RAL Space’s Post

A first for the National Satellite Test Facility, and for the UK! We're proud to have conducted the UK's first direct field acoustic noise (#DFAN) tests, on components for ESA's Ariel Space Mission. 🪐 As well as two large shaker tables, the NSTF's Dynamics Suite is home to 48 powerful speakers and amplifiers capable of replicating the extreme acoustic environment of a rocket launch. These tests are critical for ensuring the structural integrity of space components that must withstand intense acoustic vibrations at launch. This milestone test focused on an engineering qualification model of the Ariel telescope baffle, built by Active Space Technologies. While this particular model won’t fly, it plays a key role in validating the design and construction before the final flight hardware is assembled. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/efUpKFZn The UK is already playing an important role in the Ariel mission, which will study the chemistry of around 1000 planets outside our solar system. If you're at #SpaceSymposium in Colorado this week, stop by the UK Pavilion and chat with us and UK Space Agency to learn more! STFC | UK Research and Innovation | Space Foundation | European Space Agency - ESA | STFC Business & Innovation