No Atmosphere. No Convection. No Relief.
In the orbital environment, the thermal physics that govern every terrestrial cooling system cease to function. There is no air. Convection — the primary mechanism by which conventional cooling moves heat — does not exist. Thermal burden generated by electronics in the satellite bus has no natural departure path.
Heat concentrates in the electronics bays. It cannot be moved by airflow. It cannot be carried away by ambient atmosphere. It can only be conducted through the structure or radiated into space — both of which are slow, limited, and difficult to govern precisely.
As satellite electronics density increases and mission durations extend, the thermal burden accumulates faster than passive management can address it. The most expensive and inaccessible electronics in existence run hot, with no relief path and no maintenance access.
In space, thermal burden is not an infrastructure problem. It is a physics problem. The solution must travel with the platform.
