This thesis focuses on designing and optimizing electrical power systems for LEO satellites and constellations, combining orbital mechanics, solar array design, battery sizing, and degradation effects. You will develop compact, physics‑based models that link orbit (altitude, inclination, eclipse duration) and environment (radiation, thermal cycling) to solar array and battery requirements. The goal is to create algorithms that are fast enough for constellation‑scale trade studies, but still grounded in realistic space environment assumptions.

Depending on your background (Energietechnik, Elektromobilität, Maschinenbau, Informatik), the work can emphasize modeling, algorithm development, or software integration into an existing simulation/optimization backend. You should enjoy working at the interface of physics, numerical methods, and code.

Mini demo challenge (attach repo link in your application):
Implement a small script or notebook that:

• Computes orbital period and eclipse duration for circular LEO orbits over a range of altitudes (e.g. 400–800 km).

• For a constant payload power and a chosen safety margin, computes the minimum required battery capacity for at least three altitudes and visualizes the result (table and/or simple plot).

• In the README, briefly argue why you selected your specific language and libraries (e.g. NumPy vs. pure Python, MATLAB, Julia; Matplotlib vs. Plotly) and how this stack would scale to more complex multi‑physics problems.

The primary goal of the demo is to see how you choose tools and structure a tiny but clean engineering analysis.

Suggested reading:

• DeGroh, K. et al., “Environmental Durability Issues for Solar Power Systems in Low Earth Orbit”, NASA TM‑106775.[ntrs.nasa]

• Cunningham, K. et al., “Spacecraft Electrical Power Systems”, NASA Technical Report.[ntrs.nasa]

Application:
Interested candidates should submit their application to julius.pinsker@faps.fau.de including:

• Current transcript of records (grades).

• A concise CV (1 page).

• A link to the mini demo repository described above.

I look forward to receiving your innovative applications.

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