A Novel EPS Architecture for 1U/2U Cubesats with Enhanced Fault-Tolerant Capability

Abstract

Cubesat is a type of nanosatellites used for space research due to lower cost and faster deployment. The successful mission of Cubesats require reliable operation of electrical power system (EPS) that powers all the other subsystems and payloads. Several studies have shown that EPS failure has been one of the main contributors for the Cubesat mission failure. The main objective of this paper is to enhance the fault-tolerance capability of Cubesats by proposing a new EPS architecture which introduces independent converters for maximum power point tracking operation of photovoltaic (PV) panels. This is possible by using gallium nitride field-effect transistors to reduce the converter footprint. Also, single inductor-based N-1 redundant converters, for generation and load-side, are proposed to provide uninterrupted operation. The proposed concepts are validated with detailed simulation studies of an 1U Cubesat EPS.