Speakers
Description
Variable emissivity radiators (VERs) can offer significant advantages in satellite thermal control systems by reducing power consumption. SmartIR has developed a graphene-based VER that uses electrochromism to modulate infrared emissivity by 0.3 while maintaining high rejection in the solar spectrum. The SmartIR VER has been incorporated into a subsystem integrated on one of ATMOS Space Cargo's satellites, which is due to be launched into low Earth orbit and recovered after re-entry. Application of low voltage to the VER enables the transition from a high infrared emissivity state of 0.8 to the low emissivity state of 0.5, where the former is the property it defaults to when unpowered. This low voltage requirement and minor current draw enable the subsystem to be very low power, enabling significant power budget savings in the thermal control system as a whole by reducing the reliance on heating during cold phases of the orbit.