Advanced thermal tile (ATT) for operationally responsive space satellites

The US DOD has called to establish a tactical and strategic satellite program with requisite launch capability in a matter of days, not months. The thermal control system (TCS) aboard satellites has typically required several weeks of design, installation and testing. Infoscitex (IST) proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating a promising, rapidly installed TCS called the Advanced Thermal Tile (ATT) system. This advanced TCS is designed to be highly compatible with current and future ORS platforms, has built-in failsafe electronics, is robust to launch conditions and efficiently and effectively performs thermal transfer. Not only will the ATT system meet all of the operational and performance requirements, it eliminates the need for satellite-specific thermal analysis and design of each component interface, design of unique spacecraft-level TCS and detail verification. The ATT TCS only requires that basic checks are performed to ensure that each component is within the thermal/power envelope of its corresponding ATT chain. In the Phase I effort, IST will integrate its ATT system with a notional plug-and-play power bus via an applique sensor interface module (ASIM). IST has teamed with ASIM suppliers, satellite integrators and thermal testing experts to ensure rapid development, testing and transition in follow-on efforts. BENEFIT: The proposed TCS addresses a key challenge in the DOD push for operationally responsive space assets. In addition to military applications, the proposed system is ideally suited to be deployed on commercial communications satellites and other cost-dependent civilian assets