A conceptual design for manoeuvrable solar-sailed satellites is presented, investigating specific details such as sail configuration, material selection, and deployment mechanisms. The design incorporates a 100 m² monolithic square sail made of aluminized Kapton for primary propulsion, complemented by a heliogyro system with long, thin blades for enhanced manoeuvrability. The paper also explores the integration of flexible solar panels on the heliogyro blades for additional power generation. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is employed to assess the structural integrity and thermal performance of the sail design under various space conditions. The analysis provides insights into sail deformation and stress distribution, crucial for ensuring the design's feasibility and durability in the harsh space environment. This research, conducted by members of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) within the Small Satellites Project Group (SSPG), aims to balance the benefits of spacecraft manoeuvrability through solar sails with the constraints of small satellites, potentially advancing future deep-space exploration capabilities.
Quantum Description Model:
This model relies heavily on the heat flux that is incident on the solar sail. The analysis on this model was performed by first analysing the change in energy flux with respect to the distance from the sun. The figure below shows the representation of the energy flux withthe distance between sun and the sail. It is observed that at 20 AU the energy flux of 3.5 Watts/m2
Figure: Energy Flux VS Distance from the Sun
Figure: Pressure VS energy flux
Force and acceleration on a perfectly reflecting Sail
This model is derivedfrom the quantum description model and is dependent onthe earth-sun distance and its corelation with the sail at solar distance. The analysis on the model shows that the force experienced by the sail is close to 5.46 x 10-6 Newtons at 20 astronomical unit distance (For 200 kg payload).
Figure: Force experienced by sail at different distances from sun by exposure area.
Figure: Acceleration vs distance from sun for different spacecraft masses
Figure: Acceleration achieved at different efficiencies for different sail areas ( NON -IDEAL)
Figure: Characterstic Acceleration VS efficiency for different spacecraft masses ( IDEAL- Zero Degree incidence)
Pressure and Force on Uniformly Bright Solar Sails
The pressure and force model uniform brightness of the sail is not justified for the force calculation. The pressure calculation suggests that at the distance of 20 AU, the pressure experienced by the solar sail is 2.5x10-8 N/m2. This model is the least preferred among the other models and is used as the minimum value for the structural analysis which will be discussed later.
Figure: Pressure Experienced by uniformly bright Sail
Figure: Force experienced by the sail at different distances from the sun
Optical Force Model
The analysis of the force using this model considers the use of incidence angle which is a key parameter in the study of radiation force modelling. This ensures the simulation of the solar sail force to be designed for the realistic environment in which it will be operated. Analysis shows that the maximum thrust (1.58 x 10-6 Newtons) can obtained at the zero-degree incidence and thrust is reduces as the angle increases, the most significant thrust observed lies in the region of 0 to 45 degrees incidence angle. It can be observed that 90 incidence angle the force experienced by the sails is reduced by the 10-17 times.
Figure: Optical Force VS Incidence Angle
Boundary conditions for the design analysis at 1AU
Boundary conditions for the design analysis ar 20 AU
Geometry and Model
Figure: Diagonal length vs side length
Figure: Material Properties of Kapton, Mylar, and Lexan
FEA Analysis Results
