Versatile Power Testing Solution for Flatsats
During satellite development often a satellite Electrical Test Bench (ETB), or “FlatSat” (because the units are spread flat on a table) is often used for preliminary integration testing of satellite modules. This test bench contains all vital modules of the satellite and is designed to perform the avionic qualification and system performance verification before the units are integrated into the S/C structure.
With the UniverSAS® platform, Atos combined all the different functionalities in just one device, that can support all types of integration steps. UniverSAS® is a fully software configurable bidirectional switched power supply, each channel function can be independently configured for example as battery simulator (BS), solar array simulator (SAS), battery charger (BCH) and payload simulator at any time, depending on the integration state of the Flatsat. As a result, with only 2 height units, the device is small enough to be placed close to the units under test. Furthermore the small size allows easy transport within the test facility or to the launch pad.
The paper summarizes the Atos next generation UniverSAS® power supply that shall support up to 16 independent channels with a particular focus on FlatSat testing. UniverSAS® not only helps to improve the economy of AIT, for the FlatSat stage, but also later stages, such as the flight model integration up to the launch pad power supply are fully supported in one device.