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Completed TRL 4 (started at 4, targeting 6)
The Modular Configurable Electric Power Converter (MCEPC) is a next-generation power processing unit (PPU) designed to deliver high-efficiency, scalable electric power conversion for spacecraft systems. It achieves >95% efficiency — compared to 90–94% for typical commercial converters — and delivers a significant improvement in size, weight, and power (SWaP).” Each modular unit supports 1 kW+ operation, making it ideal for applications such as in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM), high-power electric propulsion, and advanced logistics missions in low Earth orbit (LEO), geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), and cislunar space.
The system also furthers development of the Adaptive Modular Power Software Interface (AMPSI), a technology that enables interoperability between spacecraft systems and provides automatic resource management (ARM). This allows spacecraft to dynamically allocate, share, and optimize power resources across connected systems during flight.
Problem Statement
Electric power conversion is required for nearly every spacecraft function, from propulsion to manufacturing. However, most current systems above 1 kW are bespoke, heavy, and costly. These inefficiencies ripple through spacecraft design, forcing larger batteries, solar arrays, and thermal systems, which consume valuable payload mass.
MCEPC directly addresses these issues by:
• Reducing SWaP overhead through ultra-efficient design.
• Providing a modular, interoperable solution that can be reconfigured or updated in-orbit.
• Enabling scalable, standardized high-power conversion rather than custom, one-off systems.
Flight test objectives include:
1. Verify operation of the control board and housekeeping power in a very low Earth orbit (VLEO) environment.” 2. Demonstrate AMPSI capability to exchange data and update PPU operating conditions in flight 3. Obtain flight heritage on PPU hardware (housing, connectors, potting, thermal, coatings)
Technology Maturation
This orbital flight will validate MCEPC performance in the challenging VLEO environment, where thermal and radiation effects are significant. It will also demonstrate the ability to perform real-time program updates to the PPU via AMPSI, a capability that enables adaptive mission operations and future servicing scenarios.
Post-flight, CisLunar Industries expects to:
• Advance the TRLfrom 4 to 6, establishing flight heritage.
• Deliver a qualified power subsystem for a Department of Defense project (i.e., the Interoperable Modular Power Unit for Lightweight Scalable Electric (IMPULSE) Propulsion SBIR project with the U.S. Space Force) as well as future NASA, and commercial applications.
• Provide critical data to refine next-generation designs for even higher power levels and extended mission lifetimes.
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