Performance testing of the 5 kW EOS AM-1 flexible solar array blanket

A GaAs/Ge flexible solar array blanket has been developed for use on the NASA/GSFC remote sensing EOS AM-1 spacecraft. This single wing array has been designed to provide 5 kW of power after five years in a low Earth polar orbit. The blanket configuration includes design features such as thin GaAs/Ge cell stacks mounted on a large flexible, hinged substrate, parallel connected solar cell strings providing high voltage output, a printed circuit harness, and a multi-layer jumper bus providing electrical continuity between the cell strings and the printed circuit harness. This work was contracted to TRW Space and Electronics Group in 1993 by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space (LMMS). This paper presents the essential design of the EOS AM-1 solar array blanket, and summarizes the results of a qualification test program designed to demonstrate adequate design margins and to assess the performance of the mechanical and electrical components after exposure to a simulated mission space environment. It also reviews the complexities of performing electrical output testing on a 8.9 m×5.0 m deployed solar array blanket under AM0 conditions