Space environment effects on a rigid panel solar array

A study of the power capability of an on-orbit, rigid-panel solar array was conducted to evaluate effects of exposure to the space environment. Since being launched in June 1989, the spacecraft´s rigid-panel solar array has been subjected to several solar flare proton events and a suspected micrometeoroid impact. An analysis was conducted to correlate these events with observed spacecraft telemetry data. It is shown that in the fall of 1989 flare proton events degraded power capabilities on numerous orbiting spacecraft. The solar array experienced power losses greater than 2% as a result of this exposure. It appears, however, that there has been significant recovery of this lost power capability over a four-month period following the last solar flare