Heat: Satellite's meat is GPU's poison

TL;DR

This paper explores using GPUs as passive heaters in low-earth orbit satellites during eclipse periods, analyzing thermal behavior, potential benefits, limitations, and future improvements for satellite thermal management.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach of utilizing GPUs for passive satellite heating, combining thermal management with GPU cooling during orbital eclipse phases.

Findings

GPUs can generate sufficient heat during eclipse to maintain satellite temperatures.

Thermal behavior varies with computational workload type.

Cost and operational complexities limit practical implementation.

Abstract

In satellite applications, managing thermal conditions is a significant challenge due to the extreme fluctuations in temperature during orbital cycles. One of the solutions is to heat the satellite when it is not exposed to sunlight, which could protect the satellites from extremely low temperatures. However, heat dissipation is necessary for Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to operate properly and efficiently. In this way, this paper investigates the use of GPU as a means of passive heating in low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Our approach uses GPUs to generate heat during the eclipse phase of satellite orbits, substituting traditional heating systems, while the GPUs are also cooled down during this process. The results highlight the potential advantages and limitations of this method, including the cost implications, operational restrictions, and the technical complexity involved. Also, this paper explores the thermal behavior of GPUs under different computational loads, specifically focusing on execution-dominated and FLOP-dominated workloads. Moreover, this paper discusses future directions for improving GPU-based heating solutions, including further cost analysis, system optimization, and practical testing in real satellite missions.