Numerical Investigation and Experimental Validation of a Novel Thermal Architecture for Spacecraft Thermal Management

A novel satellite thermal architecture to maximize the available radiation area on a spacecraft is proposed. The proposed architecture implements the state-of-the-art technology for thermal control in space. The research project is carried out in several steps. A transient numerical model is first developed to mathematically represent the novel architecture and analyze the critical mission cases. This is followed by the validation of the numerical model using flight data. For this, a large number of telemetry flight data is collected, organized, and analyzed. The model predictions and flight data compared very well within 4°C and without a significant time delay in the simulated results. With the confidence gained from the satisfactory model validation, the mathematical model is then used to design a four-radiator/condenser specimen to demonstrate capability of the model to simulate a more complex and integrated thermal control system.