SwRI unveils new facility for advanced EMC EMI testing for spacecraft

SwRI unveils new facility for advanced EMC EMI testing for spacecraft
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 30, 2024

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has expanded its Space System Spacecraft and Payload Processing Facility with a newly installed semi-anechoic shielded chamber dedicated to spacecraft electromagnetic compatibility and interference (EMC/EMI) testing. This addition marks an essential advancement in SwRI's strategy to offer a fully integrated spacecraft test and processing center within its 74,000-square-foot facility.

The new 400-square-foot EMC/EMI chamber is semi-anechoic, designed to eliminate echo while being shielded from electromagnetic interference. Capable of handling emissions and susceptibility testing up to 40 GHz in the Ka-band, the chamber also allows for comprehensive spacecraft self-compatibility testing, which verifies that subsystems within the spacecraft operate harmoniously without interfering with one another. Additionally, the chamber is equipped for radio frequency performance and compliance assessments, critical for applications in wireless communication and telecommunications.

"This new chamber performs tests that indicate how a spacecraft will respond to a space environment. It incorporates significant automation, allowing us to test satellites and instruments more quickly and efficiently while maintaining appropriate cleanliness levels," said Institute Engineer John Stone. "Locating the EMC/EMI chamber adjacent to other test facilities will also reduce the time lost and risk incurred while moving the test articles between buildings on the SwRI campus."

This advanced testing chamber is a part of SwRI's 11,000-square-foot environmental testing facility, which also features a high-decibel acoustic test chamber. The broader facility includes 20,000 square feet of integration space with two ISO 7 class 10,000 cleanrooms equipped with 5-ton bridge cranes and two ISO 8 class 100,000 high-bay cleanrooms with 7.5-ton bridge cranes, allowing extensive processing and testing capabilities for large-scale projects.

In September, SwRI utilized the new chamber to conduct EMC and EMI testing on the Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) spacecraft, a NASA mission led by SwRI. The PUNCH mission, consisting of four satellites, is slated to launch in February 2025 to study how the Sun's outer corona evolves into solar wind.

"This chamber is an exciting addition, and we plan to continue to grow the capabilities of this facility as a site for comprehensive spacecraft integration and testing," Stone said.