IEEC commissions a new thermal vacuum chamber to validate space technology in Catalonia

Today, 23 June, the new thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) was inaugurated. It has been commissioned by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), in collaboration with the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE). This infrastructure is designed for testing microsatellites, in-orbit technology demonstrators and instrumentation, and is located on the Bellaterra Campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona).

The event, led by Miquel Sàmper, Minister of Business and Labour, was attended by Teresa Sanchis, Director General for Research at the Ministry of Research and Universities; the Director of the IEEC, Xavier Luri; the Director of the IFAE, Eugenio Coccia; the Rector of the UAB, Javier Lafuente; and the Director of the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (I-CERCA), Laia Pellejà, among other institutional representatives. 

This new infrastructure is aimed at companies, agencies and research centres in the space sector that need to test satellites, subsystems or components under conditions representative of the space environment prior to launch. The TVAC is thus incorporated into the Catalonia Space Labs, expanding the testing and validation capabilities of the space sector in Catalonia.

In this regard, Minister Sàmper underlined the positive impact that this facility will have on the industrial fabric, offering competitive conditions for academic entities and companies, and reducing technical risks as well as unnecessary travel abroad to carry out these tests: “The TVAC allows us to complete an essential link in the space value chain: designing, developing, testing and validating space technologies from Catalonia. And having these capabilities, which we make available to Catalan research and companies, is what differentiates an emerging ecosystem from a mature, competitive ecosystem prepared to grow.” In this line, the Minister assured that “this infrastructure reinforces three priorities of the Catalonia Space 2030 Strategy: promoting innovation, strengthening the industry and moving towards greater technological sovereignty.” 

For her part, from the area of Research and Universities, Minister Núria Montserrat highlighted “the importance of this collaboration between centres of excellence to enhance Catalonia’s knowledge generation system.” In this sense, the Minister added that research and innovation in the space sector are “a driving force for technological, economic and social transformation, and with the commissioning of the TVAC, Catalonia sends a very clear message: we want to be present, contributing knowledge, talent and European commitment.”

The TVAC allows to reproduce high-vacuum conditions and controlled thermal cycles for the environmental validation of space components and subsystems. With an internal diameter of 1500 mm and a depth of 2200 mm, the chamber can integrate test configurations compatible with an approximate envelope of up to 800 x 1100 x 800 mm, under high-vacuum conditions of up to 1×10−6 mbar and within a thermal range from −80 °C to +100 °C, with controlled gradients of up to 1 °C per minute.

The equipment is designed to maintain stable conditions during demanding and repeatable test campaigns.