Space qualification of satellite instrument components

Instrument (parts) space flight testing

To space-qualify is to take a product, process, or material and test it in order to prove that it will withstand the environment of space flight. This process can include the following tests and processes:

• parts screening
• thermal test
• vacuum test
• vibration test
• material analysis

A flight qualification can include a test in the actual desired environment.

Space qualification domains

Instruments or equipment that are used onboard satellites usually undergo a process of space qualification, which is done in different domains:

• Mechanical qualification:
  Vibration testing to see if the equipment can survive the vibrations during a rocket launch, or the shock when a satellite is released from its carrier.
• Thermal qualification:
  In vacuum conditions to see if the equipment can survive in harsh cold and/or warm conditions in space.
• Electro-magnetic qualification:
  To see if an equipment does not electro-magnetically disturb other equipment onboard the spacecraft, or, reversely, is not disturbed by any other neighbouring equipment.
• Lifetime qualification:
  Tests to check if an equipment will remain operational throughout the projected duration of a mission, or, for mechanisms, will perform a sufficient number of operational cycles.