Operational Characterization System and Communication Interface for Microelectromechanical (MEM) and Passive Thermal Switches for the MidSTAR Satellite Program

This paper describes an experimental control and test system for microelectromechanical (MEM) and passive thermal switches to be tested on MidSTAR, a small satellite built and operated by the United States Naval Academy. The system has two components: an external unit that contains the devices under test as well as heaters and sensors, and an internal unit that controls the switches, monitors their performance, and communicates with the Command and Data Handling (C&DH) unit of the satellite. This paper discusses the design of both the internal and external unit, and the testing protocol.