Space Vehicles & Satellite Qualification

Satellite in a colorful space shot of stars and space dust

Satellites and space vehicles are both delicate and costly. And they operate under extreme conditions. Moreover, during launch, they experience extremely high levels of vibration and acoustical sound pressure- This can severely damage or even destroy components or the payload. So thoroughly testing without over-testing the whole structure including the sub-systems before launching it into space is vital. The engineers only get one chance to test many space vehicles, because the space system was designed to handle one test and one launch cycle only. Notably, high-quality vibration testing is crucial to ensure structural integrity and reliability.

HBK provides safe, reliable, and efficient testing solutions for structural and acoustical space vehicle qualification. Our system is optimised to reduce the time from test to report.

Key Areas of Application

Shock Response Spectrum Analysis (SRS)

SRS helps determine the damage potential of single transient shock events on components or structural systems to make sure they survive under known conditions. The HBK software solution supports all five SRS models as per the ISO 18431-4:2007 standard.

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Random vibration testing

This test simulates vibration typically experienced by space vehicles under real-world operating conditions. HBK’s dedicated solution helps you locate structural weaknesses and ensures that no significant structural dynamic changes have occurred.

Swept-sine testing

Study the structural dynamics of a space vehicle by accurately measuring dynamic response at resonant frequencies. The method is used for vibration control according to international standards, but it is also suitable for fatigue testing.

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Acoustic fatigue testing

Acoustic fatigue testing simulates the acoustic signature of a spacecraft launch, and then subjects the test article to those intense levels of acoustic stress to ensure that the spacecraft and its components can withstand launch.

Lift-off noise

To protect valuable payload is mission-critical. In this harsh environment, excessive levels of sound power contained in shock waves that are reflected from the environment during lift-off need to be mitigated to ensure minimal stress on the payload.

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Classical Modal Testing and Analysis

This method is used in a vast range of tests including design verification and optimization as well as certification testing. Identify the modal parameters of a structure by exciting it with measurable forces and determining the response/excitation ratio.

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Our Customer Stories

Spacecraft Launch Into Space. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

Satellite qualification testing at INPE

Satellites are delicate and costly structures that must be able to work under extreme operating conditions. So it is vital that the whole satellite is thoroughly tested before launch. So for Brazil’s space research organisation, safe tests with first-time data capture are vital when shaking precious satellites.

Spacecraft takes off into space. The rocket starts in the blue sky. Travel concept

Sensors and airborne amplifiers help launch the VLS-1 rocket

On-board measurements on a launcher are complex. So when the DCTA, Brazil needed state-of-the-art noise and vibration sensors and amplifiers to provide critical flight data for their on-board telemetry system for the VLS-1 satellite launch vehicle programme, they contacted HBK.

NASA’s X-57 Maxwell

To ensure that its first all-electric X-plane is safe as well as energy efficient, NASA built an analytical model of the aircraft to simulate the stresses it would experience during a real flight using ground vibration testing. HBK’s data acquisition analyzer platform and software was used to test and analyze data from the test runs.

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