In recent decades, the focus of space missions has shifted from scientific research to commercial and defense applications servicing the needs of the modern industrial and information society. New projects range from small satellites to entire satellite constellations that facilitate communications, transmit television broadcasts, enable navigation for transport or logistics applications, and provide images and data for weather forecasts, climate research, reconnaissance, and spatial planning via Earth observation, for example. Future topics include space tourism, the first manned flight to Mars, and the first base on the Moon to facilitate future space missions, thus continuously pushing the final frontier of humankind. 

Challenges

Successful space flight requires mastering a wide range of advanced technologies and their application in an extremely hostile environment. First, launch vehicles are key to every mission’s success because they deliver the payload safely into space. Hence, precise thruster control is required to maintain the rocket’s desired trajectory, for example. In addition, spacecraft require multiple control systems such as attitude and orbit control systems (AOCS) to ensure their correct position and orientation in space. Various sensors and actuators are used to achieve this goal, e.g., star sensors, gyroscopes, reaction wheels, or control thrusters. Moreover, there are systems for power supply, data transmission, and communication, to name but a few. All these systems must meet the highest requirements in terms of reliability, because in the event of a failure, repair in space is very difficult, if even possible at all. Therefore, the right set of test equipment and tools is required to minimize those operational risks while meeting cost targets in an increasingly competitive environment.