TAS-F antenna power and multipaction testing capabilities

This paper presents recent developments of Thales Alenia Space Antenna Power Test Means. Due to the telecommunication satellite payloads RF power increase and its consequence over the space antennas that must handle the relating power, new power test means must be developed or existing ones must be up-graded. Power test means cover power handling, passive intermodulation products and multipaction testing capabilities. First of all RF power injection sub-system must answer to the test power needs. That means power amplifiers number increase with power combiners to be designed and manufactured and/or development of dedicated solutions based on frequency selective ring resonator. An example of this last alternative will be presented in the case of a multipaction test required in the frame of a recent Ku-band antenna program. The power required at device under test interface was greater than 8 kW to offer sufficient margin relating to an antenna primary feed qualification model. To minimize thermal constraints over test bench components by reducing RF average power, pulsed mode has been performed. It also has to be noted that a new radiated RF power splitter inside the thermal/vacuum chamber has been developed to be capable of handling this kind of new power needs. For this test multipaction detection methods studied and validated in the frame of TCS21 CNES studies and compatible with ECSS standard have been operated. In 2013, power injection has been still increased up to 11 kW in Ku-band pulsed mode in the frame of a payload output diplexer multipaction testing for a current Telecom Program need. Moreover in 2013, a multipaction testing has been performed in Ka-band in the frame of an ARTES5 antenna study. The power achieved at the DUT input was near 6 kW. The paper presents for above tests, the test configuration and obtained results.