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Power SystemHow does DS1's electrical system work? |
The solar panels produce around 2600 watts of power when near Earth; they reduce in power-generating efficiency the farther they get from the Sun. The battery can store about 10 amp hours worth of power.
The low voltage systems run on a 28 volt circuit (DC power); the high voltage bus runs at 100 V. When the ion thruster is turned off, the system uses a maximum of about 475 W of power, meaning there is plenty of spare power if the solar panels are aligned properly with the Sun. When the ion thruster is turned on, all the available power that isn't being used to keep the spacecraft running (i.e. powering the computers and the telemetry equipment) is given to the thruster. This severely limits what can be done while thrusting.
How does power get distributed in DS1?
How does solar electric propulsion (ion propulsion) work?
What is telemetry?
