A Review of New Technologies in Passive Thermal Control for CubeSats

Most spacecraft components have a specific allowable temperature limit that must be met for optimal operation and subsystem survival. The adjustment of this temperature range is made by various active and passive thermal management techniques. Passive thermal control methods do not consume satellite electrical power; meanwhile they are low cost, low volume, lightweight, efficient, and operationally risk-free. Hence, space system designers find them particularly appropriate, especially for small systems such as CubeSats. In addition to conventional thermal management tools, revolutionary technologies such as sunshields, flat bendable heat pipes, deployable radiators, thermal louvers, variable emittance radiators, thermal storage units, and pyrolytic graphite film thermal straps have been successfully demonstrated. This paper includes an overview of innovations and achievements in the passive thermal control of CubeSats.