A review on the mechanisms of electrical arcing and electrostatic discharge on space solar arrays

This paper is a survey on major topics and basic phenomena of concern in electrostatic discharge occurrence on solar panels. Different mechanisms of electrical interactions between spacecraft solar array and space environment have been reviewed for this purpose. The role of various parameters in arc inception is investigated from the different points of view. The article provides a road map for developing new software tools through categorizing and summarizing what parameters are needed to be considered, and how they should applied.