VTC-1.5 Space Simulator
The VTC-1.5 Facility is a small thermal vacuum facility equipped with a solar simulator dedicated to equipment testing.
The facility consists of a 3.5m-long and 2m-diameter horizontal cylindrical vacuum chamber connected to a sun simulation source through a 900mm-diameter quartz window.
The chamber is equipped with a 3-section thermal shroud system which can be operated either in gaseous or liquid nitrogen mode.
In addition three independent liquid loop channels are capable of controlling the temperature of three conductive plates or customer specific MGSE.
The high flux sun simulator is providing flux simulation up to 20 solar constants.
Thanks to a fully automated thermal generator and specifically installed monitoring and control provisions the VTC 1.5 facility can be operated unattended in certain conditions e.g. during long duration tests.
The main parameters of the VTC-1.5 Space Simulator are listed below:
|
Vacuum Pumping System: • Typical achievable vacuum • Lowest achieved vacuum System completely oil free |
5.10-6mbar 3.10-7mbar |
|
|
Shroud & Nitrogen Supply Equipment: • Temperature in LN2 mode • Gradient in LN2 mode • Heat Load in LN2 mode • Temperature in GN2 mode • Gradient in GN2 mode • Heat load in GN2 mode • Temperature transition in GN2 • Solar absorptance • IR emissivity |
< 100K 5K 10kW 123K - 393K 10K 1kW up to 2K/min 0.96 0.88 |
|
|
Three liquid loop channels: • Temperature range • Gradient in steady state • Heat Load per Loop |
213K - 373K 2K 500W |
|
|
• Test volume • Vacuum chamber volume |
Ø 1.7m x 3m Ø 2m x 3.5m |
|
|
Test article interface: • IF conductive plate • Ceiling suspension points |
1m x 1.2m with a 10mm M6 pattern 6x 150kg in a pattern of 1100mm x 975mm |
|
| High Flux Solar Simulator (all parameters TBC): | ||
|
• Light source • Total irradiance • Beam diameter (mm) • Flux uniformity • Decollimation |
non-filtered Xenon discharge lamp 1 to 20 Solar Constant 550 mm ± 10% maximum 2 degree |
|