Spacecraft electrical power subsystem: Failure behavior, reliability, and multi-state failure analyses

So Young Kim, Jean-Francois Castet and Joseph H. Saleh

Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 2012, vol. 98, issue 1, 55-65

Abstract: This article investigates the degradation and failure behavior of spacecraft electrical power subsystem (EPS) on orbit. First, this work provides updated statistical reliability and multi-state failure analyses of spacecraft EPS and its different constituents, namely the batteries, the power distribution, and the solar arrays. The EPS is shown to suffer from infant mortality and to be a major driver of spacecraft unreliability. Over 25% of all spacecraft failures are the result of EPS failures. As a result, satellite manufacturers may wish to pursue targeted improvement to this subsystem, either through better testing or burn-in procedures, better design or parts selection, or additional redundancy.

Keywords: Electrical power subsystem; Spacecraft; Anomaly; Failure; Orbits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reensy:v:98:y:2012:i:1:p:55-65

DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2011.10.005

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