Within the last decades, a significant boost in the interest in space exploration has emerged among scientists, commercial organizations, governments, and in different sectors of society.

The present-day efforts of space explorations from low Earth orbit to adjacent planets like the Moon, and Mars up to deep space have triggered an influx in the class of Small Satellites (SmallSats). Due to its small volume and size, low price, and quick development time, the Cube Satellite (CubeSat) has experienced an extraordinary expansion within this class of mini-, micro-, and nanosatellites.

Additionally, the advancements in integrated circuits and digital signal processing units, as well as the cost and accessibility of COTS components, have made it particularly well-positioned for rapid expansion. For scientific, earth observation, and remote sensing purposes, these satellites are fascinating. It is valuable due to its low cost, cubic shape, quick production, lightweight, and modular structure.

ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEMS FOR SMALLSATS

The Electrical Power System (EPS) is the most important of the numerous subsystems that make up the SmallSat since an unstable power supply to the others frequently compromises the mission. The EPS is made up of electrical sources, storage units, and loads that are all connected via various power converters.

The operation of the various power converters that make up the EPS must be carefully coordinated to achieve efficient photovoltaic power use, reliable power delivery, and ideal battery management. Due to the coordination and control of distributed generation (DG), storage, and loads in a small-scale electrical network, a SmallSat EPS can be viewed as a space microgrid in terms of power systems. At the same time, managing the charge/discharge cycle of the battery, pulse, peak, and transient power demand to prevent instability and performance degradation of the spacecraft is difficult due to the demanding requirements of their design, which include harsh radiation, space, weight, and varying temperatures. Therefore, selecting an appropriate EPS design, control, and power management are major elements for a long-lasting and successful satellite mission. In fact, many space missions have failed due to the lack of proper coordination of each of the components in the satellite e.g. solar array, batteries, power control units, etc., which are prone to short circuits, a malfunction in communication systems and overall system failures. 

In this respect, this thesis presents a comprehensive review of EPS architectures, converter topologies, and technologies dedicated to the SmallSat microgrids. Relevant technical challenges will be identified and addressed by considering space conditions to guarantee the extended satellite mission life. Besides, sophisticated design, control, and power management strategies are introduced and analyzed. The proposed system will aim to achieve high power density, high efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness.