Hangtian-Tsinghua-1 (TH-1) micro-satellite is a joint project of Tsinghua University and Surrey Satellite limited (SSTL), which was launched on June 28, 2000. It ended its service at Dec. 2002. The main conclusion from the telemetry data is that the temperature of battery increased at the end-of-life until the battery cells finally stopped functioning. Although the TH-1 mission was very successful experimental project, the further analysis and understanding the impacting factors is essential for the future missions. TH-1 is based on the “smaller, faster and cheaper” design philosophy so that the thermal control, as well as for the other micro-satellites, is passive. In this paper, temperature environment is described and analyzed based on the telemetry data collected during two and half years, from the launch to the end. The temperature of satellite is discussed. The key points affecting the battery thermal condition--including power consumption during shadow time, heat generated by the battery itself, etc. are discussed. Some ideas recommendations are given for thermal design and battery protection.
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