A Low Cost, Efficient Electrical Power System Design for CubeSat

This paper discusses the design of an Electrical Power System (EPS) for a 1U CubeSat. A low-cost, lightweight, and highly efficient EPS using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components is designed. The EPS comprises three modules: Power generation, Power storage, and Power distribution. To determine the amount of power that the CubeSat would receive, various analyses are conducted on eclipse time and inclination. A polar orbit is chosen to minimize eclipse time without expending extra power to maintain the satellite in a retrograde orbit. Polycrystalline silicon solar panels are selected due to their decent efficiency, affordability, and availability. LG MJ1 batteries are chosen for their high specific energy, high maximum continuous discharge, and stable end of discharge, among other factors. A detailed power budgeting and cost analysis of the proposed EPS is also presented. The analysis shows that the chosen batteries can provide 3.5955W of power, sufficient to meet the required power in the worst-case scenario [3.55W] for the satellite, with an expected total cost of 218 USD.