amsat admin

RadFxSat underwent vibration testing for two of the three axes on Monday, October 10 at NTS in Boxborough, MA.

The X and Z axis were tested.  The Y axis will be tested on Tuesday.

Additional video is available of the CubeSat Acceptance Checklist process and the Testpod integration which were both performed on live video Monday morning, at http://YouTube.com/c/n0jy/live

In a late night session Tuesday, the Short Functional Test was performed on RadFxSat and showed that the CubeSat is functioning well after the shock testing.

The test was streamed live on YouTube and the archive is available for viewing, at http://www.YouTube.com/c/n0jy/live.

RadFxSat is the first of the four Fox-1 CubeSats built to date to be subjected to shock testing, which was necessary for qualification to fly on the Delta II ELaNa XIV Mission scheduled to launch March 16, 2017.  Being the first shock test experience we were cautious about what the result may be.  While Fox-1s have previously been subjected to and passed other tests such as vibration testing, each type of environmental test is significantly different.

The Short Functional Test, along with the previously reported Aliveness Test, is conducted before each environmental test is performed (shock, vibe, bakeout) and after the final environmental test is finished in order to determine that the Fox-1 CubeSat is functioning nominally prior to testing and is still functioning nominally after each test.

Short Functional Test (SFT) verifies the operation of the IHU, battery, transmitter, receiver, experiment, telemetry, and command systems through 51 steps of actions, measurements and observations.

With the successful completion of the SFT the Fox Team performed the Preflight Procedure.  This procedure places the IHU in the launch state so that it is configured as it will be during launch, for the next environmental test.

It looks like Hurricane Matthew will cooperate with our plans to travel to Boston on Sunday, October 9, so the next stop is NTS in Boxborough, MA for the final environmental testing which includes vibration and bakeout.  Live streaming of the environmental tests will not be possible due to ITAR and camera restrictions at the test facility, but streaming of the Short Functional and Aliveness tests and the preparation of RadFxSat for some of the testing may be available from the hotel room if the timing is such that they are performed outside the test facility.

RadFxSat returned to Fox Labs this weekend after spending a little over a week with Tyvak in California as they placed her in a test pod for environmental shock testing along with one of the other 1U satellites that will be flying in our P-POD on the ELaNa XIV mission.

The weekend post shock unpacking and inspection have been streamed on YouTube as we have been doing in the past with the progress of RadFxSat, and will continue through the week as the Short Functional Test and Aliveness Test are performed to verify that RadFxSat survived the shock test not only physically, but functionally.

You can watch the live streaming and the archived feeds at http://www.YouTube.com/c/n0jy/live.
Follow @N0JY Tweets announcing the live feeds when they are about to happen.

RadFxSat heads for Boxborough, MA for the vibration test and thermal vacuum bakeout on October 10, which will complete all of the work to be done (except reports) and put RadFxSat “in the bag” to await delivery for the scheudled March 16, 2017 launch on the ELaNa XIV mission from Vandenberg AFB in California.