The small spacecraft technology initiative Photovoltaic Regulator Kit Experiment (PRKE)

The photovoltaic regulator kit (PVRK) concept provides spacecraft power system integrators a low cost alternative to a custom design electric power management and distribution system. The PVRK uses a series connected booster architecture (SCBA) to provide spacecraft energy storage control and power management. This approach is modular and scales to cover a wide range of power system requirements to meet a variety of spacecraft´s mission profiles. PRKE will help mitigate the risk of using commercial off-the-shelf DC-DC converter technology in primary power regulators for spacecraft power systems. The latter is one major objective of NASA´s SSTI program. This paper describes the Photovoltaic Regulator Kit Experiment components and flight qualification tests