A central requirement for mission success is thoroughly validating all mission systems and subsystems. Test systems are widely used in the space industry to validate the interfaces and functionality of satellites, satellite platforms, satellite payloads, satellite instruments and avionics, both in connection with initial validation testing and for verifying functionality during continued operations.
Over the years, Digilogic Systems has developed the expertise in designing and developing state-of-the-art Checkout Systems for Satellite Payloads for conducting various tests and evaluating the functional performance of different subsystems onboard the satellite. This checkout system can be utilized during various phases of the project, right from unit-level testing to integration testing of multiple subsystems up to the launch of the satellite.
These checkout systems provide the user with the flexibility to choose a variety of inputs/outputs, accuracy in measurements, user-friendly GUIs and a data archival facility. The automation in the signal/data generation and measurement play a vital role in these checkout systems.
As shown in the above figure, a satellite bus typically consists of the following subsystems: command and data handling subsystem (C&DHS); communications subsystem (CS); electrical power subsystem (EPS); propulsion subsystem (PS); thermal control subsystem (TCS); attitude control subsystem (ACS) also known as guidance, navigation and control (GNC) subsystem; structures and mechanics subsystem (S&MS); and life support subsystem for manned missions if required.
The CS provides the satellite bus with the necessary communication functionalities to connect the user and ground segments to different satellite subsystems.
The EPS provides the electrical power generation and distribution for various spacecraft subsystems.
The PS provides manoeuvres necessary for altitude, inclination adjustment, and momentum management adjustments.
The TCS provides active thermal control from electrical heaters and actuators to control the temperature ranges of equipment within specific ranges.
The ACS provides proper pointing directions for the satellite subsystems, such as sun pointing for EPS to the solar arrays and earth pointing for CS.
The S&MS provides the necessary mechanical structure to withstand launch loads by the launch vehicle, during orbital manoeuvres, as well as loads imparted by entry into the atmosphere of earth or another planetary body.
The Checkout System for Satellite Payloads is typically used for functional & performance evaluation of all the above-mentioned subsystems at different levels including Analog, Digital, Avionics interface, Power, IF, RF, etc. The purpose of these kinds of Checkout Systems is to support the satellite design & integration team in testing a complete satellite in a repeatable way, with recorded evidence of verification of all satellite functions.
UNIQUE FEATURES:
- Simulation of BMU command and control
- Verification of communication (ON/OFF/Acquisition)
- Verification of acquired data
- Data Recording of the communication over MIL-STD-1553B interface
- RF Parametric Testing
- Telemetry Tx Testing
- Datalink Tx Testing
- Test pattern (scene) generation for data cube formation
- Data cube acquisition thru BDH (Upto 2.5 Gbps)
- Verification of acquired data
- BDH raw data extraction and image cube formation
- Data Recorder (3TB Capacity) for BDH Upto 2.5 Gbps
- Solar Array Simulation
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE:
