Arcjet PCU Load Fixture, Spacecraft Checkout Station, INTELSAT VIIIA (805)

Object Details

Summary: Geostationary communications satellites, once launched and in orbit, need to operate for years with high reliability. To achieve such performance, satellites undergo a rigorous process of testing during manufacture to ensure that each spacecraft component and system can withstand the rigors of launch and the extremes of the space environment.; This artifact--an Arcjet PCU (Power Conditioning Unit) Load Fixture--is a component of the satellite check-out station for Intelsat VIIIA (805) communications spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin and launched in 1998. The checkout station was a suite of testing devices used to simulate and assess a broad range of spacecraft functions after final assembly. Technicians tested the satellite at the factory and then again at the launch site.; The Arcjet PCU Load Fixture Test was designed to simulate one such function: The load placed on the spacecraft electronics when the arcjet (a small propulsion device used to move the satellite or adjust its position) was activated and in use. Too large a load (consumption of power) could damage the spacecraft.; This artifact was donated by Lockheed Martin to the Museum in 1998.

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv98ffbbda4-c2dd-4f55-be98-7d56c20d58a9