Reliability evaluation of spacecraft power generation performance with competitive failure processes under irradiation

Abstract

The performance of space power systems is crucial for space products as it determines the operational capabilities, endurance, and efficiency of satellites, spacecraft, and other extraterrestrial devices. Unlike reliability analysis in aerospace systems, studying spacecraft power generation performance requires consideration of both hardware and software aspects. Existing failure models do not fully capture the self‐recovery process of control programs. Therefore, this study presents an impact degradation model for space power systems that incorporates competitive failures under irradiation conditions. The model analyzes solar arrays and power controllers to derive a performance degradation model by considering the defect formation mechanism of amorphous semiconductor materials. Additionally, two shock types are defined based on redundancy backup in power controllers and scrubbing frequency in field‐programmable gate array (FPGA) units. Within the case analysis section, the research meticulously investigates and elucidates the correlation probabilities among varying proton irradiation doses, scrubbing frequencies, and the aforementioned shock types.