ASTEROID satcom testing platform: one of a kind

To establish and maintain a stable link with a satellite in space, an aircraft's satcom terminal must be pointing in exactly the right direction at all times — despite being subject to constant variations in altitude, velocity and direction of movement. To meet this requirement, Thales has developed a specific test platform called ASTEROID, which recreates all the movements of an aircraft in flight.

Located at Thales’s Brive facility in southwest France, ASTEROID performs the full spectrum of tests: pointing, acquisition and tracking performance, radio performance, point-to-point service quality, mechanical resistance, endurance and regression testing.

ASTEROID is the only platform of its kind for testing satcom terminals in motion. It comprises three elements:

• A simulator that recreates the movements of an aircraft in the three axes (roll, pitch and heading). Based on a wheeled trolley mounted on guide rails, it reproduces the changes of heading (yaw movements) experienced by the terminal.
• A satellite simulator with a 25-metre antenna mast used to transmit the radio signal between the terminal under test and the satellite. The terminal can also be linked directly to an actual satellite in view from Brive.
• A control station for managing the platform and ensuring everything is operating correctly.