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Could the space probe Philae© be energized remotely?

Part of: Wireless Power Transfer in Space Applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2019

Alessandra Costanzo Open the ORCID record for Alessandra Costanzo [Opens in a new window] ,
Luca Roselli ,
Apostolos Georgiadis ,
Nuno Borges Carvalho ,
Alexandru Takacs ,
Pier Giorgio Arpesi  and
Rodolfo Martins
Alessandra Costanzo*
Affiliation:
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Luca Roselli
Affiliation:
University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Apostolos Georgiadis
Affiliation:
Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, UK
Nuno Borges Carvalho
Affiliation:
Dep. Electrónica e Telecomunicações, Instituto de Telecomunicações, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Alexandru Takacs
Affiliation:
LAAS – CNRS, Toulouse, France
Pier Giorgio Arpesi
Affiliation:
LEONARDO, Italy
Rodolfo Martins
Affiliation:
EVOLEO Technologies, Maia, Portugal
*
Corresponding author: Alessandra Costanzo Email: alessandra.costanzo@unibo.it
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Abstract

Space probes suffer from a fundamental problem, which is the limited energy available for their operation. Energy supply is essential for continuous operation and ultimately the most important sub-system for its sustainable functioning. Considering, for instance, the last space probe put on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, called “Philae”, which was sent by Rosetta (http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta), to operate and to monitor comet activity, its operation was jeopardized due to the fact that it landed on a shadowed zone (no direct sunlight). Since its operational energy was only based on solar harvesters, the energy for its operation was limited by solar energy availability. In this paper a study on a viable alternative based on wireless power transmission is presented and discussed at the system level. It is proved that, using current technology, it is possible to create alternatives or supplement to existing power sources such as solar panels to power up these important space probes and to secure their operation.

Keywords

Energy harvestingSpace probesNear-fieldFar-field
Type
Review Article
Information
Wireless Power Transfer , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , September 2019 , pp. 154 - 160
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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References

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