New Vacuum Chamber Ramps up UK Space Test Facilities

A new £1million space test chamber being installed at a premier satellite testing facility, has added to the arsenal of equipment which cements the UK’s position as a global centre for testing and evaluating how instruments and small spacecraft will work in space-like conditions. Once fully installed the vacuum chamber, funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), will be used for evaluating world-class satellites including Sentinel 5, one of the complementary elements of a constellation serving the specific needs of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Services (CAMS).

Dr Brian Bowsher, Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, said: “This new test chamber puts the UK ahead of the game internationally when it comes to being able to test spacecraft and satellites. We are looking forward to welcoming some of the world’s most exciting space technology to our test facilities, where they will be put into the hands of our incredibly skilled staff. This addition to our facilities, coupled with the expertise of our staff, illustrates what makes the UK a global leader in the space industry.”

This is the second 5m diameter by 6m long test chamber to be installed at STFC’s RAL Space in Oxfordshire and sufficiently increases its capacity to meet growing demand from the space industry. When complete, it will simulate space environment conditions reaching temperatures ranging from -180 to +120 degrees Celsius while maintaining vacuum. The vacuum is also situated within a specialised cleanroom environment, which is required for the preparation and installation of the items that will be tested within the facility.

The chamber, manufactured in Northern Spain embarked upon a seven-day and approximately 1000-mile journey to the site with a team of 15 people working over four days to deliver and install the chamber. Site acceptance tests began on July 31 and will conclude in May next year, ready for the first customer; the instrument for the ESA/EU Earth observation satellite Sentinel 5.