Design and Validation of a 12U Satellite With a Solar Shield for Deep Space Solar Research

As humans continue to explore space, there exists a growing need to design spacecraft better capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of deep space near the Sun. Solar activity can severely impact space exploration, as the Sun regularly injects a stream of damaging particles, called solar winds, into the space where our satellites and astronauts fly, disrupting communications/navigation signals and also causing power outages when intense. Spacecraft created for the purposes of deep space solar research allow us to understand many of these problems and help refine the models used to understand and predict the space weather around Earth as well as to understand the process by which stars are created and continue to evolve.

For this reason, we propose in this project a 12U CubeSat design capable of withstanding deep space thermal conditions up to 0.5 AU (Astronomical Units) from the Sun that includes 6 faces to protect internal components, 4 rails, 12 Cubes, and a deployable shield to reflect excess solar radiation back into space.

Using SimScale, we conduct thermal analysis of the proposed design, experimenting with different shield thicknesses and materials to assess which solar shield is best suited to ensure structural viability in deep space.