The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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ESA and the National Physical Laboratory in the UK have developed a novel 3D imaging approach for spacecraft testing, building up a complete spacecraft shape from a network of thermal cameras.
The vacuum of space is a place where it is possible to be hot and cold at the same time, with for instance one face in sunlight and others in the shade. The challenge for mission designers is to keep their spacecraft operating amid such simultaneous temperature extremes.
Thermal vacuum testing recreates such a situation on the ground: placed inside vacuum chambers, test spacecraft undergo prolonged exposure to the nothingness of space and a wide range of temperatures. Thermal imaging cameras play an important role in gathering contactless data on spacecraft surfaces, along with thermal sensors embedded within the spacecraft interior.
The project was supported through ESA’s Technology Development Element, exploring promising new ideas for space.