Test System for Evaluation of Spacecraft Command Distribution Hardware

Abstract Telecommand system is a vital link between ground station and on-board system. In order to carry out the comprehensive testing of command distribution hardware that decodes and generates pulse/level signals to command the subsystem in Spacecraft, it is necessary to have a testing unit. This paper deals with development of test platform for testing, evaluating and qualifying a new Application Specific Integrated Circuit design for telecommand distribution. Test platform can test both the card level and package level of telecommand package. Test platform can be able to test the Telecommand system thoroughly, providing the required stimulus and capturing all the responses of the system. Test platform evaluates the new Application Specific Integrated Circuits by providing the capability to generate exhaustive test cases for positive and negative test. It also caters for testing all the future command distribution cards realized using the new Application Specific Integrated Circuit. The test platform is to detect and acquire the commands from on-board hardware and evaluate its performance. This paper describes the design and development of test platform in detail. Keywords: Telecommand, Spacecraft, ASIC, testing unit.