Thermal Testing Underway for Latest ESA Project
Industry Related News: United States – August 2023:
The High Power Radio Frequency Laboratory, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), is conducting environmental tests on an antenna intended for use on Spain’s Miura 1 sub-orbital micro-launcher. In order to get the antennas ready, they are currently undergoing thermal testing – a process where they are exposed to temperatures not typically found here on Earth. Thermal testing is an important aspect of evaluating the performance and capabilities of all types of spacecraft and their components. With the temperature variations found in space, it is important that these machines are able to operate and perform at these extreme highs and lows.
This thermal testing process, as well as other environmental tests, are part of ESA’s General Support Technology Programme. This includes subjecting the antennas to thermal testing, as well as vibration tests. Launch, orbital flight, and the return to Earth expose these antennas to extremely harsh environments, including vibrations from the launch vehicle engines, shocks from fairing and stage separations, and the previously mentioned temperature variations. So it is vital that they are rigorously tested to ensure that they can perform as expected.
During the testing process, the antennas are placed inside a sealed vacuum chamber that can create and maintain a controlled environment. The temperature inside the vacuum chamber can be precisely controlled to match the expected conditions of the mission. The antennas are then subjected to temperature cycles, rapid temperature changes, or prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures to evaluate their performance under different scenarios.
While most of the testing occurs at the Public University of Navarra, UPNA, corona discharge testing is conducted at ESA’s High Power Radio Frequency Lab. This involves placing the antennas in a glass container to control the surrounding air levels while they are operational. The glass container allows radio signals to pass through without obstruction.
Itziar Maestrojuan, CEO of Anteral, expresses gratitude to ESA for their support in fully qualifying the antennas for use in Miura-1 and potentially other launchers and applications where reliability is paramount. Thanks to thermal testing and other types of environmental tests, this project is one step closer to completion.
esa.int, “Discharge Test for Launcher Antenna”, Accessed July 12, 2023
ABOUT KHOURY INDUSTRIES
Khoury Industries is a worldwide leader in temperature testing equipment for device characterization, thermal cycling equipment, and failure analysis. Khoury Industries designs and manufactures custom thermal chambers and microwave thermal testing fixtures used in a variety of industries including: military, space, automotive, medical, research, and communication fields. The Khoury Box and the patented ELI-1000 have quickly become industry favorites as thermal testing devices used to ensure the reliability of industrial and electronic products through prolonged exposure to extreme conditions.
For more information, contact:
Penny Aicardi
Khoury Industries
5 Mechanic Street
Bellingham, MA 02019
[email protected]
Our Thermal Testing & Cycling Devices
ELI-1000
A Remote, Compact Testing Solution
This revolutionary system combines a thermal source and custom or standard chamber into one system. The interchangeable chamber feature of the ELI-1000 allows users to easily accommodate their varying industry needs. The patented technology in the ELI-1000 allows for a steady state operation with a heating/cooling system that can be operated and controlled independently of each other.
Khoury Box
RF, Microwave Thermal testing
Controlling temperature with precision at the device case is a major benefit of the Khoury Box thermal test fixture. The DUT is isolated in a localized enclosure (at temperature) with the thermal air circulated around the device under test or DUT. Tester interface utilizes impedance-matched connections to ensure true and accurate test signals between the tester, the thermal test fixture, and the DUT.