First results from the Starshine 3 power technology experiment

Author

Jenkins, Phillip ; Kerslake, Thomas ; Scheiman, David ; Wilt, David ; Button, Robert ; Mille, Thomas ; Piszczo, Michael ; Curtis, Henry

Author_Institution

OAI, Cleveland, OH, USA

fYear

2002

fDate

19-24 May 2002

Firstpage

788

Lastpage

791

Abstract

Starshine 3 is principally a passive experiment measuring atmospheric density and does not need electrical power to complete its mission. The requirement for a highly reliable power system is therefore greatly reduced. This creates an excellent opportunity to test new power technologies. The Starshine 3 satellite has a power supply that uses triple-junction, GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. This satellite is the first to use both of these advanced technologies for a primary power system. In addition to the power system, several other PV related experiments are on board Starshine 3. The results from the first 3 months of operation are presented.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; artificial satellites; elemental semiconductors; gallium arsenide; gallium compounds; germanium; indium compounds; secondary cells; semiconductor device measurement; solar cell arrays; solar cells; GaInP-GaAs-Ge; PV related experiments; Starshine 3 power technology experiment; rechargeable lithium-ion batteries; triple-junction GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells; Atmospheric measurements; Density measurement; Electric variables measurement; Power measurement; Power supplies; Power system measurements; Power system reliability; Power systems; Satellites; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2002. Conference Record of the Twenty-Ninth IEEE

ISSN

1060-8371

Print_ISBN

0-7803-7471-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/PVSC.2002.1190689

Filename

1190689