Speaker
Description
Abstract
This work focuses on the thermal analysis methodology developed for the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) of the HEliospheric pioNeer for sOlar and interplanetary threats defeNce (HENON) cubesat. Although conceived for a specific phase of a mission, the proposed approach is applicable to any condition that faces similar constraints in terms of available information, development schedule and configuration variability.
Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) thermal analyses pose a series of unique challenges. These are a consequence of the transient nature of the phenomena in question and the necessity to represent multiple mission phases, from launch to spacecraft commissioning.
Specifically, the launch stage is characterised by significant changes in the radiative environment that the spacecraft experiences, including, but not limited to, lift-off, fairing jettisoning, and deployment. This variability calls for the utilisation of distinct radiative cases, wherein the activity of certain surfaces is subject to variation. These analyses are often required when the availability of mission information is limited, and where rapid delivery of results is critical. In such circumstances, modelling approaches must balance realism, time-effort, simplicity, and ease of maintenance while minimising the number of models and analysis cases to be managed.
The proposed strategy, therefore, focuses on the efficient management of evolving radiative surroundings within a single Thermal Mathematical Model (TMM), achieved through the manual activation and deactivation of surface radiative activity as the spacecraft configuration evolves across mission phases. This enables sequential transient analyses to be performed in a controlled, repeatable and traceable manner while reducing the workload associated with modelling.
The presentation discusses the rationale behind the adopted modelling assumptions, the implementation within the ESATAN-TMS Workbench environment, and the workflow developed to manage changing spacecraft configurations and associated radiative cases for the HENON case study, where the methodology has been successfully developed and applied. The resulting methodology provides a practical and robust framework for performing preliminary transient thermal analyses when simplicity, reliability and rapid development are primary design drivers. Future work will explore automating the case-switching process to further reduce turnaround time and the risk of human error.