A method for controlling liquid coolant temperature for thermal stabilization of a spacecraft and considerations for design of environmental test chambers using this method

The paper discusses a method for controlling the temperature of a coolant used for spacecraft liquid-based thermal stabilization, which makes it possible to feed to the item that is being thermally stabilized a liquid coolant at an exact preset temperature, with the capability to control the range of deviation from the preset value. The paper describes a liquid-based thermostatting facility for thermal vacuum tests that implements this method. The operational results of such facilities demonstrate the feasibility of using the proposed proven method in the development of environmental test chambers for various purposes. Taking as an example the KI-series Frigodesign® environmental chambers, the paper discusses the key factors driving the cost and power requirements for such chambers, as well as describes some of them that were developed for testing articles at temperatures ranging from -100 to +70 °C.