High Efficiency GaN FET based Flexible Electrical Power System for Cube-Satellites using Pulse Frequency Modulation by Ashish Sanjay Shrivastav
A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of
North Carolina State University
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science
Electrical Engineering
Raleigh, North Carolina
2016
ABSTRACT
CubeSats, miniature satellites, are playing an increasingly larger role in space exploration,
technology demonstrations, scientific research and educational investigations. These miniature
satellites provide a low-cost platform for various missions, including planetary space exploration;
Earth observation; fundamental Earth and space science; and technology demonstrations such
as cutting-edge laser communications, energy storage, in-space propulsion and autonomous
movement capabilities. They also allow educators an inexpensive means to engage students in
all phases of satellite development, operation and exploitation through real-world, hands-on
research and development experience. There has been a rising emergence of researchers, universities and professional institutions constituting towards the development and launching of
these CubeSats.
CubeSat is a generic term for a miniature satellite which is designed using commercial offthe-shelf components for development of its electronics framework [1] which capcitates anyone
to build a satellite. A CubeSat has a volume of 1 liter, which translates into a cube having a
10 cm edge. A typical CubeSat weighs approximately 1 kilogram. The most remarkable feature
of such satellites is the simplified development cycle; the use of off-the-shelf hardware and easy
access to software resources has led to rapid rise in the number of the CubeSats deployed. They
provide an economic approach for academia to contribute towards space research. CubeSats are
highly modular and can be used to form larger satellites. The electrical system of a CubeSat
is driven by the EPS, the powerhouse of the CubeSat. It is responsible for powering the various components of the CubeSat which includes the control unit, servo mechanisms, scientific
equipment and communication modules.
