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NASA NTRS · 19970013738

FAST Spacecraft Battery Design and Performance

Abstract

The Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) Explorer spacecraft is to study the physical processes that produce the aurora borealis and aurora australis. It is a unique plasma physics experiment that will take fundamental measurements of the magnetic and electrical fields. This investigation will add significantly to our understanding of the near-earth space environments and its effect. The FAST has a 1 year requirement and 3-year goal for its mission life in low earth orbit. The FAST power power system topology is a Direct Energy Transfer (DET) system based on the SAMPEX design. The FAST flight battery supplies power to the satellite during pre-launch operations, the launch phase, the eclipse periods for all mission phases, and when the load is about 50 watts.

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Jung, David S., Rao, Gopalakrishna, Ahmad, Anisa. 1997-02-01. FAST Spacecraft Battery Design and Performance. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19970013738

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