Summary of studies on ESD-induced conducted immunity test methods for spacecraft equipment and implementation into the EMC test requirements

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is one of the causes of functional failure of orbiting spacecraft. When electrical discharges occur, not only electromagnetic noise reaches the electrical units as radiated electromagnetic fields, but also the current generated by the discharge propagates through the spacecraft structure and becomes conducted noise, reaching the electronic units via spacecraft system harness. These noises are known to cause abnormal behaviour or permanent damage to electrical units. We have been studying the use of general-purpose EMC test equipment to verify immunity to conducted types of ESD originated noise. This paper presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of a new test method and an overview of a series of studies on ESD noise.