Rovsing is the test tool box for satellites

Since 1992 Rovsing has been a European market leader when it comes to the testing of just about anything with power on satellites from around a couple of hundred kilos to multiple tons. Headquartered in the outskirts of Copenhagen the company’s main business is in Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) & test systems for satellites and their payloads, EGSE electronic products and their embedded software & firmware. CEO Hjalti P. Thorvardarson adds:

- In addition to our self-developed and manufactured systems Rovsing also offers prime Contractor’s support with engineering services, e.g. Independent Software Validation and Verification, Quality Assurance, Configuration Management and Customer Support. I believe it’s fair to say that Rovsing is the toolbox you need if you want to be sure that your satellite works as expected.

Simulation is key
All the world’s leading space companies are among Rovsing’s customers. NASA and ESA are also appreciating the services of the Danish companies that recently was involved in the extensive testing of the new European Service Module (ESM) for the upcoming Artemis-1 flight around the moon.　

- A lot of the work we do is to simulate what happens to a spacecraft in orbit, the Rovsing CEO explains. - E.g. our Battery Simulator that simulates the source and sink characteristics of the on-board battery or the Solar Array Simulator that simulates the characteristics of the S/C Solar Arrays. Both allows widespread testing and validation without the need for the actual battery or the actual Solar Arrays.

Rovsing delivers systems for complete satellite or satellite subsystem testing and has developed a modular test system architecture, based on modules developed by Rovsing for most common space interfaces. CEO Hjalti Thorvardarson elaborates:

- With a modular approach Rovsing offers a dedicated test system by configuration of the modular architecture, installation of monitoring and control software, as well as test definition and scheduling software as required. Besides reduced development time, this has the advantage that the system to a large extent consists of elements that have been validated on previous missions.

Even more modular
Rovsing is the Danish partner in Industrial Participation development projects with both Lockheed Martin and Boeing and they play a vital role in the company’s access to the US market. On a European level the Danish company has been working close with ESA and European prime contractors for years and the European Space Administration is by far the biggest customer and partner in developing new technologies. The CEO expects that market to continue with growth but new business opportunities are also on the horizon:

- The satellite market will continue growing and our focus for the coming years is for example the new Copernicus satellite systems and next generation of the Galileo navigation satellites. Also we have new test systems developments in the pipeline. In the big picture we see a growing requirement for more capable satellites at a constant reducing price and schedule which requires Rovsing to be even better at modular test systems, Hjalti P. Thorvardarson finishes.