The future of thermal stability in small satellites using aerogel and graphene

Abstract

With the increase in the cost of production of satellites and the drastic increase in the amount of space junk getting accumulated, small satellites is bound to have a major role in satellite technology in the mere future. The altitude of a small satellite in low earth orbit is between 15x103m to 106m.[25] This altitude starts at thermosphere and extends to the outer limits of the atmosphere and below the van Allen radiation belts. The satellite will be exposed to radiations such as solar, earth albedo and earth infrared radiations[21]. Current technology uses active systems like fluid loops and passive protection such as Multilayer Insulation Blankets(MLI) and insulation paints to control the temperature variations. This paper proposes a method to combine the existing technology of thermal control with the utilization of Aerogel and Graphene. Aerogel has a very low thermal conductivity which can be implemented for the insulator sheets for satellites and graphene can be used in fluid loops due to its excellent thermal property. These materials also possess lower densities compared to traditional alternatives used in satellites and thus can prove to be vital role in thermal stability of small satellite in the satellite development field.[26][30]