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Use of Advanced Solar Cells for Commercial Communication SatellitesThe current generation of communications satellites are located primarily in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Over the next decade, however, a new generation of communications satellites will be built and launched, designed to provide a world-wide interconnection of portable telephones. For this mission, the satellites must be positioned in lower polar and near-polar orbits. To provide complete coverage, large numbers of satellites will be required. Because the required number of satellites decreases as the orbital altitude is increased, fewer satellites would be required if the orbit chosen were raised from low to intermediate orbit. However, in intermediate orbits, satellites encounter significant radiation due to trapped electrons and protons. Radiation tolerant solar cells may be necessary to make such satellites feasible. We analyze the amount of radiation encountered in low and intermediate polar orbits at altitudes of interest to next-generation communication satellites, calculate the expected degradation for silicon, GaAs, and InP solar cells, and show that the lifetimes can be significantly increased by use of advanced solar cells.
Document ID
19950018140
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bailey, Sheila G.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Landis, Geoffrey A.
(NYMA, Inc. Brook Park, OH., United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
March 1, 1995
Subject Category
Energy Production And Conversion
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.15:106879
E-9515
NASA-TM-106879
Meeting Information
Meeting: First World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion
Location: Waikoloa, HI
Country: United States
Start Date: December 5, 1994
End Date: December 9, 1994
Accession Number
95N24560
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 233-01-00
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS3-25266
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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