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ISSN Online: 2688-7231

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-478-6

Proceedings of the 24th National and 2nd International ISHMT-ASTFE Heat and Mass Transfer Conference (IHMTC-2017)
December, 27-30, 2017, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, India

EVALUATION OF SPACECRAFT THERMAL MODEL WITH THERMAL BALANCE TEST AND FLIGHT DATA

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHMTC-2017.2640
pages 1889-1896

Abstract

This paper presents the details of two stage evaluation of a communication spacecraft thermal model. The thermal analysis of the spacecraft was carried out numerically by commercial I-deasTM TMG computer software package. A steady-state ground thermal balance test of spacecraft was carried out in vacuum under a simulated IR environment without solar simulation. As a first stage of evaluation of thermal model, the results of thermal balance test were correlated with thermal analysis output. Necessary minimum updates were made in the model in terms of thermal dissipation, contact conductance, thermal properties etc. Thermal analyses for in-orbit conditions were carried out with updated model. As a second stage of evaluation of thermal model, initial phase transient on-orbit observed data were correlated with thermal analysis results.
The correlation between thermal analyses output with the results of thermal balance test and flight observation on spacecraft were presented in a statistical form which confirms the validity of spacecraft thermal model for flight temperature estimation. This way, satisfactory functioning of spacecraft thermal control system was demonstrated.