Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) testing
Ultraviolet exposure under vacuum ages coatings, optics and thermal-control materials in ways that ground-level testing can't reproduce. TS-Space Systems offers vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) testing and accelerated coating ageing on a chamber we designed and built ourselves for the ESA Solar Orbiter mission — and have continued to upgrade at our customers' request in the years since.
Built for Solar Orbiter
Our vacuum UV facility was purpose-built by TS-Space for Solar Orbiter, one of the most demanding solar-exposure environments ESA has flown. Because we designed and built it, we understand it completely and can reconfigure it for new coating and materials campaigns rather than working around a fixed instrument.
What we can do
Accelerated ageing under vacuum UV. The chamber is equipped with deuterium and xenon sources for accelerated ageing of coatings and materials under vacuum.
Temperature-controlled exposure. The specimen mounts on a temperature-controlled platen carried on an XYZ+J manipulator, so samples can be positioned and aged at their operating temperature.
Optical measurement without breaking vacuum. Provision is made to measure relative reflectivity of a sample in situ — at the operating temperature and without venting — so you capture how properties change as the material ages, not just before and after.
Oil-free. A magnetically levitated turbomolecular pump with a scroll backing pump keeps the system oil-free throughout.
Why use TS-Space for your VUV testing?
Genuine mission heritage — the apparatus was designed and built by us for a flown ESA mission, not adapted from a general-purpose rig. As such we can modify feedthroughs, make additional support equipment and adapt the way a chamber runs to suit your hardware — flexibility most third-party test houses can't offer.
We own and understand the hardware — so exposures, fixturing and instrumentation can be tailored to your coating or material.
In-situ optical data — reflectance measured at temperature, under vacuum.
Easy to work with. With decades of experience we understand that testing can be stressful enough as it is. We don’t load you with onerous forms and paperwork, we just want to help you get the job done and on time.
“TS Space Sytems is a very competent and professional company. They always provided us with results and advised us on the best technical solutions to achieve our testing needs. They always looked forward to improve and develop processes to meet our stringent requirements.”
