Two-stage concentrators for solar bimodal power and propulsion systems

A solar bimodal system provides both electrical power for an on-orbit operation and high-performance thermal propulsion capability for an orbital transfer. An orbital transfer payload strongly depends on solar concentrator mass which is determined by its efficiency. This paper is devoted to an analysis and comparison of concentrator-receiver system efficiency for one- and two-stage solar concentrators. A new computer code TANDEM for calculating the concentrator-receiver system efficiency was developed. The basic principles of this code are discussed.