Space Microgrids: New Concepts on Electric Power Systems for Satellites

Abstract

Electric Power Systems (EPSs) are of paramount importance in satellites. These systems are responsible for power generation, storage, delivery, and conditioning. A failure in an EPS may hinder all of the aforementioned functionalities, which, consequently, leads to a failure of the whole space mission. There are many technologies available in both industry and the literature of EPSs, where each has its own fault tolerance capabilities. On the other hand, the efficiency of EPSs is an important factor because it promotes having a higher power reserve, thus feeding payloads at all the necessary times. In this article, EPSs for satellite-based microgrids are reviewed, with more of a focus on their energy generation and storage, including their protection schemes. Moreover, sizing guidelines for energy generation and storage systems are also provided.