Balancing Full Qualification, Screening Tests, and Targeted Testing for the New Space Era
Introduction: The Changing Landscape of Space Testing
The space industry is evolving rapidly. Traditional flagship missions like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and JUICE prioritize long-term reliability, requiring exhaustive qualification processes.
In contrast, New Space focuses on cost-efficiency, speed, and scalability, transforming the approach to space testing. While flagship missions demand extensive full qualifications, New Space projects, like nanosatellite constellations, require faster validation cycles to meet tight deadlines and competitive budgets.
Balancing reliability with efficiency has become one of the biggest challenges in space testing.
The Problem: Balancing Reliability, Speed, and Cost
Space missions demand exceptional reliability, as failures are irreversible. However, in the New Space era, companies must align testing strategies with mission needs to balance:
Comprehensive testing for critical components in flagship missions.
Efficient screening and targeted testing for high-volume, cost-sensitive New Space projects.
This shift requires careful prioritization to ensure mission success without overextending resources.
Tips for Balancing Space Testing
1. Tailor Testing to Mission Requirements
For flagship missions, prioritize full qualifications, including thermal vacuum, vibration, and environmental testing to ensure long-term reliability.
For New Space projects, adopt targeted testing, focusing on critical parameters like adhesion, thermal resistance, and optical performance.
2. Use Screening for High-Volume Projects
High-volume applications, like nanosatellite constellations, benefit from batch-level screening to maintain quality without exhaustive testing of every component.
3. Leverage Proven Experience (Space Heritage)
Use data and lessons from past successful missions to streamline testing. Space heritage reduces redundancy and accelerates validation.
4. Collaborate with Trusted Suppliers
Work with suppliers experienced in both traditional and New Space projects to optimize testing strategies while ensuring quality.
5. Focus on Targeted Testing for Critical Properties
Validate essential properties like emissivity, reflectivity, and durability to align with New Space’s faster development cycles.
Acktar’s Expertise: Bridging Traditional and New Space
Acktar is uniquely positioned to address the challenges of space testing, contributing to both traditional flagship missions and fast-paced New Space projects.
Proven Heritage
Acktar’s black coatings, such as Fractal Black coating and Magic Black coating, have been tested and qualified for over 50 successful space missions, including JWST, Solar Orbiter, JUICE and many more to meet the most stringent reliability standards.
High-Volume Applications
Acktar has delivered Thousands of coated components and kms of Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) and Single-Layer Insulation (SLI)
These contributions span both flagship and New Space missions.
New Space Adaptability
Acktar supports New Space projects, like nanosatellite constellations and CubeSats, with:
Targeted testing for critical properties.
Efficient screening to ensure quality and fast deployment.
Acktar’s coatings provide
Optical system enhancement: Stray light suppression for star trackers and cameras.
Thermal management: High emissivity and durability for extreme environments.
Scalable solutions: Reliable coatings for high-volume New Space applications.
Learn more about Acktar’s contributions to space exploration. Contact Us.
The use of Acktar coatings yield major improvements in a wide range of products and applications.
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