Improving the power bus technology of a nanosatellite

Abstract

The design of nanosatellite power systems plays a major role in micro-sized component development for these spacecrafts. Due to its prospect for future development, industries and universities across the world have accepted them as a teaching tool as well as for conducting space research and development. Since nanosatellite systems have become increasingly popular to commercial companies and research institutions, the need to improve on the power systems has now become a major issue for power system engineers. The power system of a nanosatellite is responsible for the generation and supply of power to the subsystem, as required for a specific mission. The purpose of this thesis is to highlight on the design and development of a stable and efficient power system to withstand the harsh environmental conditions in order to make satellite missions successful. In working towards achieving this goal, an improved design has been proposed by using a number of current technologies, while literature on a similar subject was reviewed. Current solar cells and battery technologies were extensively discussed and the most efficient method was selected for implementation. Efficient power management architectures to regulate and control power for distribution to the subsystems were also revised. Power subsystem blocks were also reviewed to determine ways of maximizing their performance to enhance effective power supply characteristics for mission operations.