Environmental Flight Acceptance Tests of the Small Earth Observation Satellite Flying Laptop

Since mid-2014, the fully integrated small satellite Flying Laptop is in the system testing phase at the Institute of Space Systems located at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. The satellite’s mass is 120 kg and it is designed to conduct multi-spectral earth observation as well as to demonstrate new technologies. A part of the acceptance tests prior to launch is the environmental testing in order to verify spacecraft functionality under environmental conditions during launch and in orbit. The following three main environmental tests were successfully conducted: Tests of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC): The EMC test of the Flying Laptop covered the verification of electromagnetic compatibility as well as interference of the various electromagnetic signals generated on-board. Vibration test: For the structural acceptance of the spacecraft sine and random vibration tests were performed for each satellite axis. Thermal Balance / Thermal Vacuum test: The thermal vacuum test was conducted to verify the functionality of the entire satellite at hot and cold temperatures. A similar test setup was used to perform the thermal balance test that allowed the validation of the thermal model. The environmental test campaign was completed successfully in December 2014. All system requirements were met according to the defined specifications