Presentation
The thermal and mechanical departement is divided in two :
Design office & Assembly workshop
Missions are engineering design, development, implementation, testing and integration of scientific instruments on spacecraft. We also work on balloon-borne and ground experiment.
The thermal & mechanical concepts used are varied and depend on the specific scientific needs (SOHO GOLF 200 °C, Planck HFI -273.05 °C). They are validated by computation, using special software. A qualification model will be made and undergo mechanical tests reproducing launch conditions (vibrations, shocks) and thermal environment tests simulating the conditions encountered in space (radiation flux in orbit). The results of the tests and simulations allow optimization of design choices.
After that, a flight model and possibly spare model will be made, tested and delivered for integration.
The mechanical parts are generally outsourced to specialized companies .
The workshop shall carry out inspections of parts and the integration of subsystems. During this last phase, it may be necessary to carry out machining times.