• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2007.07a
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• pp.55-57
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• 2007

A Power control and Distribution Unit (PCDU) plays roles of protection of battery against overcharge by active control of solar array generated power, distribution of unregulated electrical power via controlled outlets to bus and instrument units, distribution of regulated electrical power to selected bus and instrument units, and provision of status monitoring and telecommand interface allowing the system and ground operate the power system, evaluate its performance and initiate appropriate countermeasures in case of abnormal conditions. In this work, we perform the preliminary design of a PCDU for the small Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite applications. The main constitutes of the PCDU are the battery interface module, solar array regulators with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology, heater power distribution modules, internal converter modules for regulated bus voltage generation, power distribution modules of unregulated and regulated primary bus, and instrument power distribution modules.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of IIIuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.255-258
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• 2004

The SAR(Solar Array Regulator) of KOMPSAT(Korea Multi Purpose SATellite)-1, 2 regulates a photovoltaic power according to the duty ratio commands of the ECU. But the ECU has so many other jobs that it can not calculate the solar array condition immediately. It means the SAR cannot always generate the maximum power of a photovoltaic. Nowadays, the commercial photovoltaic systems are using a controller operated by digital processing. But the usage for satellite is not adaptable. It is not easy to find the processor of the space grade and the price is expensive. So in this paper, the simple analog MPPT(Maximum Power Point Tracking) algorithm is proposed for the small satellite in LEO. This algorithm does not need any calculation of power by multiplication of voltage and current md a measurement of the solar array temperature. It is consist of only two sample and hold circuits, two comparators, a flip-flop, and an integrator. The proposed MPPT algorithm is verified by the simulation and experimental.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.167-180
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• 2008

The resolution of Earth images taken from a satellite has close relation with satellite's altitude. If a satellite has lower altitude, it gets a picture having better resolution. However the satellite will be exposed to heavier air drag and will spend more fuel to maintain its altitude for a desired mission. Therefore, in this study, the required fuel to maintain very low earth orbit(LEO) with severe air drag is analyzed using optimization method such as collocation method. The required fuel to maintain the low altitude has significantly increased as the mission altitude is lowered and the solar activity is maximized. This study also shows that the fuel reduced by increasing the period of the satellite maneuver is very small, and that slightly increasing the satellite's mission altitude is much effective in reducing the amount of fuel to maintain its altitude. The calculated fuel to maintain very low earth orbit in this study would give useful information in planning the budget of fuel and cost for LEO satellites.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.26 no.11B
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• pp.1573-1582
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• 2001

In this paper we analyze the main resources of error in GEO-satellite STFS(Standard Time & frequency Signal) dissemination system. For the case of small countries like Korea, we compare GEO-satellite STFS dissemination technique with the terrestrial network or with the GPS using LEO-satellites, and analyze its advantages over the forementioned systems. We also introduce the GEO-satellite STFS dissemination systems which are being developed or in service. Particularly, we put much efforts to develop the synchronization error calibration technique required to provide a highly accurate STFS service via KoreaSAT. We then propose the differential mode technique as the most effective and efficient calibration technique for mitigating errors in GEO-satellite STFS dissemination systems, and analyze its performance via computer simulation. We also analyze the relation between time accuracy and frequency accuracy. Our experimental results show that the time accuracy is better than 100 ns and the frequency accuracy is better than 10-13 over 7 days all around Korea peninsula. Finally, we propose methods to improve the performance of STFS dissemination system, and demonstrate that the proposed methods result in more accurate synchronization of GEO-satellite STFS.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.228-239
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• 2016

CNUSAIL-1 is a 3U-sized cube satellite with $4m^2$ small solar sail which is currently being developed at the Chungnam National University. The primary purpose of the CNUSAIL-1 is successful sail deployment in LEO and its operation for investigating its effect on satellite orbit and attitude as well as performing de-orbiting using the sail membranes as drag sail at the final phase. The system design and mechanism of solar sail deployment is introduced, and optical and tensile tests are carried out for the material of membranes and booms for its safety and performance verification. The ground test is carried out to verify its performance for sail deployment and satellite through comparison between folding methods by determining its folding patterns, thickness of spiral spring and angular velocity measurement in a low-friction environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.89-101
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• 2006

This paper addresses Electrical Power Subsystem(EPS) design and verification of HAUSAT-2 small satellite through energy balance analysis(EBA) depending on individual operation modes. GaAs solar cells are used for satellite power generation and digital peak power tracking is implemented for EPS architecture. One battery pack is consisted of 4 Li-Ion cells. Battery charge is accomplished by peak power tracker and battery charge regulator. Power conditioning assembly uses three DC-DC converters, and power distribution assembly which consists of commercial IC and MOSFET switch distributes power to subsystems and payloads. The altitude of 650km and sun-synchronous LEO with various local time ascending node(LTAN) are considered in EBA.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2018

Pc1 pulsations are geomagnetic fluctuations in the frequency range of 0.2 to 5 Hz. There have been several observations of Pc1 pulsations in low earth orbit by MAGSAT, DE-2, Viking, Freja, CHAMP, and SWARM satellites. However, there has been a clear limitation in resolving the spatial and temporal variations of the pulsation by using a single-point observation by a single satellite. To overcome such limitations of previous observations, a new space mission was recently initiated, using the concept of multi-satellites, named the Small scale magNetospheric and Ionospheric Plasma Experiments (SNIPE). The SNIPE mission consists of four nanosatellites (~10 kg), which will be launched into a polar orbit at an altitude of 600 km (TBD) in 2020. Four satellites will be deployed in orbit, and the distances between each satellite will be controlled from 10 to 1,000 km by a high-end formation-flying algorithm. One of the possible science targets of the SNIPE mission is observing electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves. In this paper, we report on examples of observations, showing the limitations of previous EMIC observations in low earth orbit, and suggest possibilities to overcome those limitations through a new mission.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.779-788
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• 2014

The satellite should generate electric power efficiently to perform the mission successfully within limited power. For this reason, the electrical power system of LEO satellites usually regulates the power which is generated from the solar cells using MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) method. This paper proposes advanced MPPT algorithm based on the fuzzy logic applied to small CubeSat satellite. The simulation has been performed to confirm the validity of the proposed method by interlocking between MATLAB/Simulink and STK (Systems Tool Kit). The EBA(Energy Balance Analysis) has also been performed at two different pointing modes of KAUSAT-5 for solar irradiation according to the satellite orbit and attitude, and load capacity varied with operation modes by Simulink and STK. The performance of fuzzy logic-based MPPT algorithm was verified through the EBA. The validity of the proposed MPPT algorithm based on the fuzzy logic was also confirmed by comparing with P&O (Perturbation & Observation) algorithm that is general in the MPPT.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

In this paper, we described the development of a drag augmentation device for nanosatellite. Recently, space industry has entered the New Space era, and barriers to entry into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for artificial objects such as small rockets and nanosatellite mega constellations have been significantly lowered. As a result, the number of space debris is increasing exponentially, and it is approaching as a major threat to satellite currently in operation as well as satellites to be launched in near future. To prevent this, international organizations like Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) have been proposed space debris mitigation guidelines. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) conducted KARI Rendezvous & Docking demonstration SATellite (KARDSAT) project, the first nanosatellites for rendezvous and docking technology demonstration in Korea, and we also developed drag augmentation device for KARDSAT Target nanosatellite that complied with the international guideline of post-mission disposal.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.62-73
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• 2024

This study analyzed the effectiveness of orbital change through attitude change in nano-satellites operating in low Earth orbit (LEO) without thrusters, focusing on collision avoidance maneuvers. The results revealed that changes in the satellite's cross-sectional area significantly impact its in-track direction, influenced by the aspect ratio of cross-sectional area change and mission altitude. Notably, satellites at lower altitudes demonstrated significant reduction in collision risks with a small amount of attitude change. Through this study, it is judged that the changing the cross-sectional area through attitude maneuver is a sufficiently suitable method in the operation of nano-satellites without thrusters, and is expected to contribute to improving the safety of satellite operations in the New Space era.