Passively Deployed Radial Radiator for Transfer and Rejection of CubeSat Waste Heat

This collaboration will develop and test a dynamic, deployable radiator prototype capable of emitting 10 W of heat at a radiator temperature of 273 K. The prototype will be implemented into a full thermal control subsystem in a relevant operating environment for qualification and testing. The proposed radiator is passively actuated with hinged, radial fins that are stowed inside the CubeSat adjacent to the heated components. When heat is transferred from the components to the radiator fin, the bi-metallic strips on the fin are actuated and a portion of it moves out radially of the CubeSat to dissipate heat. A solid/solid phase change material is applied on the radiator fin that can improve the CubeSat's thermal turn-down ratio (the ability to "turn-down" the rate of heat rejection) three-fold. This is important in the Lunar environments where there is a much larger increase in external heat load than in Earth environments. A CubeSat needs to adjust to sudden thermal changes while moving from lunar shadow to full solar flux with Earth and Lunar albedo, in addition to the varying rates of on-board waste heat generation. The radiator prototype will be built into a 1U CubeSat thermal control subsystem to effectively control the temperature of a component with highly varying power consumption while exposed to a relevant thermal environment. The proposed radiator fulfills the role of both collecting heat from the CubeSat and rejecting waste heat to the surroundings.

The proposed technology is not only simple and self-deploying, but it could greatly improve the thermal regulation of a CubeSat in the Lunar environment. It is necessary a CubeSat handle the varying extreme thermal conditions in the Lunar (and deep space) environment and is a major limiting factor for nanosatellite missions beyond Earth. This radiator technology could enable a cost-effective thermal control system for SmallSats designed beyond Earth.

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