COMPARATIVE STUDY ON SPACE QUALIFIED PAINTS USED FOR THERMAL CONTROL OF A SMALL SATELLITE

The satellite thermal control system maintains temperatures of all satellite components within their safe operating limits. White and black paints, as thermal control hardware, are used in the design of satellite thermal control. Paints and other coatings, exposed to harsh space environment for long periods of time, experience unwanted changes in their thermo-optical properties, resulting in degradation in their thermal performance. This degradation must be taken into account by the satellite thermal designer. We have studied the effect of degradation in thermal performance of three space qualified radiator coatings (Chemglaze A276 and SG121FD white paints, and AZW-11LA ceramic white coating), on the thermal control system of a small LEO satellite. The effect of performance degradation has been studied by predicting temperatures of critical units such as satellite batteries. The results show that for optimum thermal control of the satellite during its mission, paints or coatings with long-termstable thermo-optical properties such as SG121FD must be selected.

Keywords:

Satellite thermal control , Satellite radiator , Space qualified paints , Space environment , Degradation