Subsystem Vibration Test

Author: Spencer Titcomb VA7YST

The team is excited to announce the successful pre-qualification of several of our in-house designed satellite components through vibration testing at the Canadian Space Agency’s Montreal facilities.

MARMOTSat team member holding in-house designed satellite components

During this round of testing, we evaluated the battery, HF antenna, VHF antenna, HF power amplifier, and onboard computer to make sure they can survive the intense vibrations that occur during rocket launch. Each part was exposed to random vibration patterns ranging from 20 Hz to 2000 Hz, reaching an intensity level of 7.88 grms, which directly meets the qualification standards required by our launch provider, ExoLaunch, for flight.

All components performed extremely well with no issues or signs of damage throughout the tests. These results show that our designs are mechanically prepared for launch before each component is integrated into the greater satellite design.

Vibration testing of in-house designed satellite components at the Canadian Space Agency’s Montreal facilities

This achievement marks another important step toward getting MARMOTSat ready for space and highlights the team’s dedication to building reliable and well-tested hardware for the mission. The completion of this ahead of a system level vibration test is a critical step - if there were problems with subassemblies, completing this test now would have allowed the MARMOTSat team to issue corrective action without missing the launch. 

We would like to thank the Canadian Space Agency, and members of the mechanical group, for facilitating this test and hosting one of our team members on site. We are grateful for your support!