Equivalent Flux Function Smoothing in the Problem of Solar Cells Radiation Degradation Minimization During a Low-Thrust Geostationary Orbit Insertion
A. E. Starchenko*
Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics, Moscow Aviation Institute (RIAME MAI),
Moscow, 125993 Russia
Correspondence to: *e-mail: aleksandr.starchenko@phystech.edu
Received 14 May, 2019
Abstract—The paper describes a modified smooth approximation method for smoothing the dependence of the equivalent fluence of charged particles of the Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts on time and position in near-Earth space. It is shown that this method can be effectively used to solve the problems of minimizing radiation-induced degradation of spacecraft solar cell arrays. The latter problems involve the variation of the trajectory that the spacecraft follows during an electric propulsion transfer from an initial orbit to a geostationary one.
Keywords: spacecraft, degradation of solar cells, Van Allen radiation belts, equivalent fluence method, geostationary orbit, electric propulsion system
DOI: 10.1134/S0038094620070199