HEATER CONTROL DEVICE FOR SATELLITE USE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent, in a heater control device provided with current detecting resistors on the heater control current line, a decrease in heater control efficiency caused by current flowing constantly to the current detecting resistors when the heater is in the 'ON' state, thereby making the heater control device heat up and reducing the voltage supplied to the heater by a degree equal to the voltage drop between the current detecting resistors. SOLUTION: The device is provided with: a heater 13 placed to control the temperature in various parts of a satellite; a driver 12 placed on the heater control line, a resistance-type potential divider 14, 15 provided on the input side of the driver 12; a resistance-type potential divider 16, 17 provided on the output side of the driver 12; and a overcurrent detecting circuit 11 that inputs the divided voltages of the potential divider with the resistors 14, 15 and the potential divider with the resistors 16, 17 and has the output linked to the control terminal of the driver 12, thereby controlling the driver 12 to turn off when the detecting circuit senses that the difference between the divided voltage of the potential divider with the resistors 14, 15 and the divided voltage of the potential divider with the resistors 16, 17 exceeds a threshold.