Design, verification and testing of the International Space Station photovoltaic radiator

The photovoltaic radiator (PVR) is designed to reject the waste heat of the PV power generation and storage system. The requirement has been added to provide heat rejection for the Early External Active Thermal Control System to support the Assured Early Research phase of the International Space Station (ISS) Mission. The new requirement has resulted in the reanalysis and some redesign of the hardware. In addition, the new use of the PVR hardware has resulted in a significantly earlier launch date. This paper describes the PVR design with emphasis on the design changes made to incorporate the new mission requirements. The verification methods are discussed and the results of analysis and testing accomplished to date are summarized