https://deepvac.space/resources/blog Technical articles on thermal vacuum systems, space simulation, qualification testing, and TVAC engineering practice. en Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-test-campaign https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-test-campaign Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide The traceable phases of a TVAC campaign, from requirements and setup through execution, anomaly handling and the final data package. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/used-tvac-chamber-vs-new https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/used-tvac-chamber-vs-new Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT decisionSupport A used vacuum chamber can cost a fraction of a new system – or the same, once controls, contamination history and adaptation are priced in. What to check before you buy. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-cost-drivers https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-cost-drivers Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT decisionSupport The engineering choices that drive TVAC system cost: envelope, thermal concept, working pressure, interfaces, controls, documentation and lifecycle scope. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/cryo-shrouds-thermal-plates https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/cryo-shrouds-thermal-plates Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide Radiative cold sink or conductive interface? How cryo shrouds and thermal plates are built, cooled and controlled – and when your test actually needs which. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-viewports-optical-access https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-viewports-optical-access Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide From simple sight glasses to ZnSe windows for thermography and in-chamber IR cameras: how to plan optical access into a TVAC chamber – materials, ports and pitfalls. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/contamination-control-tvac https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/contamination-control-tvac Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide Molecular films and particles can quietly degrade optics, sensors and coatings during a TVAC test. How contamination arises, how QCM and RGA measure it, and how you keep a campaign clean. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/what-is-thermal-vacuum-testing https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/what-is-thermal-vacuum-testing Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT basics An engineer's introduction to thermal vacuum testing: which space conditions a TVAC chamber simulates, why hardware fails in vacuum, and where the test sits in qualification. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/vacuum-levels-explained https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/vacuum-levels-explained Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT basics The conventional vacuum ranges, how gas behaviour and equipment change with pressure, and why many thermal-vacuum specifications use the high-vacuum range. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-pumping-systems https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-pumping-systems Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide From oil-free backing pumps to turbomolecular pumps, roots boosters and cryo traps: how a TVAC pumping system is structured, sized and monitored – and which drivers actually matter. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/testing-optics-electronics-vacuum https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/testing-optics-electronics-vacuum Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT applications Electronics that run cool on the bench can overheat in vacuum, and clean-looking optics can grow molecular films. How to plan thermal vacuum tests for sensitive payloads. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/in-house-vs-external-tvac-testing https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/in-house-vs-external-tvac-testing Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT decisionSupport Own chamber or test service? The answer depends on campaign cadence, iteration speed and hidden costs on both sides. A framework for the build-or-buy decision in environmental testing. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-chamber-automation https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-chamber-automation Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide Recipe execution, safety interlocks, data logging, alarming and remote access: why reproducible TVAC testing is above all a controls property. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/ecss-tvac-standards https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/ecss-tvac-standards Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT basics How ECSS-E-ST-10-03C Rev.1, SMC-S-016 and NASA GEVS frame thermal-vacuum verification, how tailoring works and why project requirements remain binding. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-chamber-lead-time https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-chamber-lead-time Wed, 05 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT decisionSupport The delivery time of a thermal vacuum chamber is set by engineering, long-lead components and acceptance testing – and partly by you. Where the time goes and how to shorten it. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-chamber-sizing https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-chamber-sizing Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT basics Nominal litres say little: how shroud, thermal plate and fixturing shrink usable volume, which clearances matter, cubic vs cylindrical geometry – and how much growth margin is sensible. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/solar-simulation-vs-infrared https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/solar-simulation-vs-infrared Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide Solar simulators, IR lamp arrays and heater plates all impose external heat flux in a thermal vacuum chamber – with very different fidelity, cost and complexity. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-facility-requirements https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-facility-requirements Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide Floor loads, transport path, power, heat rejection, LN₂ safety, cleanliness and IT: what a facility must provide before a thermal vacuum system arrives – with a practical site checklist. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/temperature-measurement-tvac https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/temperature-measurement-tvac Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide Thermocouple or PT100? How to select, mount and calibrate temperature sensors in vacuum – and deliver traceable data for qualification tests. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/electric-propulsion-vacuum-testing https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/electric-propulsion-vacuum-testing Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT applications A firing Hall or ion thruster turns the vacuum chamber into a continuous gas-load problem. What makes electric propulsion test facilities special – and how to scope one. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/aerospace-qualification-testing https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/aerospace-qualification-testing Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide How programme-specific standards, thermal and vacuum boundaries, instrumentation and documentation shape TVAC qualification testing. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-test-types https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/tvac-test-types Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT basics Thermal vacuum cycling, thermal balance, bake-out, starts and soaks: what each TVAC test type verifies, how a typical profile looks and how qualification differs from acceptance. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/retrofit-vs-replacement https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/retrofit-vs-replacement Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT decisionSupport A condition-based framework for deciding whether to modernise an existing thermal-vacuum system or replace it. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/space-environment-simulation https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/space-environment-simulation Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT basics Vacuum, a 3 K cold sink, 1361 W/m² of sunlight: what the thermal space environment does to hardware, how TVAC chambers replicate each element – and what no chamber can do. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/helium-leak-testing-tvac https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/helium-leak-testing-tvac Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide How helium leak detection works, what leak rates in mbar·l/s actually mean, how virtual leaks differ from real ones – and when a chamber should be tested. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/outgassing-in-vacuum https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/outgassing-in-vacuum Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT basics Why materials release gas in vacuum, how ECSS outgassing screening with TML and CVCM works, which materials cause trouble – and how bake-out, QCM and RGA keep contamination under control. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/cooling-systems https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/cooling-systems Sat, 15 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT engineeringGuide How mechanical refrigeration, nitrogen-based cooling and combined concepts affect TVAC temperature range, infrastructure and operating effort. https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/cubesat-tvac-testing https://deepvac.space/resources/blog/cubesat-tvac-testing Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT applications Why thermal vacuum testing pays off even for CubeSats, what a typical campaign looks like, and how to right-size chamber and budget for 1U to 16U.