Alcatel Alenia Space Italia qualifies space systems with LMS Test.Lab

LMS, the engineering innovation company, announced that Alcatel Alenia Space Italia (Rome, Italy) recently deployed LMS Test.Lab Environmental to perform vibration qualification tests on satellites, launch systems, space infrastructures and other space assemblies. The deployment includes a 64-channel vibration control system and a 24-channel structural testing system at the Rome development site, and a 24-channel vibration control system at the L’Aquila site. Alcatel Alenia Space Italia selected the LMS Test.Lab system for its ease of use, proven measurement accuracy, and extensive analysis and reporting capabilities. LMS Test.Lab’s real-time acquisition and analysis capabilities support Alcatel Alenia Space Italia engineers in closely controlling the test, getting results instantly, and avoiding risk of damage to expensive space flight hardware.

Alcatel Alenia Space is an affiliate of Alcatel (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%), and brings together the vast experience and know-how of Alcatel Space and Alenia Spazio to form a new leading force in European space technology. Alcatel Alenia Space positions itself as a leader in satellite systems and orbit infrastructures, and develops space systems for a broad range of applications: from navigation to telecommunications, from meteorology to environmental monitoring, from defence to science and observation.

The development of satellites and other complex space systems at Alcatel Alenia Space involves extensive testing campaigns to validate the performance of a design against rigorous requirements. Severe testing is applied to verify if the satellite and sensitive payloads can actually withstand extreme shock and vibration loading during liftoff, flight, and deployment. The LMS Test.Lab system supports Alcatel Alenia Space Italia in testing how space assemblies respond to the variety of extreme loading conditions. LMS Test.Lab constantly matches the response of the test assembly against predefined load profiles by means of a closed-loop vibration control system. Online data acquisition and analysis capabilities allow the Alcatel Alenia Space Italia test engineers to efficiently detect weak spots in assembly under testing.

“Lengthy test campaigns performed on spacecraft assemblies and components are easily captured by LMS Test.Lab’s intuitive and process-centric workbook concept,” commented Mr. Natalino Carli, Responsible of the Rome Test Facility - Satellite Integration Area, Alcatel Alenia Space Italia. “The Test.Lab system guides our test engineers through the different steps of the testing procedure, from initial setup, through the actual test and data acquisition, up until the analysis of the test and the final reporting. This results in a strongly increased productivity, minimal training requirements and repeatable test procedures with maximum data consistency.”

According to Mr. Carli, the use of the LMS Test.Lab systems allows Alcatel Alenia Space Italia to perform real-time processing over a large number of measurement channels and therefore to characterize assemblies in greater detail. LMS Test.Lab monitors the vibration levels of critical assembly components in real-time. This allows Alcatel Alenia Space Italia to prevent over-testing of the expensive hardware and to avoid any form of damage that could cause a lengthy delay of the space mission.

“Space programs typically involve a large number of partners and suppliers of components and sub systems. To secure a fast turnaround of the extensive test procedures, we have to quickly pinpoint weak parts in the space assembly, and to efficiently report the massive amount of test data. LMS Test.Lab effectively responds to this need, with batch plotting of all test data immediately after the test and flexible reporting and active pictures capabilities to generate predefined or customized reports with Microsoft Office tools,” explained Mr. Natalino Carli. “Overall, the LMS Test.Lab system strongly increased the efficiency of performing environmental test campaigns at Alcatel Alenia Space Italia, from the initial test setup up until the crucial sharing and communicating of test results with partners and suppliers.”

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About LMS:

LMS is an engineering innovation partner for companies in the automotive, aerospace and other advanced manufacturing industries. LMS enables its customers to get better products faster to market, and to turn superior process efficiency to their strategic competitive advantage. LMS delivers a unique combination of virtual simulation software, testing systems, and engineering services. We are focused on the mission critical performance attributes in key manufacturing industries, including structural integrity, handling, safety, reliability, comfort and sound quality. Through our technology, people and over 25 years of experience, LMS has become the partner of choice for most of the leading discrete manufacturing companies worldwide. LMS, a Dassault Systèmes Gold Partner, is certified to ISO9001:2000 quality standards and operates through a network of subsidiaries and representatives in key locations around the world.

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Bruno Massa 
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