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Completed TRL 5 (started at 1, targeting 5)
Advanced CubeSat missions have demanding power requirements relative to their limited available surface area that drive the need for deployable solar arrays. Vendors have not yet mastered producing cost effective, reliable systems that are readily available to the customer. This project intends to build off of Dellingr solar array design advancements by developing, building, and testing a modular hinge solution that can be used to create varying deployable array configurations and package within the allotted CubeSat dispenser volume.
This project will develop a modular solar array hinge design that can be:
The hinge design will be incorporated into a 3U double deployable solar array prototype that will undergo environmental testing such as vibration, thermal cycling, and thermal vacuum deployments to validate the concept. Computer aided design (CAD) will be used to demonstrate how the design can be used in other solar array configurations.
This project will both produce a hinge design and provide a methodology for producing CubeSat deployable solar arrays. This can be utilized by future NASA CubeSat missions to produce their own deployable solar arrays. Reuse of the design will yield budget and schedule savings. It will also provide these missions with design flexibility and full transparency into the system details.
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This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
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