Virtual reality in satellite integration and testing

In the satellite integration and verification process, test engineers tend to use a set of traditional methods like synoptics and direct telemetry inspection to assess significant measurements of the Equipment Under Test. The definition and implementation of this synoptics are not straightforward and imply a considerable effort as well as knowledge of the complete environment. Here we present an advanced Virtual Reality-based tool that provides a synoptic representation that, complementing the existing test-bench interfaces, links the test parameters with the satellite physical layout, reducing the synoptic design stage. Thanks to the strong coherence between the engineering CAD model and the real satellite, the representation is accurate but not affected by the complexity associated to parameter measures. The versatility and configurability of this approach allows to apply this virtual reality tool in many integration, validation and test use cases - as demonstrated by the presented prototype - while opening to further development and applications.