RAPID METHOD FOR SPACECRAFT SIZING

In this paper, a rapid method for spacecraft sizing is presented. This method is useful in both the conceptual and preliminary design phases of scientific and communication satellites. The aim of this method is to provide a sizing procedure similar to the ones used in the design of aircraft; actually by determining the mass of all the spacecraft su bsystems. In the Introduction, the importance of an accurate initial m ass budget in the design of satellites is emphasized. Literature about this topic is not very extensive and most of the existing methods hav e been recapitulated. The methodology followed in the proposed procedu re for spacecraft mass sizing is based on these methods. Data from 26 existing satellites have been considered to obtain correlations betwee n each subsystem mass and the mass of the whole spacecraft.