Design of a membrane solar panel
- Paper number
IAC-05-C3.P.03
- Author
Mr. Bruno Sylvestre, École de technologie supérieure, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Henri Champliaud, École de technologie supérieure, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Marie-José Potvin, Canadian Space Agency, Canada
- Year
2005
- Abstract
Design of satellites is usually the prerogative of large companies or government organizations because of the very high launching costs. Indeed, around 40,000 USD is the price to pay per kilogram to launch a structure in space. It is imperative to reduce to a minimum the launched mass in order to reduce those exorbitant costs. A way to solve the mass problem in order to design lighter satellites would be to consider something they all have in common: power generation. Indeed, any spacecraft needs to produce a certain amount of electricity to keep the payload and all the systems working. One of the most popular ways to produce electricity is the famous solar cell. However, most of the solar cells developed to date are mounted on rigid panels, which represent significant mass and volume on a satellite. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is currently doing a study of micro- and nano-satellites. The membrane technology is believed to be an original and low cost solution to answer the spacecraft power requirements while satisfying the high design criteria necessary to launch a satellite in space. After having reviewed the literature about membrane technologies and associated deployment mechanisms, the author is now presenting the results of the first membrane solar panels. Indeed, in this paper, several prototypes of membrane solar panels are presented. Both their packaging and deployment mechanism are thoroughly explained and depicted. Then a study to compare the models against each other is described. Every solution is investigated in order to identify their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the author recognizes which of the tested solutions best meets the requirements of the CSA for its satellite project. This solution is then optimized to best fit the CSA’s needs. All the details concerning that solution are presented. The next steps of the project will be the testing of the membrane solar panel and its integration to a satellite of the CSA.
- Abstract document