unisat

Testing Plan

Reference: ECSS-E-ST-10-02C (Verification), ECSS-E-ST-10-03C (Testing), GEVS-SE Rev. A (NASA), CubeSat Design Specification Rev. 14

1. Test Philosophy and Approach

1.1 Verification Strategy

The UniSat verification program follows a protoflight approach (combined qualification and acceptance) as standard for university CubeSats. Tests progress from component to system level:

  Component/Unit     Integration        System         Acceptance/Launch
  +-----------+    +------------+    +----------+    +----------------+
  | Software  |    | Board-to-  |    | Full     |    | Final          |
  | unit tests|--->| board comm |--->| mission  |--->| functional +   |
  | HW bench  |    | Flat-sat   |    | sim &    |    | fit check in   |
  | tests     |    | end-to-end |    | env test |    | deployer       |
  +-----------+    +------------+    +----------+    +----------------+
       V-level          V-level          V-level           V-level
       Component        Integration      System            Acceptance

1.2 Verification Methods

Method Code Usage
Test (T) T Functional verification via controlled stimuli
Analysis (A) A Verification by mathematical/simulation models
Review of Design (RD) RD Verification by inspection of documentation
Inspection (I) I Physical examination of hardware

2. Complete Test Matrix

2.1 Unit-Level Software Tests

Test ID Module Description Pass Criteria Method Status
T-001 CCSDS Packet build/parse roundtrip 100% data integrity, all fields match T Pass
T-002 CCSDS CRC-16 corruption detection Detect all single-byte bit errors (1-8 bits) T Pass
T-003 CCSDS Packet with max payload (4096 bytes) Correct length field, no overflow T Pass
T-004 CCSDS APID range validation Reject APID > 0x7FF, accept valid APIDs T Pass
T-005 CCSDS Sequence counter rollover at 16383 Counter wraps to 0, no packet loss T Pass
T-006 ADCS Quaternion normalization norm(q) = 1.0 +/- 1e-5 after 1000 operations T Pass
T-007 ADCS Euler-to-Quaternion roundtrip Error < 0.001 rad for all Euler angles T Pass
T-008 ADCS B-dot controller sign convention Dipole moment opposes dB/dt (negative correlation) T Pass
T-009 ADCS Magnetorquer duty cycle limits Output clamped to [-1.0, +1.0] T Pass
T-010 ADCS IGRF magnetic field model Match NOAA reference values +/- 100 nT T Pending
T-011 EPS MPPT duty cycle clamping 0.10 <= duty_cycle <= 0.95 T Pass
T-012 EPS Battery overcharge protection Charge disabled when any cell > 4.2V T Pass
T-013 EPS Battery overdischarge protection Load disconnect when any cell < 3.0V T Pass
T-014 EPS Power mode transition logic Correct mode entered per SOC thresholds T Pass
T-015 EPS Telemetry scaling (ADC to engineering) Voltage +/- 50mV, Current +/- 10mA of truth T Pass
T-016 Flight Config JSON loading Valid config parsed without error T Pass
T-017 Flight Config validation (missing fields) Graceful error, defaults applied T Pass
T-018 Flight Watchdog timer service WDT reset within deadline, system reset on timeout T Pass
T-019 Flight Mode manager state transitions All valid transitions succeed, invalid rejected T Pending
T-020 Ground Telemetry decode accuracy All fields match encoded values exactly T Pass
T-021 Ground Command encode/send/ack Command acknowledged within 5s timeout T Pending
T-022 Ground Pass prediction accuracy AOS/LOS within 30s of STK reference A Pending
T-023 Ground TLE parsing and propagation Position error < 5 km at 24h prediction T Pending
T-024 Payload Radiation sensor data parsing Dose rate values in expected range T Pending
T-025 Payload Camera image capture and compression JPEG output valid, size < 3 MB T Pending

2.2 Integration-Level Tests

Test ID Subsystems Description Pass Criteria Method Status
IT-001 OBC + COMM CCSDS packet TX/RX over UART Roundtrip integrity, < 1% packet loss at 9600 bps T Pending
IT-002 OBC + EPS Power telemetry pipeline ADC readings match multimeter within 2% T Pending
IT-003 OBC + ADCS Sensor data acquisition chain Magnetometer + gyro data in engineering units T Pending
IT-004 OBC + GNSS Position fix acquisition Valid fix < 60s from cold start T Pending
IT-005 OBC + Camera Image capture and storage Image saved to SD card, retrievable via cmd T Pending
IT-006 EPS + Solar MPPT tracking under lamp Power point found within 5% of V_mpp T Pending
IT-007 EPS + Battery Charge/discharge cycle CC-CV profile correct, cutoffs enforced T Pending
IT-008 COMM + GS End-to-end link (UHF) Beacon decoded at GS, command uplinked T Pending
IT-009 COMM + GS End-to-end link (S-band) Image data downlinked and reconstructed T Pending
IT-010 Full stack Flat-sat integration All subsystems communicate on shared bus T Pending
IT-011 OBC + ADCS Detumble simulation (HITL) Angular rates < 1 deg/s within 3 orbits A/T Pending
IT-012 OBC + All Safe mode entry/recovery Autonomous safe mode on low voltage, recovery T Pending

2.3 System-Level Tests

Test ID Description Pass Criteria Method Status
ST-001 Full mission simulation (24h) No anomalies, telemetry continuous T/A Pending
ST-002 Orbit + power + thermal coupled sim Energy balance positive over 24h A Pending
ST-003 Communication pass simulation > 95% packet success rate per pass T Pending
ST-004 Safe mode stress test 10 consecutive safe mode triggers, 100% recovery T Pending
ST-005 Imaging mission scenario Target acquired, image captured and downlinked T Pending
ST-006 Long-duration soak (72h powered) No memory leaks, no WDT resets, stable telemetry T Pending
ST-007 EMC self-compatibility No interference between subsystems T Pending
ST-008 Mass properties verification Mass < 4 kg, CG within CDS limits I Pending
ST-009 Dimensional fit check Fits in P-POD/deployer with > 0.5mm clearance I Pending
ST-010 Deployment mechanism test Antenna/panel deploy within 30s, 100% success (10 trials) T Pending

2.4 Acceptance-Level Tests

Test ID Description Pass Criteria Method Status
AT-001 Final functional test (pre-ship) All subsystems operational T Pending
AT-002 Deployer fit check Smooth insertion/extraction, switch activation I/T Pending
AT-003 Battery charge state verification SOC = 30-50% for launch (per launcher req.) I Pending
AT-004 Kill switch verification All power off when switches depressed T Pending
AT-005 RBF pin verification Remove-Before-Flight pin disables TX T Pending

3. Environmental Test Plan

3.1 Vibration Testing

Reference: GEVS-SE Rev. A (NASA), CDS Rev. 14

3.1.1 Random Vibration (Qualification Level)

Frequency (Hz) PSD (gĀ²/Hz) Notes
20 0.026 Start of spec
20-50 +6 dB/oct ramp Ā 
50-800 0.16 Flat plateau
800-2000 -6 dB/oct ramp Ā 
2000 0.026 End of spec
Overall 14.1 g_rms Per axis, 2 min/axis

3.1.2 Sine Vibration (if required by launcher)

Frequency Range Level Sweep Rate
5-20 Hz 1.25 g (0-pk) 2 oct/min
20-100 Hz 2.5 g (0-pk) 2 oct/min

3.1.3 Shock Spectrum (SRS)

Frequency (Hz) SRS Level (g)
100 20
1000 500
5000 1000
10000 1000

3.1.4 Vibration Test Procedure

Pre-test:
  1. Low-level sine sweep (0.5g, 5-2000 Hz) -- record resonances
  2. Functional test (abbreviated)

Qualification:
  3. Random vibration X-axis (14.1 g_rms, 2 min)
  4. Low-level sine sweep -- compare resonances (shift < 5%)
  5. Random vibration Y-axis (14.1 g_rms, 2 min)
  6. Low-level sine sweep
  7. Random vibration Z-axis (14.1 g_rms, 2 min)
  8. Low-level sine sweep

Post-test:
  9. Full functional test
  10. Visual inspection (no loose fasteners, no damage)

Pass criteria:
  - No resonance frequency shift > 5%
  - Full functional pass
  - No visible damage or loose components

3.2 Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) Testing

Reference: ECSS-Q-ST-70-04C

3.2.1 Test Profile

Parameter Protoflight Level
Hot extreme +70C (qual range)
Cold extreme -30C (qual range)
Vacuum level < 1e-5 mbar
Number of cycles 4 (protoflight)
Dwell time per extreme 2 hours minimum
Ramp rate 1-3 C/min
Total test duration ~48 hours

3.2.2 TVAC Test Procedure

Phase 1: Pump-down and Bakeout
  1. Install satellite on thermal plate in vacuum chamber
  2. Connect all telemetry monitoring harnesses
  3. Pump down to < 1e-5 mbar
  4. Bakeout at +50C for 8 hours (outgassing)
  5. Baseline functional test

Phase 2: Thermal Cycling (4 cycles)
  6. Ramp to hot extreme (+70C) at 2C/min
  7. Dwell 2 hours -- full functional test during dwell
  8. Ramp to cold extreme (-30C) at 2C/min
  9. Dwell 2 hours -- full functional test during dwell
  10. Repeat steps 6-9 for cycles 2-4

Phase 3: Thermal Balance
  11. Stabilize at +20C (thermal balance test point)
  12. Record all temperatures at steady state (drift < 1C/hr)
  13. Compare with thermal model predictions

Phase 4: Repressurization
  14. Final functional test in vacuum at ambient temp
  15. Slow repressurization with dry N2
  16. Post-test functional test at ambient

Pass criteria:
  - All functional tests pass at both extremes
  - Thermal model correlation within +/- 5C
  - No condensation or outgassing issues
  - Battery temp maintained > 0C by heater

3.3 EMC/EMI Testing

Reference: ECSS-E-ST-20-07C (EMC), MIL-STD-461G

Test Standard Requirement Notes
RE102 (radiated emissions) MIL-STD-461G Emissions below limits 10 kHz - 18 GHz Protects GS and co-passengers
CE102 (conducted emissions) MIL-STD-461G Conducted on power lines < limits EPS bus quality
Self-compatibility Custom No subsystem interferes with another UHF RX during S-band TX
Antenna pattern (UHF) Custom Gain > -3 dBi over > 80% of sphere Monopole verification
Antenna pattern (S-band) Custom Gain > 3 dBi within +/- 60 deg Patch antenna boresight

3.4 Mechanical Testing

Test Requirement Method
Mass measurement < 4.0 kg Precision scale (+/- 1g)
CG measurement Within CDS limits Multi-axis balance or pendulum
Dimensional check 100x100x340.5mm +/- 0.1mm CMM or calipers
Rail surface roughness Ra < 1.6 um Profilometer
Deployment test (antenna) Deploys within 30s, 10/10 trials Burn-wire trigger in ambient + TVAC
Deployment test (solar panel) Deploys within 30s, 10/10 trials Spring mechanism verification

4. Test Procedure Template

4.1 Generic Test Procedure Format

+============================================================+
| TEST PROCEDURE: [Test ID] - [Test Name]                     |
+============================================================+
| Version: 1.0          | Date: YYYY-MM-DD                   |
| Author:               | Reviewer:                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| OBJECTIVE:                                                  |
|   [What this test verifies]                                 |
|                                                             |
| PREREQUISITES:                                              |
|   [ ] Equipment list and calibration status                 |
|   [ ] Software version and configuration                    |
|   [ ] Environmental conditions (temp, humidity)             |
|   [ ] Safety briefing completed                             |
|                                                             |
| SETUP:                                                      |
|   1. [Setup step 1]                                         |
|   2. [Setup step 2]                                         |
|                                                             |
| PROCEDURE:                                                  |
|   Step | Action              | Expected Result | Actual    |
|   -----|---------------------|-----------------|-----------|
|   1    | [Action]            | [Expected]      | [Record]  |
|   2    | [Action]            | [Expected]      | [Record]  |
|                                                             |
| PASS/FAIL CRITERIA:                                         |
|   PASS: [All criteria met]                                  |
|   FAIL: [Any criterion not met] -> NCR (Non-Conformance)   |
|                                                             |
| SIGNATURES:                                                 |
|   Test Operator: _____________ Date: ________              |
|   Test Witness:  _____________ Date: ________              |
|   QA Approval:   _____________ Date: ________              |
+============================================================+

4.2 Example: Battery Charge Test Procedure

TEST PROCEDURE: IT-007 - Battery Charge/Discharge Cycle
----------------------------------------------------------
OBJECTIVE: Verify EPS charges battery in CC-CV profile with correct cutoffs

PREREQUISITES:
  [ ] Lab power supply (0-20V, 0-5A)
  [ ] Digital multimeter (calibrated)
  [ ] Thermal chamber (or ambient 22+/-3C)
  [ ] EPS board powered and telemetry active
  [ ] Battery at 30% SOC initial state

PROCEDURE:
  Step 1: Connect solar simulator input at V_mpp = 6V, I_sc = 1A
  Step 2: Monitor battery voltage via EPS telemetry (1 Hz logging)
  Step 3: Verify CC mode: charge current = 0.5C +/- 10% (1.7A +/- 0.17A)
  Step 4: Record transition to CV mode at V_cell = 4.15V +/- 0.05V
  Step 5: Verify charge termination at I_taper < 100mA
  Step 6: Verify final V_cell = 4.20V +/- 0.02V per cell
  Step 7: Apply load (2A). Verify discharge cutoff at V_cell = 3.0V +/- 0.05V
  Step 8: Verify load switch opens within 100ms of cutoff

PASS CRITERIA: All steps within tolerance, no overshoot, no oscillation

5. CI/CD Pipeline

5.1 Automated Test Stages

Trigger Tests Run Timeout Required to Pass
On push (any branch) Unit tests, ruff lint, mypy type check 5 min Yes (for merge)
On PR to main Full test suite + firmware build (arm-none-eabi-gcc) 15 min Yes
On merge to main Full suite + coverage report + build artifacts 20 min Yes
On release tag All above + documentation PDF generation 30 min Yes
Nightly (scheduled) Extended soak tests (simulation 1000 orbits) 2 hours No (report only)

5.2 Test Coverage Targets

Module Current Coverage Target Notes
CCSDS protocol 92% > 90% Well-tested
ADCS algorithms 85% > 80% Mathematical functions
EPS logic 78% > 80% Needs more edge cases
Flight controller 65% > 70% Complex state machine
Ground station 55% > 70% UI testing is hard
Overall 72% > 70% Meeting target

6. Test Schedule

Phase Activity Duration Dependencies
Phase 1 Unit + Integration SW tests Months 1-6 SW development
Phase 2 Board-level functional testing Months 4-8 PCB fabrication
Phase 3 Flat-sat integration Months 7-10 All boards available
Phase 4 Environmental testing (vib + TVAC) Months 10-12 Assembled flight model
Phase 5 EMC testing Month 12 After env tests
Phase 6 Acceptance + deployer fit Month 13 Deployer available
Phase 7 Pre-ship review + battery charge Month 14 All tests complete

7. Non-Conformance Management

When a test fails:

  1. Document the failure in a Non-Conformance Report (NCR)
  2. Analyze root cause (5-Why analysis)
  3. Disposition: Use-As-Is / Repair / Rework / Scrap
  4. Retest after corrective action
  5. Close NCR with evidence of successful retest

8. References

This site is open source. Improve this page.