Space Combined Effects Primary Test & Research (SCEPTRE) Facility

The Space Combined Effects Primary Test & REsearch (SCEPTRE) Facility is the only U.S. Air Force-owned facility designed specifically for testing and qualification of spacecraft thermal control coating materials. This facility is located at the Wright-Patterson AFB in the Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, and is staffed by employees of UDRI.

Testing at the facility is performed in accordance with the guidelines established by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), E 512-94 Standard Practice for Combined, Simulated Space Environment Testing of Thermal Control Materials with Electromagnetic and Particulate Radiation.  The system can provide synergistic ultraviolet (UV), vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), and electron radiation environments similar to those experienced by satellites orbiting in mid-to-high earth orbits.  In addition, the system has the ability to perform in situ measurements of sample back-face temperature and in vacuo reflectance as a function of wavelength. 

To discuss your testing needs for space applications, please contact Cliff Cerbus. Cliff has over 15 years of experience managing and operating the SCEPTRE Facility.

Thermal control specimens are inspected in the SCEPTRE vacuum system after space simulation testing.