MICROCARB is the last microsatellite using Myriade family platform series. CNES is leading the technical development of MICROCARB with UKSA co-financing. ADS France is in charge of the payload design and integration, and TAS UK in charge of the microsatellite AIT/AIV. Many partners collaborate on the MICROCARB mission (CNRS, CEA, Météo France, universities, CGI). The MICROCARB orbit is a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 650 km. The main scientific objective is the mapping, on a planetary scale, of sources and sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Mass allocation is around 200 kg and power allocation around 200 W. To reduce mission development costs, most of the platform equipment are COTS or from previous Myriade missions. Nevertheless, MICROCARB platform includes a few technical evolutions. In another hand, the payload itself is unique and specific to the MICROCARB scientific mission. The platform Thermal Control System (TCS) is passive with efficient thermal insulations both radiative and conductive with the environment and with a payload requesting a careful management of interface heat leaks. The TCS of each platform module (stellar sensor, battery, propulsion and Avionics) uses well-known thermal hardware with a strong space heritage (MLI, radiator coatings, paints, Permaglass washers, heaters and thermoswitches). The Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing, a challenging milestone for the microsatellite PFM validation, includes the various usual tests which are carried out in a UK RAL vacuum facility. This paper focuses on the characterization and validation of each performance regarding the interface heat transfers with a new payload and the TCS needs of each platform module. Only the accommodation of the stellar sensor optical module is new. For each elementary validation which may be more or less critical, the characterization (if new validation) or check (if no drift validation) by test is subject to very diverse constraints and limitations.
Noé Bursachi (Sun,) studied this question.