The space solar radiation simulation technology for spacecraft vacuum thermal test

Abstract

The spacecraft need to do vacuum thermal tests in a vacuum chamber before they lunched. The solar simulator can simulate the collimation, uniformity and spectrum of the sunlight accurately, which provides higher precision space thermal external flux in the vacuum thermal tests of spacecraft. These solar simulators usually are installed on the vacuum chambers. Its light source is outside the vacuum chamber, the light incidents into the chamber by the optical vacuum sealed window. In order to get uniformity irradiation testing volume, the off-axis collimating solar simulator is selected which installed on the KM6 large vacuum chamber. The main chamber is vertical to place the test-articles, which has the overall height of 22000mm, the diameter of 16000mm. The auxiliary chamber is horizontally to place the collimating reflector of the solar simulator, which has the overall height of 13000mm, the diameter of 7500mm. Thesolar simulator is included optical system, cooling system and control system. The optical system consists of the collector mirrors, the collimating reflector and the optical integrator. This solar simulator is developed successful, and it has finished a vacuum thermal test of the camera. In the test the irradiance of the solar simulator is 1420W/m² , it worked more than 100 hours. The test is successful, and gets more valuable experimental data.