The attitude information of spacecraft can be obtained by the sensors attached to it using a star tracker, three-axis magnetometer, three-axis gyroscope, and a global positioning signal receiver. By using these sensors, the spacecraft can be maneuvered by actuators that generate torques. In particular, electromagnetic-torque bars can be used for attitude control and as a momentum-canceling instrument. The spacecraft momentum can be created by the current through the electrical circuits and coils. Thus, the current around the electromagnetic-torque bars is a critical factor for precisely controlling the spacecraft. In connection with these concerns, a solar-cell array can be considered to prevent generation of a magnetic dipole moment because the solar-cell array can introduce a large amount of current through the electrical wires. The maximum value of a magnetic dipole moment that cannot affect precise control is 0.25 A·m², which takes into account the current that flows through the reaction-wheel assembly and the magnetic-torque current. In this study, we designed a 300-W solar cell array and presented an optimal wire-routing method to minimize the magnetic dipole moment for space applications. We verified our proposed method by simulation.

Spacecraft requires sufficient power in orbit to perform its mission. So as to comply with system requirements, the sufficient power should be made by a solar cell array by photovoltaic power conversion. A life time of space program depends on its mission considering parts reliability and parts grade. Based on the mission life time, power equipment might be designed to meet specifications. In outer space, solar cell array might generate the dc power by photovoltaic conversion effects and GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells are used in this study. Space programs that require more than five years should select parts for high reliability applications. Therefore, reliability analysis for high reliability applications should be performed to check its fulfilment of the requirements. This program should also require more five years for its mission and we performed its analysis using parts count method (PCM) for its reliability. Finally, we performed reliability analysis and obtained quantitative figures found out 99.9%. In this study, we presented the reliability analysis of the 300 W GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cell array.