A support structure for a spacecraft is disclosed having a first side wall, a second side wall which is parallel to and opposite the first side wall, a third side wall attached to at least the first side wall, and a fourth side wall which is parallel to and opposite the third side wall; at least one interior panel attached between and perpendicular to the first side wall and to the second side wall, at least one first thermal coupling device bearing against the second side wall and attached to the interior panel, electronic devices arranged on and in direct thermal contact with at least a portion of the first thermal coupling device.

An evaporator element is provided and includes a body defining channels, each of which includes grooves respectively delimited by first and second interior facing sidewalls of the body which form a base and an apex with an apex angle opposite the base and defined such that, for a fluid flow moving through one of the channels in a microgravity environment a portion of the fluid flow in a liquid phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the base to the apex and a portion of the fluid flow in a vapor phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the apex to the base.

A cooling device (100) is a device that cools a heat generator such as an electronic device (2) mounted in a mounting device such as an artificial satellite. The cooling device (100) includes a refrigerant flow path (10) configured annularly by sequentially connecting a pump (3) that circulates a liquid refrigerant, a cooler (4) that cools a heat generator such as an electronic device (2) with the refrigerant, and a heat exchanger (5) that cools the refrigerant. In addition, the cooling device (100) has a vapor mixing unit (20) that mixes the vapor generated by heat of at least one of heat intrusion from an outside to a mounting device such as an artificial satellite and heat generation of a heat generator such as the electronic device (2) into the refrigerant flowing into a cooler (4) in the refrigerant flow path (10).

A first deployment mechanism (30) deploys a first radiator panel (20) from a state where the first radiator panel (20) is opposed to a north or south face (10) of the body structure of a satellite. A second radiator panel (40) is stacked with the first radiator panel (20) to be opposed to the north or south face (10) of the body structure of the satellite and is sandwiched between the north and south face (10) of the body structure of the satellite and the first radiator panel (20), in a state where the first radiator panel (20) is opposed to the north or south face (10) of the body structure of the satellite. A second deployment mechanism (50) connects the second radiator panel (40) to the north or south face (10) of the body structure of the satellite, and deploys the second radiator panel (40) in a direction P2 opposite to a deployment direction P1 of the first radiator panel from a state where the second radiator panel (40) is opposed to the north or south face (10) of the body structure of the satellite.

Disclosed is artificial satellite including: a mounting structure supporting equipment-bearing walls; a launcher-adapter rigidly connected to the mounting structure; a first radiator; and at least one first system for transporting heat by a fluid, including at least one duct having a first heat-exchange section and a second heat-exchange section, the second heat-exchange section being capable of being in thermal contact with the first radiator. The first heat-exchange section is in thermal contact with at least one portion of the launcher-adapter. Also disclosed is a method for filling a tank of propellant gas of the artificial satellite.

An insert for a condensing heat exchanger, having: a body extending aft from a forward end to an aft end, and defining: a body exterior surface; a forward segment that extends aft from the forward end of the insert to a first axial location between the forward and aft ends of the insert, along the forward segment the body exterior surface is without openings; a middle segment that extends aft from the first axial location to a second axial location, along the middle segment the body exterior surface is cylindrical; and an aft segment that extends aft from the second axial location to the aft end of the insert, along the aft segment the body exterior surface of the body is cylindrical and defines axially extending grooves, and the grooves are spaced apart from each other and extend forward from the aft end of the insert to the middle segment.

The invention relates to a spacecraft comprising a body having two opposite faces; a first radiator carried by at least one face; the first radiator having an outer face; a first supporting arm extending substantially perpendicularly to the outer face of the first radiator; a drive motor suitable for rotating the first supporting arm about its longitudinal axis a first assembly carried by the first supporting arm, said first assembly comprising a plurality of slats stationary with respect to the first supporting arm; said slats being attached one above the other and separated from each other by a free space.

Composite heat pipes, methods of assembling composite heat pipes, sandwich panels having one or more composite heat pipes, methods of assembling sandwich panels, radiator panels, methods of assembling radiator panels, spacecraft, and methods of assembling spacecraft are disclosed. Composite heat pipes include an elongate conductive casing and one or more fiber reinforced composite layers operatively coupled to one or more lateral sides of the elongate conductive casing. Sandwich panels include two spaced-apart face-sheets, a core positioned between the two spaced-apart face-sheets, and one or more composite heat pipes. Spacecraft include a body and two radiator panels operatively coupled to the body opposite each other.

An example of a satellite includes a first radiator panel with first heat-generating components attached to its surface and a second radiator panel with second heat-generating components attached to its surface. One or more actuators are configured to deploy the first and second radiator panels from a compact configuration in which the first and second radiator panels are overlapping to a deployed configuration in which the first and second radiator panels are non-overlapping.

Described herein is a heater for space equipment that includes a heat pipe. The heater also includes a first layer applied to the heat pipe. The first layer may be made from an electrically non-conductive material. The heater additionally includes a resistance heater printed onto the first layer after the first layer is applied to the heat pipe. The heater includes a second layer adjacent the resistance heater. The resistance heater may be positioned between the first layer and the second layer, and the second layer may be made from an electrically non-conductive material.