A versatile power conditioning technique for microsatellite applications

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Choi, Kevin Kyeong‐il | Barnaba, Alphonse | Llorens, Jean‐Claude | Maral, Gérard

Affiliations: Centre National des Etudes Spatiales, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications, France E‐mail: kevin.choi@cnes.fr | Centre National des Etudes Spatiales, France E‐mail: barnaba@cnes.fr | Centre National des Etudes Spatiales, France E‐mail: llorens@tortue.cst.cnes.fr | Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications, France E‐mail: maral@tlse.enst.fr

Abstract: For microsatellites, a versatile power supply sub‐system is of paramount important. To maximize the power generated by the solar generators (SG), the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technique is considered as a strong competitor to the conventional fixed shunt Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique. The paper presents an implementation based on a single power probing sensor associated with a micro‐controller. The laboratory test shows that this MPPT controller functions correctly with few components. It is capable of controlling both SG Maximum Power Operation during battery charging period and Reduced Power Operation between battery charges. It is also possible to use the MPPT controller as a local telemetry controller.

Keywords: Microsatellite Power Supply, PCM, MPPT

Journal: Space Communications, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 231-241, 1997