DIAGNOSTIC OF NEUTRALIZATION CURRENT FOR ARCS ON

SATELLITE SOLAR PANEL COUPONS

ABSTRACT
Risk of arcing in space plasma environment on satellite solar panel has always been an
issue of major concern in the aerospace community. The outcome of round robin tests performed
in various laboratories has resulted in finalization of the guidelines for the ground test of satellite
solar panel coupons (SSPCs). This is documented as ISO-11221 standards. Authenticity of arc
plasma flashover (FO) parameters are still under debate. Some experimental findings that
support the perimeter theory of arc FO on geostationary (GEO) satellites are discussed in this
paper. It has been observed that characteristics of an the arc are dependent on its location on the
solar coupon, bias charge (charge due to bias voltage and external capacitance), and the total
charge dissipated during the arc discharge. It is also observed that the duration between the two
consecutive arcs is directly proportional to the dissipated charge or energy of the latter arc. A
combined dielectric consisting of solar cell, adhesive, Kapton, and Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Polymer sheet holds charge during irradiation by the electron gun. This resembles surface FO
capacitance. Arc energy is governed by the combined effects of a surface flashover capacitor (Csf) and an external capacitor.