ABSTRACT
Electrical power is the most critical ingredient for the international space station (ISS). This is because it is the primary resource available to the crew in order to live comfortably aboard the ISS. Apart from that, the availability of electricity aboard the ISS also facilitates safe operation of the station and helps aerospace scientists to perform further research and development work while in outer space. Supplying electricity to such a huge system indeed poses electrical engineers with an enormous challenge. This chapter basically describes the entire process of overcoming this challenge through the detailed discussion of the electrical power system (EPS) of the ISS. Firstly, photovoltaic (PV) systems, as primary power producing units, shall be discussed in detail. In addition, battery and flywheel technologies, as secondary energy storage devices, will be presented. Furthermore, this chapter aims to introduce spacecraft power systems for small satellites and interplanetary missions. Various alternate power sources for space missions are also discussed. Finally, the Earth Orbiting System (EOS) TERRA power system and the EPS for Space Based Radar (SBR) satellites, designed by NASA, are explained as examples.
