This guide is meant as an introduction to the scope of testing required for HERON Mk II. The intent of this guide is two-fold. Firstly, it should serve to bring new members quickly up to speed regarding the state and remaining items required for testing. Secondly, it should serve as a reference for future missions (cough FINCH cough) as they create their own testing plans.
Any acronyms or other uncommon words used in this document are captured in the table below, along with a brief description. If you come across a word you don't know while reading this guide, please add a new table row and one of the senior members will fill out the definition when they come across it.
| Acronym/Word | Definition | Is this commonly used outside of UTAT? |
|---|---|---|
| Artefact | A document, drawing, report, table or similar which we produce as a formal deliverable for the mission. In essence, it is a record of work done and there are certain artefacts we are required to provide before launch. | Yes, this is a common industry term. |
| CGP | Canada's Controlled Goods Program. Our equivalent of ITAR in the United States, but slightly less draconian. | Yes, most aerospace companies in Canada have CGP controlled information. |
| ITAR | International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Regulation in the United States to control the export of military and defense related information. Any ITAR controlled information can only be accessed by members of our team who have been approved and signed a mutual NDA with UTAT Space Systems. In general, ITAR is a far-reaching set of regulations which make it difficult for non-US born citizens to access certain classes of information, and is considered to be a pain in the back. | Yes, ITAR generally affects the space industry as a whole. |
| Protoflight | A higher-risk test campaign where a single flight unit is produced, as opposed to a full qualification campaign where a qualification and flight unit are produced. In a full qualification campaign, a "qual" unit is tested to above the maximum predicted environment (MPE) to validate design margins and performance. A second flight/acceptance unit is then created and tested to either the MPE or slightly above to verify unit workmanship. A protoflight test campaign will generally test to levels between qualification and acceptance, and carries higher risk because only a single flight unit is produced. | Yes, these terms are known in industry. |
| ITU | ||
The following is a list of resources which help to explain or expand upon the information contained in this doc, along with a brief description of each. In general, if you're looking for more documents to peruse please check out the Document Master List.
Any internal released documents will be in the Space Systems Drive under /Systems/07 System Documents. Any internal restricted documents will be in the restricted drive, which is controlled to meet export regulations around ITAR controlled information. You must request access to this folder.
| Document | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| SS-HERON-0002 | Structural verification plan. Outlines all structural testing which will be performed on HERON Mk. II | Restricted |
| SS-HERON-0003 | Thermal vacuum bakeout and cleanliness control plan. Outlines the plan for thermal vacuum bakeout and handling of the satellite post-bakeout | Internal |
| SS-HERON-0004 | Pressure vessel test plan. Details the plan for qualifying the pressure vessel seal | Internal |
| SS-HERON-0005 | TVAC test plan. Details the plan for confirming the insulation effectiveness, magnet adhesion in vacuum and pressure vessel seal. | Internal |
| SS-HERON-0010 | A guide to flight software deployment on HERON Mk. II. | Internal (located under 04 Design Documentation) |
| SS-HERON-0014 | Electrical acceptance test plan. Details the plan for verifying electrical subsystem functionality ahead of launch | Internal |
| HERON Summer Timeline | Detailed timeline of remaining activities required for HERON Mk. II ahead of hand-off. Overall offset (i.e. when the period begins) is flexible based on lab access. | /Systems/05 Internal/Timelines |
| Verification Matrix Heron | List of all artefacts we are required to provide to Spaceflight Industries before hand-off. If a document is on this list, it must be provided to Spaceflight. If it's not on this list, it does not need to be provided. | Internal |
| Interface Control Document (ICD) | Access controlled and managed by Spaceflight Industries. However, it is a complete list of requirements we must meet as part of our agreement. There is a working copy of the ICD available under the root of the restricted drive under the title "Overall Satellite Requirements" | Spaceflight Jama Portal |
The purpose of testing is two-fold: