Da Vinci team puts satellite payloads to the test
A student-built satellite mission has taken an important step toward flight readiness. From 13 to 24 April 2026, the Da Vinci team from TU Delft, the Netherlands, has carried out a vibration environmental test campaign of its educational payloads, DICE and Bitflip, at ESA’s CubeSat Support Facility in ESA ESEC-Galaxia, Belgium. Conducted as part of ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! 4 programme, the campaign provided the team with hands-on experience in a professional test environment while advancing the verification of both payloads.
The Da Vinci Satellite integrates two complementary payloads designed to demonstrate key space environment effects to primary and high school students through interactive experiments. DICE, targeting the younger group, is a mechanical–optical payload that visualises the behaviour of free-moving objects in microgravity by rolling dice in an enclosed environment. While Bitflip is an electronic payload designed to demonstrate the impact of radiation on digital data through memory bit upsets. Although different in nature and intended audience, both payloads must meet the same fundamental requirement: to remain functional and reliable after exposure to launch and space conditions.
During the testing phase, the payloads were mounted on a shaker system to reproduce the dynamic loads experienced during rocket launch. The testing verified structural integrity, mechanical interfaces and internal robustness, ensuring that the systems can withstand the mechanical stresses of liftoff.
Following the vibration campaign, the test results diverged for the two payloads. Bitflip successfully completed the vibration testing and proceeded through the planned verification activities, confirming the robustness of its memory and data-handling functions after representative mechanical loads.
For DICE, the campaign provided valuable engineering insight. While the payload operated nominally during initial phases, anomalies were identified during testing, leading the team to stop the campaign before proceeding to thermal-vacuum (TVAC) testing. This decision reflects standard engineering practice: when unexpected behaviour is observed, further environmental testing is paused to allow for detailed analysis and corrective action.
The identification of anomalies at this stage is a key outcome of the campaign. Environmental testing is specifically designed to reveal such issues under controlled conditions on the ground, where they can be understood and resolved. The DICE payload will now undergo further investigation and refinement, followed by a future re-test campaign, ensuring that the system meets all requirements before progressing to full qualification.
Beyond the technical results, the campaign also marked an important milestone in the team’s development as space engineers. The Fly Your Satellite! programme immerses students in real spacecraft development processes, and the Da Vinci team was directly involved in all phases of the campaign, including test preparation, payload integration, execution, monitoring and post-test analysis. This hands-on experience provides direct exposure to Assembly, Integration and Verification (AIV) practices in a professional environment.
With the campaign now completed, the next step for the Da Vinci team is to consolidate the results into a formal test report presenting the results. This will capture both the successful qualification of Bitflip, and the lessons learned from the DICE anomaly, supporting the next phases of payload development.
By successfully advancing Bitflip and identifying areas for improvement in DICE, the Da Vinci team has taken a significant step in the iterative process of space system development. The campaign highlights how testing not only validates hardware, but also strengthens designs through early detection and resolution of issues, an essential aspect of preparing reliable systems for space.