Origami photovoltaic batteries used in space

A major problem in space exploration missions is space constraints. The missiles all have a weight limit and the cost is very high, each centimeter or kilogram is of great value. That's why Brigham Young University researchers are looking for new ways to bring big devices into space.

>>>Video: Photovoltaic battery system can be folded

Inspired by origami folds, scientists set up a photovoltaic battery system that could be folded neatly into the launch pad and then expanded to 10 times larger once it was in time.

This system consists of 1cm thick photovoltaic panels placed on flexible thin films, which can be folded with a diameter of about 2.7m and when released will reach a width of about 25m. The benefit of this system is quite clear, its neatness will save both space and cost for launches.

The absence of advance details on the photovoltaic battery system will also help reduce the possibility of failure during assembly. With a photovoltaic battery system designed in this way, scientists need only launch, deploy and manage and a single system.

Currently, this photovoltaic battery system is expected to have a capacity of 150kW, but the researchers also aim to create a new generation of 250kW capacity for satellites or space stations. This is an ambitious early plan, because if you know that eight photovoltaic battery systems are currently operating on the ISS space station, the total capacity is only 84kW.

The idea of ​​a foldable photovoltaic battery system was born when a graduate student Shannon Zirbel spent a summer working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory). Working at NASA, the group has partnered with origami expert Robert Lang, who has created high-tech origami-inspired products such as foldable telescopes. In order to create foldable photovoltaic battery systems, they began studying elastic mechanisms to fit their details instead of using joints to create movement.

Creating a foldable photovoltaic battery system is certainly not as simple as making origami works. It requires researchers to find the right kind of material, elasticity, moderate thickness and good support for photovoltaic panels . Currently the team has not decided to use This material, however, the sample version of the sprung ratio of 1/20 is using fiberglass composite , called Garolite . The final version must not only exist in harsh environments in space, but also must be neat enough to mount on missiles.

The team believes that photovoltaic battery systems inspired by origami could also be used to create scalable grids for meteorites, antennas or other things. In addition, they applied this study to create more of the products that were used below the ground and began to think about a system that could open up and fold itself after completing the work.