The SCA instrument on MetOp-SG SatB is a 6 beam pulsed real aperture C-band (5.355 GHz) radar in a lambda shaped antenna configuration that measures the Earth’s surface backscatter for each resolution cell from three different directions. The measured backscatter are transferred to wind vectors / soil moisture etc. via Geophysical Model Functions and are used to support Numerical Weather...
Solar Orbiter is the next solar-heliospheric mission in the ESA Science Directorate. The mission will provide the next major step forward in the exploration of the Sun and the heliosphere investigating many of the fundamental problems in solar and heliospheric science. One of the main design drivers for Solar Orbiter is the thermal environment, determined by a total irradiance of 13 solar...
SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a collaborative science mission for the investigation of the solar wind interaction with Earth magnetosphere in order to further understand the Sun-Earth connection. SMILE is a joint science mission between European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) for which Phase CD activities are currently...
The ATHENA Spacecraft is the next ESA Science Large class mission. It is a 7-ton spacecraft with two instruments and a 12 meters-long focal length, to be launched in 2031 by Ariane 6, and it will achieve unprecedented X-ray imaging and spectroscopic capabilities, for the benefit of High Energy Astrophysics.
A brief introduction to the Spacecraft and mission is presented, followed by a...
Within this paper the possible application of self-limiting heaters for satellite thermal control is presented. The focus is put on Minco’s SmartHeat SLT™ technology, which relies on the positive temperature coefficient effect and represents an affordable and highly promising heater solution. The investigation consisted of a detailed laboratory thermal test campaign and subsequent thermal...
This presentation will focus on several solutions of radiators, some with various shapes, coatings and extended temperature range, which have been developed and qualified by ADMATIS, before to be implemented on instrument (Sentinel 2 MSI, CHEOPS) and launched. Innovative CHEOPS radiator end-to-end testing will be presented, as well as Sentinel radiators flight data. The presentation will also...
Louvers are thermal-control elements that have been used in different forms on numerous spacecrafts. They are devices which mask a high-emissivity radiator with a low-emissivity surface. As the temperature of the panel changes, blades angles also changes, changing the radiative flux exchanged between panel and deep space. The actuators are calibrated to cause the associated blades to be fully...
This 2-phase thermal sub-system has been developed in the frame of Spacebus Neo Platform program.
Thermal testing is part of the verification process needed on a space system. This task is time consuming and thus expensive due to both the thermal inertia and the complexity of a system level verification in an environment representative of the flight mission worst cases (vacuum and temperature). These constraints require efficient methodologies and associated tools covering the whole...
The selection and analysis of the thermal worst cases is one of the critical points in the thermal design of a spacecraft. Typically, a limited number of scenarios are sufficient to cover the configuration of the mission and the orientations and orbit conditions when they are simple but in some cases, more specific configuration is needed.
In the case of Proba-3 ESA’s IOD mission, the possible...
The Sentinel-2 mission is part of the EU Copernicus program. Today, it counts two polar-orbiting satellites, S-2A & S-2B, placed in the same sun-synchronous orbit and phased at 180° to each other. Two more satellites are expected to be launched in the near future. Launched since June 2015 for S-2A and March 2017 for S-2B, these satellites provide high resolution and multi-spectral images of...
The Sentinel-2 mission is part of the EU Copernicus program. The Multi Spectral Imager (MSI) is the main instrument of this mission and aims at providing high spatial resolution and multi-spectral images dedicated to the monitoring of land and coastal areas. The instrument owns 13 channels in the visible/near (VNIR) and short wave infrared spectral range (SWIR). Silicon carbide is used to...
It is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the challenging thermal control requirements of modern spacecraft missions with only existing thermal control devices such as conventional heat pipes. An oscillating heat pipe (OHP) and a loop heat pipe (LHP) are effective methods to overcome some of these thermal control constraints. Research and development of the OHP and the LHP has been...
ESATAN-TMS provides an advanced thermal modelling environment for the thermal analysis of spacecrafts and launch vehicles. The suite is continually being enhanced to meet current and future requirements of space projects, and to support the specific needs of thermal engineers.
Model parameterisation is a powerful feature to help simplify model definition, making the model more readable -...
A novel positive displacement pump for spacecraft thermal control is being developed by AVS Added Value Solutions within the frame of ESA’s ARTES programme.
The most critical component of a Mechanically Pumped Loop (MPL) is the pump; a failure of the pump directly results in MPL system failure. Therefore, the reliability and lifetime requirements for the pump are extremely severe,...
The Long-Term Support version of Systema-Thermica V4.8.3 is released and available to users. This new LTS version was warmly welcomed by the users. It includes many features such as the convection module, improvements of the user experience and model exchange features. Minor corrections were implemented in the first patch of this LTS version, the V4.8.3P1, released in fall of this year.
The...
In recent years, Argotec, a technology provider of passive thermal control systems based on the use of two phase systems, has carried out research and development, creating different passive thermal control systems in the aerospace and industrial field. Thanks to these starting skills, the 2-PHASE (Passive Heat exchange for Aerospace and Earth applications) project has been developed, with...
ESATAN-TMS provides an advanced thermal modelling environment for the thermal analysis of spacecrafts and launch vehicles. The suite is continually being enhanced to meet current and future requirements of space projects, and to support the specific needs of thermal engineers.
Post-processing of the thermal and radiative results is a significant part of the overall thermal modelling process....
This presentation will focus on MLI efficiency testing using 3D configuration (cube of various size, cyclinder), how they differ from flat MLI test (calorimeter), how they compare with the reality, at system level, and what are the main parameters driving the efficiency (size, shape, number of layers, materials...).
In the latest years the situational awareness on man-made space debris and the application of mitigation guidelines has grown very rapidly. The need of reducing the global space debris population orbiting in the low earth orbit has led to the necessity of developing new satellite design techniques and drivers. At the satellite end-of-life, the object usually undergoes an atmospheric re-entry,...
In the frame of the creation of a thermal software tool at the FH Aachen a conductive calculator has been established in the form of a MATLAB program. The motivation was the implementation of star coupling links. Generally, the proper calculation of linear conductors is a crucial part of the analysis process and determines the quality of the results to a large extent. For the time being, the...
The ESA Solar Orbiter (SOLO) is an interdisciplinary mission to the Sun. It consists of a single spacecraft, which will orbit the Sun in a moderately elliptical orbit, using a suite of advanced Remote-Sensing and In-Situ instruments to perform a detailed observation of the Sun and surrounding space. Due to the nature of the mission, the spacecraft will get as close as 0.28 AU from the sun,...
The contact conductance of copper based brush thermal connections were investigated. Results show a significant increase in heat transfer as compared to purely radiative connections during a cool down from +20 °C to -180 °C. Derived contact conductance values are higher than for common slip-rings or ball bearings.
Two possible applications initiated the interest for copper based brushes....
Abstract
An interface between the MBSE tool OCDT and the thermal analysis software Thermisol is proposed. Goal of this new interface is to automate and accelerate iteration cycles within early mission design studies, following the new space approach.
Abbreviations
ESA - European Space Agency
MBSE - Model Based system engineering
OCDT - Open Concurrent Design Tool
S/C - Spacecraft
TCS...
The MicroWave Imager (MWI) Instrument is part of the payload complement of the MetOp-SG Satellites type B. MWI is a conical scanning radiometer (scan speed of 45 rpm), with multiple frequency channels covering the frequency range from 18.7 GHz to 183.3 GHz. The MicroWave Imager will provide precipitation monitoring as well as sea ice extent information.
The On Ground Calibration Targets...
The SAOCOM satellites (1A and 1B) are two twin L-band SAR satellites for earth observation. Each satellite weights 3.000kg and main dimensions are 10m wingspan and 3.5m high.
This program is developed by the Argentine Space Agency CONAE as a customer and INVAP as Prime Contractor.
SAOCOM 1A was successfully launched in October 2018 and then began its observation and acquisition phase. Both...
With the CubeSat market expanding and with CubeSats entering the high-performance domain (to 6U, 12U and 16U) the thermal problems of CubeSats get more prominent. A result of the shift towards high-performance missions leads to stricter thermal requirements as the power density increases and the usual low cost thermal design strategies appear insufficient.
An innovative modular thermal...
The presentation deals with the design, function and qualification process of a thermally activated separation bracket. This new principle was developed for Sentinel-1 C&D in order to support the satellites demise and thus avoid satellite parts hitting the ground after re-entry.
The principle is based on a soldered cup-cone fixation between antenna and bus. During re-entry, as soon as a...
ArianeGroup Bremen has started the development of Flexible External Insulation (FEI) already within the HERMES program in the eighties. In the meantime a complete FEI product family was developed and qualified which covers a temperature range from 300°C to 1100°C. The FEI with its excellent performance w.r.t. reusability, low mass, simple inspection and maintenance, is the favorable TPS for...
With the CubeSat market expanding and with CubeSats entering the high-performance domain (to 6U, 12U and 16U) the thermal problems of CubeSats get more prominent. A result of the shift towards high-performance missions leads to stricter thermal requirements as the power density increases and the usual low cost thermal design strategies appear insufficient.
To further support the higher power...
For years the use of variable emissivity devices and coatings has been envisaged by the academic and industrials space actors. The aim is to overcome the drawback specific to constant thermo-optical coatings with regard to the variation of heat load during the mission and so to maximize the heat rejection capacity and to minimize the heating power budget. The most promising of these coatings...
The increasing trend towards higher power electronics and the rapid growth of the smallsat industry has led to increased heat dissipation requirements for spacecraft thermal control systems. In this study, an investigation of a trihedral geometry is performed in order to determine its potential as an effective radiator panel for passive thermal management. This form aims to minimise the...
Landing on small bodies like asteroids and comets is an extreme challenging operation. The unknown thermal and physical properties of the surface after a multi-annual journey in deep space require a high degree of flexibility for operations planning and execution during the landing and consecutive on-surface mission phases.
The presentation describes the planning and analysis loop used to...
When developing a stratospheric balloon mission, the Thermal Control Subsystem (TCS) plays an important role for a successful mission. From a thermal point of view, in this kind of flights the payload faces extreme environmental conditions very similar to the ones found by spacecrafts. At float altitude, radiation dominates heat exchanges with the environment because convection effects can be...
The amount of waste heat that is generated in electronic components in aerospace application is increasing because of higher electrical power demands. As a result, conventional cooling methods are not able to maintain the electronic component below its maximum temperature. For this reason, a two-phase Mechanically Pumped Fluid Loop has been developed for high-power electronic components in a...
In this presentation, we detail a novel method for coupling thermal modelling tools (Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal) with machine learning (ML) algorithms to develop predictive thermal tools for spacecraft simulations. Additionally we utilize a model reduction method to reduce the complexity of the models which can then be mapped back onto the original high fidelity models. The ML are...
Loop Heat pipe is an efficient heat transfer system based on the liquid-vapor phase change phenomena. A LHP consists of an evaporator, a condenser, a compensation chamber (also called reservoir), and transport lines. For many years, EHP/Airbus have implemented several developments, in collaboration with product users, to simplify and robustify its application and improve its performances:...
In recent years, Argotec, a technology provider of passive thermal control systems based on the use of two phase systems, has carried out research and development, creating different passive thermal control systems in the aerospace and industrial field. Thanks to these starting skills, the 2-PHASE (Passive Heat exchange for Aerospace and Earth applications) project has been developed, with...
As for the thermal simulation of a satellite, its design is crucial. It involves the integration in the thermal and mechanical model of reduced parts of equipment or supports (additive manufacturing) from 3D models finite elements. The goal of the thesis is the drastic reduction of 3D geometric models that minimizes the alteration of the physical properties (here the calculation of the view...
JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer) spacecraft will provide a thorough investigation of the Jupiter system in all its complexity with emphasis on the three potentially ocean-bearing Galilean satellites, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, and their potential habitability. It will carry 10 state-of-the-art remote sensing, geophysical, and in situ instruments plus one experiment that uses the...
Airbus DS has been developing modular flexible radiator solutions through the use of laminated pyrolytic graphite material. These High Perfromance Radiators (HiPeR) are designed for ultra-lightweight thermal control and are scalable from nanoscale spacecraft (1U CubeSats) up to kilowatt level geosynchronous platforms.
HiPeR radiators are extremely versatile and can be used as a low mass...
Stability requirements of current and future ESA projects are getting ever more challenging, with thermo elastic distortion and strength playing a dominant role on the final performance. Compliance to those requirements is usually verified only through analytical models that are not correlated with regard to their validity for thermo-elastic predictions, leaving not quantified uncertainties in...
This work has been performed as a follow on to the ESA R&D activity Improvement of Methodologies for Thermo-Elastic Predictions and Verification (I-METER). In the framework of this activity, a thermal test was performed at the facilities of Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France in early 2019, using the structure of the Iridium Next platform. The objective of this test was to generate thermal...
Thermo-elastic behaviour of spacecraft structures and payloads is often a critical design aspect due to the importance of dimensional stability (hence payload accuracy) and structural strength. The accuracy of thermo-elastic analysis relies to a large extent on the correct interplay between the thermal model, the structural model and the translation of the thermal results to the structural...
SINAS is a tool for mapping temperatures from lumped parameter based thermal analysis to a finite element model for computing thermo-elastic responses. The most recent major version of SINAS was developed for ESA in 1998. Since then not many companies have been using the software. One of the reasons is the software was quite cumbersome to use; many steps had to be performed which all required...
The accuracy of thermal analysis relies to a large extent on the nodal discretisation and conduction calculation/definition in the thermal model. Traditional methods of conductor calculation use simplified analytical rules and can be very user intensive or require large simplifications. The work presented at ECSSMET 2018 [1]&[2] and ESTEW 2018 [3] considering thermal mapping and FEM based...
