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Ground Support
Equipment
Propulsion GSE
Propellant Transport
Safety Equipment
Launch Support
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Satellite Propulsion Systems - Ground Support Equipment.
Equipment for propellant and pressurant loading, acceptance testing, propellant analysis, leak detection, emergency detanking etc.
Our range of satellite Ground Support Equipment has been used at test
facilities and launch sites throughout the world for over 20 years.
The equipment range is designed for use with satellites, spacecraft,
orbital platforms and upper stages using earth storable bipropellants,
monopropellants and their associated pressurant gases.
We design and manufacture much of the ground support equipment that is
used for our own on-site testing, as well as for our launch support and
check-out services of satellites at test sites and ranges in Europe, United
States, Kourou, Russia and China.
Support Equipment featured on this page includes:
Propellant Loading Cart
Monopropellant Loading Cart
Pressurant Loading Cart
Xenon Loading Cart
Emergency Detanking Unit
Pressure Test Set (1st Generation)
Pressure Test Set (2nd Generation)
Pressure Test Set (3rd Generation)
High Accuracy Pressure Transducer Test Equipment
Leak Detection
Propellant Sampling Equipment
Clean Room
Clean Tent
| Propellant
Loading Cart |
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Cart for spacecraft propellant and pressurant loading.
Used for hypergolic bipropellant and monopropellant satellite propulsion
systems.
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Fluids Handled:
- Nitrogentetroxide (N2O4) + NO oxidiser.
- Monomethylhydrazine (MMH) fuel.
- High Purity (HiPu) Hydrazine (N2H4) for monopropellant systems.
- Simulation liquids for fuel and oxidiser (MMH and MON).
- IPA as simulation liquid for MMH.
- Helium as pressurant gas.
- Nitrogen as working gas.
Features:
- Filling and draining with a max. flow rate of 100 scc/s.
- Pressurisation and depressurisation.
- Evacuation of contaminated lines under vacuum via a gas jet pump.
- Sampling facility for chemical analysis.
- Dumping of liquid into a remote container before filling.
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| Monopropellant
Loading Cart |
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Cart for spacecraft propellant and pressurant loading.
Used for monopropellant satellite propulsion systems.
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Fluids Handled:
- Monograde and High Purity (HiPu) Hydrazine.
- IPA or deionised water as simulant liquid for HiPu hydrazine.
- Helium as pressurant gas.
- Nitrogen as working gas.
Features:
- Filling and draining with a max. flow rate of 80 g/s.
- Pressurisation and depressurisation.
- Evacuation of system with vacuum pump down to 1 mbar.
- Sampling for chemical analysis.
- Dumping of liquid into a remote container before filling.
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| Pressurant
Loading Cart |
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Loading Cart for the pressurisation of propellant tanks and pressure
vessels with Gaseous Helium or Nitrogen.
Heritage: Ariane.
- Built according to AFETRM 127.
- Safety requirements to CSG.
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Features:
- Line 1 up to 40 bar.
- Line 2 up to 1000 bar.
- Powered by 2 stage dry operating air cylinders.
- Dry, staged operating compression cylinders.
- Pulsation-free output.
- Digital display with interface to data acquisition unit.
- Accuracy: 0.25% of maximum pressure.
- Filter: 5 micrometer.
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| Xenon
Loading Cart |
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Xenon loading cart developed under ESA contract for the RITA ion
thruster propulsion system used on the Artemis
satellite.
Xenon gas is used as a propellant in the Radio Frequency
Ion Thruster Assembly, RITA,
which enables a 10 times more efficient propellant utilisation.
Heritage: Artemis.
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Features:
- 4 clustered Xenon cylinders (40 kg) with thermal control bath (+
- 0.5 C deg.)
- Xenon Compressor (MEOP >200 bar, accuracy. 0.1%).
- Vacuum pump (10 Exp-2 Torr).
- Load cell (max. 100 kg. accuracy 0.1%).
- Temperature and pressure measurement.
Applications:
- Propellant transport to launch pad.
- Purging, flushing, loading and draining with recovery of Xenon,
pressurisation of IPP tanks.
- Compatible with alternative gases, e.g. He, Ar.
- Enables leak and proof pressure test of spacecraft.
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| Emergency
Detanking Unit |
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The unit is used for the emergency offloading of propellants.
The detanking unit is designed for use in confined spaces and with
the spacecraft mated to the launch vehicle.
A separate unit is used for each propellant. Flexible hoses and
adapters accompany each unit.
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| Pressure
Test Set (1st Generation) |
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Applications:
- Pressurant filling and evacuation with a maximum flow rate of
100 scc/s.
- Pressurisation and depressurisation.
- Evacuation of contaminated lines under vacuum via a gas jet pump.
- Sampling facility for chemical analysis.
- Dumping of liquid into a remote container before filling.
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Features:
- 1 pressure regulator for controlling the operating gas supply to
the compressor.
- 1 pressure regulator for direct gas supply up to 35 bar.
- 2 mass flow control valves for HP and LP.
- 2 pressure relief valves for HP and LP.
- In parallel digital and analogue measurement of HL and LP.
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| Advanced
Pressure Test Set (2nd Generation) |
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Applications:
Performance of any kind of pressure test within the following pressure
ranges:
- High pressure circuit up to 600 bar using a nitrogen or air driven
two stage compressor
- Two low pressure circuits up to 35 bar
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Features:
- 3 digital pressure transducers.
- 3 digital temperature transducers.
- 3 digital voltage indicators for flight transducers.
- Adjustable constant DC power supply.
- Environmental control unit for temperature and relative humidity.
- 2 start/stop switches.
- dp/dt indicators.
- RS232 interface for data acquisition.
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| Pressure
Test Set (3rd Generation) |
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Features:
In addition to 2nd generation test set:
- Fully equipped with digital pressure transducers.
- Fully automated control (remote sequence) via RS485 interface
and SPS.
- Interface for data acquisition unit located in separate unit
for remote supervision of test sequences.
Performance:
Any kind of pressure test within the following pressure ranges:
- High pressure circuit up to 600 bar, using either a nitrogen
or air driven two-stage compressor.
- Two low pressure circuits up to 35 bar.
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| High
Accuracy Pressure Transducer Test Equipment |
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Test equipment used to perform functional test and precise calibration
of high accuracy pressure transducers integrated within satellites,
spacecraft and launch vehicle upper stages.
Features:
- 4 low pressure indicators.
- 2 high pressure indicators.
- 1 high pressure indicator for ground reference.
- 2 low pressure indicators for ground reference.
- 1 back-up indicator.
- Test software for real time display of 10 pressure levels and
10 temperature levels.
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| Leak
Detection |
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A range of Helium Mass Spectrometers are available for detecting
leaks in propulsion systems.
- Operating modes: sniffing method / vacuum method.
- Data acquisition using custom software.
- Range: 10 exp-1 to10 exp-10 scc/s.
- Output: 1V / decade (logarithmic) via RS232 interface.
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| Propellant
Sampling Equipment |
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A range of equipment is available for sampling all customary earth
storable propellants.
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| Clean
Room |
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Features and Performance:
- Better than FED STD 209 Class 100,000.
- 75 mē working area.
- Continuous measurement of particles, temperature and humidity.
- Media supply: Helium, Nitrogen and Argon.
- Crane with 3.7 m lifting height and 2 tonne capacity.
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| Clean
Tent |
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Features and Performance:
- FED STD 209 Class 100,000.
- Size: 6m x 6m x 4m.
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Ground Support Equipment and related consulting services are available
to our customers with designs or adaptations tailored for specific applications.
Contact for Further Information
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If
you require more detailed information on any of our products or services,
then please contact
us, indicating your particular areas of interest or intended application.
Your enquiry will receive our best attention.
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