Design and performance of a compact rigid-flex PCB-based deployable solar array for cube satellites

Résumé fourni par la source

Deployable solar arrays increase spacecraft capabilities by providing a greater power generation capacity than can be achieved by the available surface area of the chassis. On smaller form factors such as 1U cube satellites, this benefit is often overshadowed by the typical increase in mass, envelope, and complexity. To address this, a rigid-flex PCB-based system actuated by nickel-titanium shape memory alloy is presented, which demonstrates high power generation density and meets the stringent envelope requirements of a 1U cube satellite without significantly increasing design and manufacturing complexity. By leveraging the PCB manufacturing industry and the benefits of compliant mechanisms, the deployable solar array design achieves a high power-to-weight and power-to-stowed-volume ratio while requiring minimal additional assembly over body-mounted solar panels. This work presents the design, assembly, and verification of the rigid-flex PCB-based solar array concept, showing that it meets the requirements typical of cube satellites deployed from the International Space Station. These solar arrays were flight-tested on the Binar Space Program's second mission, consisting of three 1U cube satellites (Binar-2, Binar-3, and Binar-4), and the results obtained are presented and inform refinements to the design and assembly. This system has been demonstrated to be an effective solution increasing the power generation of many 1U cube satellite platforms, and represents the first flight-test of a rigid-flex PCB-based deployable solar array.

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