Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.19356 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866929439528452096 |
|---|---|
| author | Sorensen, Nicholas J. Halliwell, Erik F. |
| author_facet | Sorensen, Nicholas J. Halliwell, Erik F. |
| contents | Cube satellites, or CubeSats, are small satellites commonly used to perform Earth imaging and on-orbit scientific experiments. CubeSats are often powered using expensive, inflexible commercial-off-the-shelf solar panels, largely due to a lack of flight-qualified open-source alternatives. Here, we describe the design of customizable, deployable solar panels, offering an open-source, cost-effective alternative. Towards a fully open-source CubeSat, our designs have mission-tailored power generation capabilities and simple electrical and mechanical integration. The solar panel designs were demonstrated on-orbit on three satellites in the Northern SPIRIT constellation and will be on AlbertaSat's Ex-Alta~3 satellite, which will launch in 2025. The design files, assembly procedures, and best practices will be open-source-published online. This work lowers the barrier of entry into space, making satellite design easier and less expensive -- students helping students design better satellites. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_19356 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Open-Source CubeSat Solar Panels: Design, Assembly, Testing, and On-Orbit Demonstration Sorensen, Nicholas J. Halliwell, Erik F. Instrumentation and Detectors Cube satellites, or CubeSats, are small satellites commonly used to perform Earth imaging and on-orbit scientific experiments. CubeSats are often powered using expensive, inflexible commercial-off-the-shelf solar panels, largely due to a lack of flight-qualified open-source alternatives. Here, we describe the design of customizable, deployable solar panels, offering an open-source, cost-effective alternative. Towards a fully open-source CubeSat, our designs have mission-tailored power generation capabilities and simple electrical and mechanical integration. The solar panel designs were demonstrated on-orbit on three satellites in the Northern SPIRIT constellation and will be on AlbertaSat's Ex-Alta~3 satellite, which will launch in 2025. The design files, assembly procedures, and best practices will be open-source-published online. This work lowers the barrier of entry into space, making satellite design easier and less expensive -- students helping students design better satellites. |
| title | Open-Source CubeSat Solar Panels: Design, Assembly, Testing, and On-Orbit Demonstration |
| topic | Instrumentation and Detectors |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.19356 |