Deployable Panel Radiator

"The Deployable Panel Radiator (DPR), a premiere in Europe, is finalizing its development with the extensive support of ESA through the ARTES Large Platform Mission by prime contractor Airbus Defence and Space. A DPR will be incorporated into the Eurostar Neo product line catalog. Eurostar Neo is part of the ARTES14 Next Generation Platform element, the ESA program to develop and qualify satellite product lines in the 3 to 6 tons launch mass range by the end of the decade. Telecommunication operators owing for ever increasing payload capability, thermal dissipation has become one of the most significant challenges for satellite manufacturers. Fixed passive radiators on the north and south panels of telecom spacecraft used to be sufficient to radiate heat into space and prevent the spacecraft from overheating. But for missions such as the new generation of Very High Throughput Satellites, typically generating up to 25kW power, traditional radiators are no longer sufficient. In those instances a DPR offers a significant increase of the thermal heat rejection capability, of the order of 2.4 kW per DPR unit. The DPR’s most innovative aspect is its passive circulation system, which allows efficient cooling of the payload thanks to two-phase loop heat pipes. Heat is transported by gaseous ammonia from LHP evaporators located on the payload heat pipes to condensers embedded within a large radiator panel. After condensation, ammonia returns in liquid state to the evaporators thanks to the capillary mesh acting as a passive pump. During launch, each DPR is stowed against the spacecraft body. Once in orbit, it is deployed thanks to a single axis mechanism which incorporates flexible piping for the cooling fluid. The DPR Qualification Model has successfully undergone extensive thermal, functional and mechanical testing."