While Alouette was being designed, a major question about the lifetime of the solar cells powering the system came to be solved on the DRTE computer. They developed a program that simulated the effects of precession on the satellite's orbit, and used this information to calculate the percentage of time that sunlight fell on it. The result proved the system would have more than enough power. While it was designed with a lifetime of only one year, Alouette I eventually ran for ten years before being shut off.