LEO Spacecraft Charging and Discharging Induced by High Voltage Solar Arrays

Future space missions will require higher power system. To meet these requirements, either high current or high voltage systems can be used. The use of high current is undesirable for requirement of massive power distribution cables and higherresistive losses during the power transmission. Thus high voltage power generation and transmission at low currents provided by high voltage solar arrays (HVSA) is desirable. However, space crafts with HVSA tend to undergo severe spacecraft charging and discharging issues. Especially after the launch of International Space Station (ISS) such issues have attracted increasing concerns.

HVSA induced charging and discharging mainly includes two aspects: Firstly, the interaction of HVSA with space plasma causes the spacecraft to float at a high negative potential, which typically displays as normal charging events (NCEs) or rapid charging events (RCEs). Secondly, HVSA can generate discharges, mainly including primary arc (PA) and secondary arc (SA).

The HVSA induced spacecraft charging had been considered very severe during the early years of ISS operation. Read more>>>>>>>>>>>