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Steamlined Integration and Test

Wallops Payload Processing Facility

As both a launch range and a flight project organization, Wallops offers the opportunity to design, build, test, and fly flight hardware with in-house facilities. SLVR will leverage Wallops in-house capabilities to simplify and reduce the time and cost associated with preparing individual experiments, integrating multiple environments onto a spacecraft carrier, integrating the carrier with a launch vehicle, and performing the mission.

The baseline approach is for experiments to be developed at researcher and student home facilities in parallel with a carrier being developed and tested at Wallops. Experiments will be shipped to Wallops for integration and test with the host center, while the launch vehicle is prepared in a neighboring facility. Upon completion, the integrated carrier and experiments are integrated with the launch vehicle and moved to the launch site.

Building F-7 Payload Highbay

Accomplishing all of these activities at a common site reduces the time and risk involved with multiple packaging and shipment exercises. It also brings the key individuals involved with the experiments, carrier, launch vehicle, and launch range to interact more frequently and earlier in the preparation process.

Experiment, carrier, and encapsulated payload integration and test can utilize Building F-7, the new Payload Processing Facility, and other facilities at Wallops.

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