Thermal Test Campaign of the Solar Orbiter STM

Date

2016-07-10

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

46th International Conference on Environmental Systems

Abstract

Solar Orbiter is the next solar-heliospheric mission in the ESA Science Directorate. The mission will provide the next major step forward in the exploration of the Sun and the heliosphere investigating many of the fundamental problems in solar and heliospheric science. One of the main design drivers for Solar Orbiter is the thermal environment, determined by a total irradiance of 13 solar constant (17500 W/m2) due to the proximity with the Sun. The spacecraft is normally in sun-pointing attitude and is protected from severe solar energy by the Heat Shield. The Heat Shield was tested separately at subsystem level. To complete the STM thermal verification, it was decided to subject to Solar orbiter platform without heat shield to thermal balance test that was performed in IABG WSA/TVA test facility in November 2015. This paper will describe the Thermal Balance Test performed on the Solar Orbiter STM and the activities performed to correlate the thermal model and to show the verification of the STM thermal design.

Description

Netherlands
United Kingdom
ESA/ESTEC
Airbus Defense & Space
RHEA
203
ICES203: Thermal Testing
Vienna, Austria
C. Damasio, European Space Agency, ESA/ESTEC
A.Jacobs, Airbus Defence & Space Limited, United Kingdom
M. Sprague, Airbus Defence & Space Limited, United Kingdom
D. Wild, Airbus Defence & Space Limited, United Kingdom
S. Morgan, Airbus Defence & Space Limited, United Kingdom
V. Luengo, RHEA System, Belgium
The 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Vienna, Austria, USA on 10 July 2016 through 14 July 2016.

Keywords

Spacecraft, testing, thermal balance test

Citation