Prototyping and Engineering Model Test Campaign of the 100W 1U PowerCube Deployable Solar Array

As increasingly advanced payloads empower small satellites, satellite developers are left with the daunting task of meeting the power demand of energy-hungry subsystems in a small package. State-of-the-art deployable solar arrays, based on hinged panel architectures, are approaching their power generation limit, therefore calling for new paradigms for the next generation of high-power solar arrays. PowerCube offers a novel solution to this challenge: it combines origami folding techniques, dual-matrix composite materials, and high-efficiency COTS solar cells, to deliver a 100W solar array that fits in a 1U volume. This paper offers an overview of the activities carried out during the 18-month, ESA-funded project, ranging from the early prototypes to the development of the first, fully functional engineering model. During an extensive test campaign, also discussed in this paper, the solar array EM survived over 10 deployments, sine and random vibration, shock testing and thermal-vacuum cycling, validating its design and reaching TRL 5.