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THOR
Thermal and Optical Research Chamber

SDL’s THOR facility is used for thermal vacuum environmental testing and space simulation. The THOR chamber is 12' long and 8' in diameter and operates as a class-1000 or better clean facility. The 12' x 7' working volume can be expanded to accommodate a variety of sensor sizes and includes a 4' x 10' optical bench. The common rigid frame supports ancillary devices such as scene target generators, black bodies and calibration instruments. The THOR chamber’s temperature range is -200 C to +100 C. The chamber offers multiple independent targets, 10 ASA connector ports, two fields of regard, and has a base pressure of 10-6 to 10-7 Torr.

The THOR facility provides precise absolute radiometry and microradian-level characterization for optical payloads, scenario-driven evaluation of onboard processing, thermal balance of assembled payloads, and emulation of spacecraft jitter. Two smaller-scale thermal vacuum chambers are also available for vacuum bakeouts, thermal cycling and space simulation.