OrbitNTNU Team Embarks on Environmental Test Campaign for FramSat-1.5
In an exciting development of the Fly Your Satellite! Test Opportunities programme, the OrbitNTNU team has concluded a crucial environmental test campaign for their CubeSat, FramSat-1.5. This milestone has taken place at the CubeSat Support Facility of ESEC-Galaxia, in Belgium. Testing at this facility has the goal to confirm the robustness of the satellite, bringing the team one step closer in their journey to achieve flight readiness.
FramSat-1.5 is a student-driven satellite project developed by the OrbitNTNU student team from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). FramSat-1.5 is a CubeSat designed for technology demonstration and educational purposes and is developed completely by students. The design of the spacecraft is a similar to another satellite, called FramSat-1, which the same student team is also developing.
As part of Fly Your Satellite! Test Opportunities, the OrbitNTNU team was granted access to the CubeSat Support Facility to conduct an environmental test campaign. This is a critical phase in the satellite development process, which involves subjecting the CubeSat to simulations of the extreme conditions it will encounter in space, such as vibrations and thermal vacuum. These tests are essential to verify the satellite's structural integrity, thermal performance, and overall functionality under the demanding circumstances of launch and operation in orbit.
The environmental test campaign at ESEC-Galaxia's CubeSat Support Facility marks a significant milestone for the OrbitNTNU team, as the FramSat-1.5 spacecraft solidly withstood random vibrations and performed successfully a series of functional tests in thermal vacuum at extreme test temperatures.
Now it is time for the students to draw in the lessons learned from their test campaign, and to investigate the data collected. As part of the Test Opportunities programme, they will have to present their test results to the programme experts, closing the test campaign cycle and moving on to the next project activities.
