Payload Lab is the place to start the design and implementation of new electronics instruments for groundbased and spaceborne observatories. It is equipped with standard instrumentation (multimeters, oscilloscopes, reworking stations...) and high-end instrumentation for the development of ultra-stable electronics (millihertz) up to microwave frequencies (20 GHz). The laboratory is equipped with very stable low frequency (mHz) and microwave equipment (GHz): signal generators, spectrum analyzers and high-speed oscilloscopes.

Clean Room 1 is an ISO 8 category facility, a multipurpose space mainly devoted to hardware manipulation according to ECSS quality standards and long term storage of Engineering Models and Flight hardware. Continuous particulate counts show that the clean room normally satisfies the ISO-7 – Class 10.000 standard.

A laminar flux cabinet placed inside the clean room ensures ISO 5 conditions within its working space.

A portable spectrum analyzer (FPH-20, Rohde-Schwarz) allows to measure RF spectrums up to 20 GHz.

A vectorial network analyzer (ZNB-20, Rohde-Schwarz) allows to characterize (S-parameters) microwave circuits up to 20 GHz.

The six axes metrological arm (Hexagon Absolute Arm Compact 8512 with the ISO 10360-2 certificate) can characterize mechanical systems with 20 micro-meter precision within a 1.2 m measuring distance. The measurement arm is located on top of a flatness table made on Granite (grade 0). The maximum permissible error for length measurement is less than 6 microns. Wireless measurements are possible and an integrated analysis software to interpret results is available. In addition, the software allows making comparisons between measurements and a CAD design in one of these formats IGES, DXF, DWG, STEP203, STEP 214.  This setup is placed insided our ISO-8 clean room laboratory.

Facility mounted in a breadboard to calibrate detectors in the extended visible range (300 – 1100 nm). All the facility, with the detector to be calibrated, can be installed in our optical bench (size: 1.5 x 2.5 m).

The Nikon autocollimator model 6D-LED, is a device used to determine the tilt of optical flat surfaces and/or for the alignment of these elements. The collimator, with its support, can be installed on our optical bench (size: 1.5 x 2.5 m).

The Zygo Verifire interferometer performs high precision optical measurements of optical elements. This instrument is installed in our optical bench (size: 1.5 x 2.5 m).

The Microscopy laboratory is an ISO 8 category clean room. Its main purpose is to manipulate and study space returned samples and meteorite samples. It is a key lab to characterize new meteorites recovered or found accross the world. It is equipped with a ZEISS Axio Scope A1 microscope, that is fully automatized to build high-resolution mosaics of thin and thick sections of the materials under study in reflected and transmitted light mode. Magnifications in the range 25X to 500X are possible.  Sample thickness shall be few cm thick to allow for focus. Thin samples (about 20 micrometers) can be analyzed using transmitted and polarized light. The laboratory is also equipped with binocular magnifiers, step-by-step heaters and weight scales.

A reflow soldering oven HR-10 allows for soldering of printed circuit boards up to a size of (300 x 200 x 55 mm). The desired temperature profile can be adjusted and programmed to the specific needs of the board (maximum temperature 260 ºC).We have also a manual stencil printer to reliably apply the soldering paste on top of the PCB prior to soldering it.The oven does also allow lower temperature profiles with a duration of up to 24 h for curing applications.

The Ultimaker S3 printer has a maximum printing volume of 230 x 190 x 200 mm (XYZ). It has a layer resolution between 20 and 200 microns (for a nozzle diameter of 0.4 mm). It is compatible with more than 110 materials. Equipped with a PolyBox to control the relative humidity of the filament. We have a wide variety of filaments: PVA (soluble in water), PCA (high-resistance and innofugo material), TPU (flexible material).

The Temperature Control System is composed by an Air Temperature Control Unit (ATCU) and a laminar flow air distribution subsytem (ADS). This system injects a laminar flow of highly stable temperature-controlled air into a cabin, where experiments and measurements requiring high temperature stability can be performed. The system guarantees that temperature is kept stable within ±5 mK thanks to a  closed loop control. The cabin has two independent chambers of  1.5 x 2 x 2m where different experiments can run independently in condition of high stability.  

Vacuum chamber of 350 mm x 300 mm x 350 mm size, with a thermal plate to set the desire temperature of the device under test (DUT). The chamber allocates different feedthroughs for measurement and control. The ultimate achievable vacuum is 3 10-2 mbar, while the temperature can be adjusted between -50 °C and 200 °C (using the Julabo refrigerated / heating circulator, model FP50-HL). Thermal cycling measurements with a rate of  5 °C/3 min and temperature stability of ±0.01 °C are possible. Working bath fluid is Thermal G which allows measurements in the range of -30 °C to 80 °C. Extended temperature ranges can be provided on request.

With the SpaceBridge, Link Analyzer and Conformance Tester modules of the SpaceWire validation system, which we have in our facilities, it is possible to verify, test and validate the correct communications between different modules/subsystems in equipment intended to work in space, such as research satellites, communication... Validations recognized and accepted by the vast majority of space agencies.