Case Study: Réaltra Space Systems Engineering
Réaltra is an Irish company dedicated to the design, development and manufacture of cost-effective space electronic systems, using cutting-edge technologies.
As part of the space product design verification and qualification process, Réaltra required assistance from a testing company that had the expertise and capability to test ‘Upstream’ space products in representative space mechanical environments.
Due to the rugged nature of the products that Réaltra are testing and the critical applications and niche market that they operated in, they needed to ensure a high-quality, reliable testing service was executed to meet the very challenging time scales and high standards needed to meet the space programme test requirements.
All products that are used on space launchers need to undergo a rigorous “qualification” test campaign, which validate that the design can survive the harsh environments of the launch and space with sufficient margin. This process involves rigorous testing by experienced and knowledgeable personnel to ensure the tests are completed to the required space industry standards.
Réaltra Space Systems Engineering selected the team at Resonate Testing due to their outstanding reputation and as a recognised Centre of Excellence in space mechanical testing in Ireland, as well as their ability to service customers across a range of sectors and their extensive expertise on the various testing processes. Réaltra required test conditions that would replicate the real-life mechanical environment that their products experienced during a launch. This included high-level vibration tests to simulate the intense launch conditions as well as complex shock testing to replicate the launcher stage separation events.
Choosing Resonate Testing for their range of projects enabled Réaltra to ensure continuity of their space product testing during the Covid-19 pandemic. As well as being located only one hour from Réaltra’s headquarters in Dublin, Resonate Testing Ltd also very conveniently offers high-quality live video-streaming capabilities, which ensured that the testing programme continued successfully during the Covid-19 lockdown, when personal travel was restricted .
The space equipment test activity that started as a pilot project for Réaltra Space Systems Engineering has now grown into a collaborative and successful partnership with Resonate Testing. Speaking about the partnership, Danny Gleeson, Chief Commercial Office at Réaltra Space Systems said, “We contacted Resonate Testing Ltd as they had been recommended for their expertise and reputation for delivering high-quality testing, excellent customer service, reliability and flexibility. Our experience with Tom, Steven and the whole team at Resonate has been excellent and we have found truly collaborative and innovative space test partners who have delivered innovative test solutions and enabled us to deliver on time to our customers while operating with the challenges of the Covid-19 restrictions. With Resonate’s state-of-the-art technology, and collaborative attitude they made the testing process extremely straightforward and convenient for Réaltra. We are looking forward to continuing our work with Resonate Testing in future projects.”