Secondary Discharge Characteristics of Solar Cell Arrays Induced by Hypervelocity Particle Impact

YANG Xiaoyi; NIE Xiangyu; LIU Yuming; LIU Yenan; WANG Zhihao; WANG Jinghu; WANG Sizhan; ZHANG Pinliang; WEI Qiang; ZHANG Wuzhuo

doi:10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2026.06.008

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Equipment Environmental Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (6) : 92-100. DOI: 10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2026.06.008

Aviation and Aerospace Equipment

Secondary Discharge Characteristics of Solar Cell Arrays Induced by Hypervelocity Particle Impact

YANG Xiaoyi¹, NIE Xiangyu¹, LIU Yuming^1*, LIU Yenan¹, WANG Zhihao¹, WANG Jinghu¹, WANG Sizhan¹, ZHANG Pinliang¹, WEI Qiang², ZHANG Wuzhuo²

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Abstract

The study aims to conduct experimental research on the characteristics of secondary discharge induced by micron-sized aluminum particles to reveal the nonlinear evolution law of discharge duration with the variation of circuit parameters, and address the threat of space micro-debris hypervelocity impacts on the on-orbit safety of spacecraft high-voltage solar cell arrays. A ground simulation experimental system was established utilizing the laser-driven flyer technique to conduct experiments on micron-scale aluminum particles impacting triple-junction gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cell arrays. By acquiring discharge waveforms and arc images under various operating conditions and combining them with microscopic morphology analysis, the non-linear coupling relationship between the inter-string current of the solar cell array and the secondary discharge characteristics was investigated. Experimental results indicated that, under a constant inter-string voltage, the inter-string current was the primary factor determining the duration of secondary discharge. The discharge duration increased significantly with the increase of the inter-string current. At lower current levels, the duration was influenced by particle dynamic parameters; however, when the current exceeded 2.0 A, the Joule heating effect injected by the circuit became dominant, manifesting as a sustained discharge that easily led to a permanent short circuit. Furthermore, based on the discharge duration, the damage morphology was explicitly classified into three stages: thermal diffusion, initial thermal melting of the substrate, and substrate carbonization. A distinct current threshold effect exists for sustained discharge induced by the space debris impact. The damage evolution laws established and the 2.0 A inter-string current threshold identified in this study provide an experimental basis for the space debris protection design and on-orbit risk assessment of spacecraft solar cell arrays.

Key words

hypervelocity impact / solar cell array / secondary discharge / inter-string current / plasma / space debris

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YANG Xiaoyi, NIE Xiangyu, LIU Yuming, LIU Yenan, WANG Zhihao, WANG Jinghu, WANG Sizhan, ZHANG Pinliang, WEI Qiang, ZHANG Wuzhuo. Secondary Discharge Characteristics of Solar Cell Arrays Induced by Hypervelocity Particle Impact[J]. Equipment Environmental Engineering. 2026, 23(6): 92-100 https://doi.org/10.7643/issn.1672-9242.2026.06.008

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