Cubesat Project Vibration Test
Previous
Next
CubeSats are small, nano satellites made for space exploration. They are launching as auxiliary payloads.
It was developed in the early 2000’s. At first, it was common in universities and among students. But, it has recently become an industry and educational institution. Government agencies and commercial groups around the world have developed CubeSats.
CubeSats have several sizes, which are based on the standard CubeSat unit 1U. A 1U CubeSat is a 10cm x 10cm x 10cm cube with a mass of approximately 1 to 1.33kg. CubeSats are cost effective. Due to their low cost of production, they attract more attention from space exploration. They have a life of 2 years, but you can constantly renew them. Therefore, the use of CubeSat is increasing every year and space explorations are now easier and faster.
What is the purpose of testing?
The purpose of dynamic environment testing is to show whether the CubeSat will survive the vibrations and shocks that will experience during the launch or not. There are two common types of dynamic testing: Shock and vibration. Vibration testing is required for all launches, however the launch vehicle provider does not always require shock testing.
We tested the sub-components of the cube satellite with our PM-440 shaker according to the specified standard.
The sub-components are: Satellite computer, battery box, power regulator and magnetic field regulator cards.
CubeSat Vibration Testing Process
Controller, shaker and software are needed to perform random test. The test system has been designed and manufactured with PM-440 shaker and amplifier. The vibrating surface area has enlarged by using a head expander according to specimen sizes.
For the software, NASA standard test profile is used.
Using the test profile, the test has run with x-axis and the results were collected. Shaker excited the components of CubeSat with random vibration signal.
