Satellite Solar Panel Deployment

The results of the deployment system testing are discussed including the design and realization of the test bed the mechanical stress given to the solar cells by the deployment accelerations and the overall system performance.

Satellite solar panel deployment. Solar array panels of a satellite must be locked at an intended position in order to perform its mission successfully as the electric power source of a satellite. The array measures 18 8 feet long and 9 2 feet wide and it consists of four solar panels. 1 an active hinge which provides the kinetic energy of deployment by two redundant torsional springs 2 a passive hinge which controls the rotational speed by means of a brushed dc motor and undergoes locking in the intended position when the solar panel deployment phase finishes. Deployment test of one of the gpm core satellite s solar wings on thursday june 6 2013.

A test bed for the solar panel deployment testing has been developed supporting the solar array during deployment reproducing the dynamical situation in orbit. The solar panel deployment mechanism includes two parts see fig. Unlike any discernible solar panel deployment mechanism with a flight history spacex s starlink engineers seem to have taken a style of deployment used successfully on the international space. This paper presents an innovative method to control the rotational speed of a satellite solar panel during its deployment phase.

Paris the intelsat is 19 satellite launched may 31 has failed to deploy one of its two solar arrays intelsat announced late june 1 an anomaly that has affected other space systems loral. Each panel contains between 800 and 1 200 solar cells. A brushed dc motor has been utilized in the passive spring driven deployment mechanism to reduce the deployment speed. This article presents the modeling simulation and assessment of deployment and locking operations of satellite flexible solar panel using ansys and adams software.