• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.51-59
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• 2020

In the case of cubesat, a PCB-based deployable solar panel advantageous in terms of weight reduction and electrical circuit design is widely used considering the limited weight and volume of satellites. However, because of the low thermal conductivity of PCB, there is a limit relative to heat dissipation. In this paper, the thermal gap pad is applied to the contact between the PCB-based solar panel and the aluminum stiffener mounted on the outside of the panel. Thus, the heat transfer from the solar cell to the rear side of the panel is facilitated. It maximizes the heat dissipation performance while maintaining the merits of PCB panel, and thus, it is possible to improve the power generation efficiency from reducing the temperature of the solar cell. The effectiveness of the thermal design of the 6U cubesat's deployable solar panel using the thermal gap pad has been verified through on-orbit thermal analysis based on the results, compared with the conventional PCB-based solar panel.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.86-93
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• 2022

Generally, a deployable solar panel is used primarily to achieve sufficient power output to perform the mission. However, temperature distribution on the antenna reflector may increase due to the shading effect induced by the presence of the deployable solar panels. Appropriate thermal design is critical to minimize the thermal deformation of the mesh antenna reflector in harsh on-orbit thermal environments to ensure remote frequency (RF) performance. In this paper, we proposed a dual-surface primary reflector consisting of a mesh antenna and a flexible fabric membrane sheet. This design strategy can contribute to thermal stabilization by using a flexible solar panel on the rear side of membrane sheet to reduce the temperature distribution caused by the deployable solar panel. The effectiveness of the mesh antenna design strategy investigates through on-orbit thermal analysis.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.86-94
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• 2021

PCB-based deployable solar panel is mainly used for CubeSat due to its lightweight and easy of electrical connection. However, as the size of solar panel increases, there is a limit to ensuring the structural safety of solar cells due to excessive dynamic displacement under launch vibration environment. In previous mechanical designs, for the minimization of dynamic deflection, panel stiffness is increased by applying additional stiffeners made of various materials such as aluminum or composite. However, it could have disadvantages for CubeSat design requirements due to limited mass and volumes. In this study, a high-damping 6U solar panel was proposed. It had superior damping characteristic with a multi-layered stiffener laminated with viscoelastic acrylic tapes. Basic characteristics of this solar panel were measured through free-vibration tests. Design effectiveness of the solar panel was validated through qualification-level launch vibration test. Based on test results, vibration characteristics of a typical PCB solar panel and the high-damping laminated solar panel were predicted and a comparative analysis was performed.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.81-88
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• 2021

In general, a non-explosive nylon wire cutting-based holding and release mechanism has been used to store and deploy deployable solar panels of CubeSat. However, with this method, accessing the solar panel's access port for charging the cube satellite's battery and electrical inspection and testing of the PCB and payloads while the solar panel is in storage is difficult. Additionally, the mechanism must have a reliable release function in an in-orbit environment, and reusability for stow and deploy of the solar panel, which is a hassle for the operator and difficult to maintain a consistent nylon wire fastening process. In this study, we proposed a pin-puller-based solar panel holding and release mechanism that can easily deploy a solar panel without cutting nylon wires by separating constraining pins. The proposed mechanism's release function and performance were verified through a solar panel deployment test and a maximum separation load measurement test. Through this, we also verified the design feasibility and effectiveness of the pin-puller-based separation device.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.423-433
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• 2022

This paper introduces the case studies of launch environmental test for cube nanosatellites and lessons learned of the design and integration from those. Generally, nanosatellites are launched and deployed in space while being contained in nanosatellite deployers, mechanical loads of launch are transferred through the deployer. This characteristic make nanosatellites under larger loads and higher possibilities of mechanical failure. This study represents guidelines of the design and the integration of the nanosatellites by showing the cases of launch environmental test of nanosatellite system. Moreover, it is suggested that the modern nanosatellite deployer with the capability of fixing the internal nanosatellite be preferable to conventional deployer by comparing the test results with those deployers.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.94-102
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• 2023

A nylon wire holding and release mechanism (HRM) has been widely used for deployable applications of CubeSat owing to its simplicity and low cost. In general, structural safety of solar panel with an HRM has been designed by performing structural analysis under a launch environment. However, previous studies have not performed thermal analysis for HRM in an on-orbit environment. In this study, Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) thermal analysis was performed to evaluate thermal stability of the mechanism in the orbital thermal environment of the pogo pin-based HRM applied to CubeSat. In addition, the effectiveness of the thermal design and performance of the pogo pin-based HRM were verified through a thermal vacuum test.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

In a previous study, a structure of a superplastic yoke consisting of a thin FR4 layer laminated with viscoelastic tape on both sides of a shape memory alloy (SMA) was proposed to reduce residual vibration generated by a deployable solar panel during high motion of a satellite. Damping properties of viscoelastic tapes will change with temperature, which can directly affect vibration reduction performance of the yoke. To check damping performance of the yoke at different temperatures, free damping tests were performed under various temperature conditions to identify the temperature range where the damping performance was maximized. Based on above temperature test results, this paper predicts temperature of the yoke through orbital thermal analysis so that the yoke can have effective damping performance even if it is exposed to an orbital thermal environment. In addition, the thermal design method was described so that the yoke could have optimal vibration reduction performance.