The present invention relates to an innovative thermal design concept of tailoring the absorptance and emittance of a coating—namely silicon oxide (SiOx) coated aluminized Kapton—as a radiator coating for small, nano-satellite (i.e., CubeSat) thermal management. The present invention improves on the thermal design of existing satellites, by: a) thermally coupling all components to the baseplate to eliminate the need for heater power for the battery; b) using all six sides of the CubeSat as radiators by changing the wall material from fiberglass to aluminum; c) using a different ratio of absorptance to emittance for each side by tailoring the SiOx thickness; d) having a high emittance for the wall interior and components; and e) eliminating the need for MLIs. The elimination of the MLIs reduces the volume and increases the clearance to minimize the risk for solar array deployment and cost of the thermal control subsystem.
Silicon oxide coated aluminized Kapton radiator coating for nano-satellite thermal management
14.11.2023
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Coated Aluminized Film Resists Corrosion
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