Testing of Small Space Equipment
- Posted by doEEEt Media Group
- On November 30, 2021
- 0
One of the last tests performed on equipment before it is launched, and one of the most important, is the Thermal Vacuum Cycling test. This test is one of the most critical since it is the test carried out on the entire system, and it is the test most similar to the mission environment.
There are great facilities over the world to be able to carry out this test on large satellites. Still, these facilities are expensive and impractical when we talk about CubeSat, nanosat, or picosats. ALTER has been able to design, develop and build a system that allows these small satellites to be tested. Given the flexibility in the test that these systems demand.
A space simulation system, developed entirely by the Optoelectronic department, has been implemented for some time. This system has managed to reach pressure values of 10-7mbar and temperatures between -100ºC and 150ºC. Thanks to the new cryogenic shielding shroud, it can absorb the equipment’s infrared radiation and achieve a great thermal homogeneity.
Among the cases of success is the trial that was carried out Nanosatellite of DEIMOS; the NEPTUNO satellites, whose structure has been made with a 3d printer, will constitute a global maritime surveillance network. Simulating the vacuum and temperatures conditions at 200 Km of altitude, the deployment of the solar panel was tested.
Figure 1: Neptune CUBESAT deployed
Another example of complete equipment is the container developed by FoSSA Systems to deploy Picosatellites. These systems, PocketPOD with a similar size to a 3-unit Nanosat, were necessary to test the opening of the gates at -20ºC and simulate the satellites’ deployment in a vacuum.
An example of a 1u nanosatellite is the one developed by ALEN Space. The Alfa Crux of the University of Brasilia is a CubeSat that will allow research and experiments to be carried out in the field of IoT communications.
Figure 3: Cubesat 1U Alfa Crux
Figure 2: FOSSA Systems PockedPOD
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