ICO S-BAND ANTENNAS TEST PROGRAM

摘要

The four antenna subsystems on each of the twelve ICO satellites, includes two eight foot diameter S-Band active arrays, driven by a digital signal processor (DSP). These phased arrays, each consisting of a triangular lattice arrangement of 127 radiating elements, must be tested for functionality and workmanship, before being integrated onto the spacecraft. With a two-month center to center delivery requirement, standard fabrication and test procedures had to be modified and automated in order to meet schedule without compromising the traditional conservative approach for performance verification. This discussion of the ICO S-Band test program includes descriptions of the nearfield testing, Field Aperture Probe tests, and other tests related to EMI problems (such as transmit to receive isolation and PIM) on the spacecraft, as well as a brief description of the PC-BFN, a rack of special test equipment designed to allow testing of the passive array without the satellite DSP. Emphasis is given to the design of tests compatible with a mass production environment.