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TCS (Thermal Control Subsystem) |
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The Thermal Control Subsystem (TCS) maintains the subsystem and payload temperatures within the allowable temperature ranges. Excess heat generated by the satellite is dissipated to cold space by means of radiation. Also, the TCS monitors the temperature of spacecraft subsystems and payloads. In order to keep the thermal control subsystem as simple as possible, a completely passive TCS design has been made. No active components like heaters or coolers have been incorporated in the baseline design. This design decision is mainly due to the stringent mass and power limitations that hold for all Delfi-C3 subsystems. The Delfi-C3 Satellite is free to rotate about all axes. However, magnetic hysteresis rods will limit the rotation rates of all axes to a specific range. This attitude control concept ensures that all surfaces will receive heat fluxes thus for instance preventing a single solar panel to become extremely cold. On the down side, the satellite does not have a dedicated radiator surface pointing to cold space at all times, the radiators will also encounter direct sunlight. The Delfi-C3 satellite will be launched be a DNEPR launch vehicle in the baseline design. Previous CubeSat launches resulted in an orbit with an inclination of 98° with respect to the equator and an altitude between 500 and 1000 kilometers. The OBC (on board computer) can monitor temperatures for a number of subsystems. Additional temperature measurements will be performed for the two payloads of Delfi-C3. Application of thermal finishes to external surfaces is simplified by selecting thermal tapes as much as possible. This makes it possible to apply thermal finishes relatively late in the assembly process and thus preventing damage or loss of performance. A combination of a selection of thermal tapes will be applied to obtain the correct optical properties of the outer surfaces.
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