Development of a Novel Deployable Solar Panel and Mechanism for 6U CubeSat of STEP Cube Lab-II

The structural safety of solar cells mounted on deployable solar panels in the launch vibration environment is a significant aspect of a successful CubeSat mission. This paper presents a novel highly damped deployable solar panel module that is effective in ensuring structural protection of solar ce...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aerospace 2021-03, Vol.8 (3), p.64
Main Authors: Bhattarai, Shankar, Go, Ji-Seong, Kim, Hongrae, Oh, Hyun-Ung
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Circuit boards
Composite materials
Constrained Layer Damping
Cubesat
holding and release mechanism
Laboratories
launch vibration
Modules
multilayered stiffener
Photovoltaic cells
Printed circuits
Radiation
Radiation tests
Random vibration
Solar cells
Solar energy
solar panel module
Solar panels
STEP Cube Lab-II CubeSat
Stiffeners
Structural engineering
Structural safety
Vibration
Viscoelasticity
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Summary:The structural safety of solar cells mounted on deployable solar panels in the launch vibration environment is a significant aspect of a successful CubeSat mission. This paper presents a novel highly damped deployable solar panel module that is effective in ensuring structural protection of solar cells under the launch environment by rapidly suppressing the vibrations transmitting through the solar panel by constrained layer damping achieved using printed circuit board (PCB)-based multilayered thin stiffeners with double-sided viscoelastic tapes. A high-damping solar panel demonstration model with a three-pogo pin-based burn wire release mechanism was fabricated and tested for application in the 6U CubeSat “STEP Cube Lab-II” developed by Chosun University, South Korea. The reliable release function and radiation hardness assurance of the mechanism in an in-orbit environment were confirmed by performing solar panel deployment tests and radiation tests, respectively. The design effectiveness and structural safety of the proposed solar panel module were validated by launch vibration and in-orbit environment tests at the qualification level.
ISSN:2226-4310
2226-4310
DOI:10.3390/aerospace8030064