An Overview of the Thermal Verification and Testing of Integral and Artemis Satellites

Integral (INTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory) is an ESA observatory scientific satellite to be used for gamma ray astronomy, while Artemis (Advanced Relay and TEchnology MISsion) is an ESA program to be used for data relay and technology demonstration. Both programs have been recently submitted to a System Environmental test campaign including extensive Thermal Balance tests with Solar Simulation performed in the Large Solar Simulation (LSS) chamber at ESTEC Noordwijk in 1998. Alenia Spazio, who has the role of Prime Contractor for both programs at Torino and Rome premises respectively for Integral and Artemis, is responsible of the Thermal Control of the satellites and the relevant verification aspects. Purpose of the paper is:

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  To provide description of the approach to the verification and test campaign followed by the two programs with a critical evaluation of main differences and peculiarities with the aim to increase and optimize high level of process standardization.
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  To assess the applicable test requirements in terms of constraints due to satellite configuration and mission, to the test article and to the specific thermal design.
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  To deepen the Thermal Math. Model (TMM) correlation criteria and the analytical aspects, by provision of the results of the correlation activity performed.
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  To present some conclusion about the uncertainty determination achieved by analysis compared with test results.

The effort seems particularly interesting as far as different scientific and telecommunication programs are concerned