Structural Test Model – Thermal Balance Test of ATV

The Automated Transfer Vehicle will provide ISS with reboost, attitude control functions, with water, gas and propellant and with dry cargo. It remains attached up to 6 months before a destructive reentry.

In summer 2002, a Thermal Balance Test has been performed with the STM in the LSS test chamber. The objectives were:

• To correlate the TMM in flight conditions
• To validate the active TCS performances of AFCU
• To validate the passive TCS of Spacecraft and EEB

This paper deals with the set-up, the means and the sequence implemented for this test and the main results obtained from test measurements and exploitation.