Size a preliminary electrical power budget for a rocket delta-v event by combining continuous bus demand, burn-specific loads, load duty cycle, event duration, conversion efficiency, and design margin. The calculator reports source power, required energy, and peak load so batteries, generators, or power-conditioning hardware can be screened against the maneuver profile.
Required source power is the margin-adjusted average supply capability during the event. The peak source estimate assumes base and burn loads are simultaneously active and uses the same efficiency and margin.
Check short transients, voltage sag, temperature derating, battery depth-of-discharge limits, and redundant loads separately.
With a 180 W base load, 420 W burn load at 75% duty for 240 seconds, 90% efficiency, and 20% margin, average load is 495 W. Required source power is 660 W and event energy is 44 Wh.
Include electrical loads added by the maneuver, such as valves, pumps, actuators, heaters, or enhanced telemetry.
The load must first be translated into source-side demand; the selected margin is then applied to the source capacity.
No. Battery sizing also needs usable depth of discharge, temperature, aging, voltage limits, redundancy, and other mission loads.
The main result uses burn-load duty cycle; peak source power assumes base and full burn-specific loads occur together.
Yes. Required source power still describes the load, while calculated event energy becomes zero.
| Input | Unit | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous bus load | W | Avionics and loads active throughout the event. |
| Burn-specific load | W | Additional pumps, valves, heaters, or actuators. |
| Burn-load duty cycle | % | Fraction of the event at the added load. |
| Event duration | s | Length of the powered maneuver window. |
| Source-to-load efficiency | % | Combined conversion and distribution efficiency. |
| Design margin | % | Allowance applied to source power and energy. |