Deployable Articulating Array for Nanosatellites

The CubeSat Articulated Solar Array (CASA) will enable 3U CubeSats to carry large, sun-tracking arrays generating 50W of on-orbit average power. This represents a tenfold increase in available power over CubeSats with body mounted solar panels. Insufficient power is one of the key limitations preventing CubeSats from meeting broader requirements for both military and commercial missions. The CASA design is based upon a multifunctional boom that deploys the panels and provides the articulation axis. The boom and panels are stowed on the sides of the CubeSat in the volume available in the P-POD launch envelope allocated for solar array panels. Conformance to the P-POD standard ensures that a wide range of CubeSat missions can utilize the CASA 50W 3U solar arrays. Additionally, the 3U design is a stand-alone module that can be integrated with other standard components to build a functional CubeSat. The CASA module can also be scaled up to fit 6U and 12U CubeSats. The CASA array will utilize mature triple-junction solar cell modules to reduce risk. The CASA design assumes that the CubeSat will be 3-axis stabilized, and CASA provides sufficient power to make this possible.