available