Method of Temperature Control and Its Validation for Atomic Clock Cabin on Navigation Satellite

Atomic clock, as an important part of the navigation satellite, provides high-accuracy and high-stability time frequency source for the satellite. For the continuity and stability of atomic clock operation in orbit, the satellite thermal control system should provide a suitable temperature environment for it. In this paper the thermal control design and the control algorithm of atomic clock are introduced, and the results of thermal simulation and tests based on the atomic clock thermal control for the navigation satellite are provided. Temperature data in orbit show that the thermal design of cabin for atomic clock is suitable. Thermal simulation results and the tests are effective. In addition, the temperature of atomic clocks in orbit meets the requirement and is nearly one order of magnitude better than that of the indicator.