Space power system

Article By:

Mitchell, Jeffrey C. Spaceport Graduate Center, Florida Institute of Technology, Satellite Beach, Florida.

Last reviewed:September 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.639200

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• Space power systems, published June 2020:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

An onboard assemblage of equipment to generate, store, and distribute electrical energy on satellites and spacecraft. A reliable source of electrical power is required for supplying energy to a spacecraft and its payloads during launch and through potentially many years of operational lifetime in a space environment. Modern satellites and probes generally fly power systems with generation capacities ranging from tens of watts to several kilowatts (kW), with small satellites such as CubeSats requiring as little as a few watts. Human-crewed vehicles naturally have greater power needs. For example, each of the three fuel cells on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) space shuttle delivered 10 kW maximum continuous power, which could be increased to 12 kW continuously in an emergency in which one or more fuel cells failed, and to 16 kW peak power for 10 min. The four solar arrays of the International Space Station (Fig. 1), meanwhile, can generate up to 124 kW total power, with approximately 50 kW available for research activities. See also: Electrical units and standards; Electricity; Satellite (spacecraft); Small satellites; Space flight; Space probe; Space shuttle; Space station

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