On orbit Performance Analysis on Solar Array Paddle of X-ray Astronomy Satellite Suzaku

This paper presents the analysis results for the on-orbit performance of a solar array paddle of the X-ray astronomy satellite Suzaku. The current generated by the solar array was confirmed to be gradually but continuously decreasing since the middle of 2011. We estimated the degradation of the output to simulate the on-orbit environment according to the JPL prediction method. The analysis results indicated that greater on-orbit degradation of the solar cell occurred compared to the predicted performance degradation under the space environment when Suzaku was exposed to the orbit. We determined that the difference in the on-orbit data and analysis results could be attributed to an increase in cell temperature or radiation degradation due to solar flares.
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Physical characteristics: Original contains color illustrations