Thermal Design, Analysis, and Testing of Europa Clipper’s Radio Frequency Module

NASA’s Europa Clipper (EC) will conduct a series of close flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa and investigate its ice-capped ocean. Accommodation of a solar array power architecture, a high ionizing radiation environment, and a 0.65 to 5.6 AU solar distance range has required the development of a mechanical pumped fluid loop (MPFL) architecture known as the Heat Redistribution System (HRS). The Radio Frequency Module (RFM) of EC has passed its Critical Design Review (CDR) and has begun manufacturing and assembling hardware; the Flight System and Project CDR is scheduled for the second half of 2020. This paper will present an overview of how the HRS is applied to the RFM as well as the thermal design, analysis, and testing of RFM components, such as the high gain antenna, that are not thermally controlled by the HRS.