Thermal modelling of the PICSAT nanosatellite platform and synergetic prestudies of the CIRCUS nanosatellite

Abstract: In the present paper, which was written in collaboration with the Observatory of Paris, thermal models of two CubeSat missions were created. The first goal of this work was to create a nodal simulation of the PicSat satellite to verify the survivability of the system within the extreme space environment. In a second step suitable countermeasures were suggested, if parts of the satellite exceeded a critical temperature limit. Additionally, the impacts of three failure modes were investigated. The second goal was to perform thermal pre-studies of different satellite configurations of the CIRCUS satellite based on the model of PicSat. The simulation conducted in this work showed that PicSat fulfils its thermal requirements, except for three components. Out of the failure modes considered in this study, only an error of the attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) showed a critical impact on the thermal state of PicSat. As the outcome of the pre-studies of CIRCUS, two of the considered configurations were recommended for further analysis. The results of this work will contribute to the future development of the PicSat and CIRCUS missions.