[Starlink] Re: AI IN SPACE: Post from Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

[David Lang <david@lang.hm>]

Michael Richardson wrote:

> Which is to say, they satellite is always getting heated from one side :-)
>
> For non-sun synchronous LEOs, does the dark time help with radiant cooling?
> I assume some satellites' cooling profile are designed around the assumption that they
> will be dark for a portion of the orbit?

when you are in sunlight, you can radiate in 5 directions (except the tiny 
slices that face the earth and moon)

when you are not in sunlight, you have to operate on battery power

if you are in a 90 min low orbit, you spend just over 33 min in shadow each 
orbit.

When you are in geosynchronous orbit (24 hour orbit) you only end up in the 
shadow for a few months each year (late February to mid-April and late August to 
mid-October) and then only for about 70 min out of each 1440 min orbit

so no, satellites do not rely on being in the shadow for their cooling

David Lang