Spacecraft such as satellites that pursue various missions in space are launched by a launch vehicle after “designed”, “manufactured”, and “tested”. They go through extremely severe environments during launch and in space. To help them perform successfully even in such severe environments, it is imperative to verify their endurance, functions, and performances in environmental tests on ground. And it is our responsibility at the Environmental Test Technology Unit to support the successes of those “tests”.
Environmental Test Technology Unit is in charge of Japan’s largest facilities to perform various environmental tests, being engaged in the maintenance and management of the facilities so that they can be made available to users in their best conditions. We have also been executing researches and developments on test technologies to establish more effective and efficient maintenance or testing methods suitable for the facilities, based on the new assessment methods or environment prediction techniques derived from the technologies accumulated through the tests having been performed at JAXA.
By supporting increasingly diverse and challenging spacecraft missions with those test technologies, the Environmental Test Technology Unit is striving for maximizing Japan’s R & D achievements, while creating new values with broader prospects to respond to mankind’s expectations. We are also promoting the leasing service of the well-maintained test facilities and our test technologies established through spacecraft developments as one of the ways to make them contributable to society.
