It is normal for satellites to have solar panels on both sides of the body.
But Landsat satellites, from Landsat 4, seems to have the solar panel on only one side. Are there any specific advantages of having such a configuration?
It is normal for satellites to have solar panels on both sides of the body.
But Landsat satellites, from Landsat 4, seems to have the solar panel on only one side. Are there any specific advantages of having such a configuration?
Solar panel technology seems to have caught up with power requirements on the satellite. Since price of components is really no object when building a system like this, super expensive panels with efficiency ratings of up to 40% can be used.
The trick to engineering something properly is using just the right amount of materials, as the old maxim goes "Any idiot can build a bridge that stands, but it takes an engineer to build a bridge that barely stands". If the engineers were meeting the power requirements for the satellite with just one set of solar panels, why include the other? It's possible to predict the power requirements very exactly and each gram that the engineers save can be used on something else which is more mission critical such as a better imagery system.
As to why build it asymmetrically? There are basically no benefits to building it symmetrically. Modern control software can easily compensate for the shifted center of mass and you also save on motors and unfolding systems in mass.