Spacecraft Testing
September 10, 2009
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has inaugurated a critical tool that will reduce the risk associated with developing the spacecraft for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program.
The Electrical Engineering Model Test Bed (EEMTB) is a
high-fidelity electrical model of the NPOESS satellite, consisting of
subsystem engineering models and sensor engineering development units
integrated in a flight-like electrical configuration. It is capable of
"test as you fly," real-time, closed-loop testing to validate the
spacecraft design and substantially reduce risk during integration and
test.
The spacecraft design will be validated through continuous
testing as the subsystems are added to incrementally build up the test
bed over the coming months.
"This test bed marks NPOESS' transition to the final phase of
spacecraft development," said Dave Vandervoet, vice president and
NPOESS program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.
"We completed the EEMTB early, ahead of spacecraft integration and
test, giving us ample opportunity to find and fix problems to ensure
successful satellite integration and test. The spacecraft is now at a
higher level of maturity for integration and test than is typical at
this stage."
The nation's next-generation, low-Earth orbiting operational
weather and climate monitoring system, NPOESS is designed, and is being
built, to provide vast improvements in the timeliness and accuracy and
fidelity of critical information for both defense and civil needs.
Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for NPOESS and leads an
industrial team under contract to the tri-agency NPOESS Integrated
Program Office.
"The EEMTB provides early validation of the satellite's
electrical performance," said Mary Ann Chory, NPOESS space segment
director for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Engineering model
hardware will be continually integrated over the coming year to build a
full electrical flight-like satellite in test bed form."
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security
company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products,
and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems,
shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial
customers worldwide.
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