Spacecraft Assembly

FlatSat Testing

April 24, 2007
On its way to assembly, LRO has recently made an important pit stop to a place called FlatSat. Before any of the electrical components are assembled on the spacecraft bus, they must be checked and double-checked to assure that they can communicate with one another. That is where FlatSat comes in. The name "FlatSat" is a shortened version of just what it sounds like - flat satellite. All of the electronic components are laid out and hooked together on a long table and attached electrically like they will be on the satellite. FlatSat is operated and monitored using the Integrated Test and Operations System (ITOS). This is the same system that will be used during the mission at the Mission Operations Center. During the integration process, FlatSat is used to write and integrate test procedures for the components onboard LRO. One by one, simulators of the individual spacecraft components and instruments for LRO are being attached. Currently, the engineering test unit (ETU) of the power system electronics (PSE) is attached to FlatSat. Also, the LAMP, Mini-RF, LEND, and Diviner instruments have a simulator at FlatSat. Soon the simulator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) will be added. Why bother with such an exercise? As part of the assembly process, each of the individual components involved with the spacecraft must be tested. FlatSat serves as a way to test procedures and reduce the risk of something going wrong with the electrical components once LRO is assembled. Once LRO is launched, mission operations will use FlatSat to test commands before sending them to the spacecraft.

In other news, assembly of LRO instruments has begun.

Dave Everett, LRO systems engineer, and others take a look at the LRO mock-up in Building 5