Analysing options of reducing power consumption of thermal condition maintenance processes in spacecraft at launch pads

Abstract

Supplying a spacecraft with heat carrier featuring the parameters required in order to maintain thermal conditions during system preparation for launch involves considerable power consumption and requires bulky ground equipment in fortified structures. The paper establishes the possibility to decrease power consumption by ground equipment considerably. This result is due to circulating heat carrier between the layers of the fairing. This eliminates contact between the heat carrier and the spacecraft and substantially simplifies requirements posed to the heat carrier. It becomes possible to place ground equipment at the service level of the spacecraft upper stage and to reduce significantly the air duct lengths containing the heat carrier and the heat loss within them.