A Comprehensive Review on CubeSat Electrical Power System Architectures

CubeSats have been popular for space research due to lower cost, faster development, and easier deployment. The electrical power system (EPS) is one of the significant subsystems for the CubeSat since it handles power generation, energy storage, and power distribution to all other subsystems. Therefore, the design of EPS becomes crucial for successful CubeSat mission, wherein the first step is the selection of EPS architecture. The main objective of this article is to present an extensive review of all the conventional and emerging EPS architectures of CubeSats. A total of 17 categories of CubeSat EPS architectures have been identified, classified, and the operational aspects of these architectures are presented in addition to a qualitative comparison. This article is expected to provide a useful reference guide for all the researchers and developers working in the area of CubeSats EPS. Also, some of the potential research topics are provided to further exploration and innovation for the CubeSat EPS.