Cube Sat Heat Transfer

Cube Sats are small satellites that can be flown to the ISS and ejected from the Space Station using the robotic arm. They are being made by small and large companies, universities and even high schools. They can have a wide variety of uses and made in several different sizes. Because they are operating in the vacuum of space, the more power a satellite uses, the more heat that can build up inside from the electronics. This is a problem in all satellites. Removing the heat prevents the processing chip from being damaged and the battery from rupturing through the many cycles it will be going through. The sun is also a contributor to the amount of heat in a satellite. Temperatures in space can be +250F in the sun to -250F in the shade. Without air there isn’t any convective cooling and the only conduction is to the shell of the satellite. This leaves only radiation to remove the heat from the satellite.