Satellite Power Generation Simulation

Overview

This Python script simulates the power generation of a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by calculating the solar power received by different body mounted satellite panels over a 24-hour period (not suited for satellites with deployable solar panels). It takes into account solar incident angle, orbital mechanics, eclipse effects, and albedo reflection from the Earth.

Features

• Simulates a Sun-synchronous orbit (inclination and altitude are user defined variables)
• Computes dynamic eclipse duration based on orbital parameters
• Models solar panel power generation based on sun incident angles
• Accounts for Earth albedo effect (Fixed value, User defined variable) in power calculations
• Plots total power generation over time

Requirements

Ensure you have Python installed along with the required libraries:

pip install numpy matplotlib

Usage

Run the script using:

python satellite_power_simulation.py

It will output:

• Power generated per minute over a full day
• Average power generation
• Graph of power variation over time

Modifying Parameters

You can customize key parameters such as:

• Orbit altitude (altitude = 800)
• Inclination (inclination = np.radians(98))
• Solar panel configuration (num_cells, cell_config, cell_strings)
• Solar electrical characteristics (vmpp, impp)
• Solar constant and albedo effect

Simply modify the values in the script before running.

Output

• Numerical power generation data for each minute
• Average power generated
• Graph of power variation over time

License

This project is open-source under the MIT License.