Space Tests
“Test as you fly”. The Centre Spatial de Liège is one of the key European Test Centre for qualifying Space instruments, sub-Units or even a complete satellite.
Any Space Equipment, with the total respect of highly critical cleanliness constraints, is submitted to coupled thermal and vacuum environment. As requested by ESA standard, Thermal Balance and Thermal Cycle tests are performed on ground to guarantee the proper functioning on-orbit.
A vacuum level close to 1e-06 mbar is maintained and temperature excursion from the very cold deep space (-269°C) to hot environment (160 °C) is proposed thanks to home-made nitrogen Thermal Conditioning Units and Helium Liquefier/refrigerator Closed loop circuitry.
Six Vacuum chambers, from 1.5 to 6.5m diameter, located in clean room, are made available for External Customers.
The on-ground calibration of Optical instruments, thanks to the CSL expertise, to the vacuum optical benches, and to dedicated Optical Ground Support Equipment (OGSE), is also a key service during the global qualification plan of a Science or Earth Observation instrument.
Additionally, two shakers, also located in clean room, simulate, along the 3-axes, the mechanical perturbations seen during launch. Random and Sine levels are adapted and controlled, depending on the launcher characteristics.
