Design of Efficient Electrical Power Systems for Small Spacecraft

Modern small satellites as CubeSats are an attractive solution for space missions as it reduces cost and development time. However, size constraints restrict the surface area for solar panels and the volume available for energy storage components. In addition, power conditioning modules used for load matching, battery protection and voltage regulation present power losses. Due to the limitation of the available power, the EPS must be carefully designed in order to reduce power losses and to increase the efficiency of the whole system. In this lecture, we will go through the causes of inefficiency and we will explore the alternatives to design high-efficiency electrical power systems for small satellites.