Thermal and electrical simulation of CubeSat

• Grant number: 23/08742-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering - Aerospace Systems
• Principal Investigator: Edemar Morsch Filho
• Grantee: Gabriel Kawanaka Rubio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental São João da Boa Vista. São João da Boa Vista , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Reduced costs and deadlines are attractions that drive the use of standard CubeSat satellites in the space sector. In space, these small satellites must survive the vacuum, a significant temperature variation and be able to power and operate their subsystems autonomously. Most satellites, including CubeSats, use photovoltaic panels to convert solar radiation into electrical energy, a phenomenon whose efficiency is directly proportional to incoming radiation but inversely proportional to temperature. A fundamental challenge for a CubeSat refers precisely to energy limitations, as these restrict the quality of service. Therefore, it is up to the designer to obtain a solution that is adequate from a thermal and electrical point of view, without jeopardizing the operation, and that guarantees the maintenance of the mission objectives. In this context, this research proposes the development of a numerical tool to explore the performance of a CubeSat mission 1U, 2U and 3U, focusing on the levels of temperature and power generation involved, for each instant of time, considering a given orbit and attitude. Three main phenomena will be modeled and integrated: radiation (satellite emission and absorption of solar, albedo and infrared radiation from Earth), heat transfer (conduction and radiation) and energy conversion by the photovoltaic effect. It is expected that this will contribute to greater assertiveness in missions in the face of the challenges of the space environment.