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Case Study

Large Thermal Vacuum System for Aerospace Hardware Qualification

72" DIA × 110" L Frontier Thermal Vacuum System with LN₂ Cold Finger, Electrically Heated Platen & Roll-Out Shelf

Large aerospace hardware must be validated under the vacuum and temperature extremes it will experience in space before launch. Thermal vacuum testing helps verify performance, reliability, and mission readiness by recreating the environmental conditions encountered in orbit.

The Challenge

A customer required a thermal vacuum system capable of testing large aerospace hardware under simulated space conditions. The solution needed to support demanding aerospace qualification testing while improving efficiency and repeatability.

Key requirements included:

  • Accommodate large aerospace components and assemblies
  • Simulate the vacuum environment encountered in space
  • Perform controlled thermal cycling across the test article
  • Maintain a clean, high-vacuum testing environment
  • Simplify loading and unloading of heavy hardware
  • Automate testing for consistent, repeatable results

Our Solution

LACO engineered a custom 72″ DIA × 110″ L Frontier Thermal Vacuum System designed specifically for large-scale aerospace testing. The completed system combines high-vacuum performance, precise thermal control, and operator-friendly features to streamline environmental testing of large flight hardware.

System highlights include:

  • 72″ DIA × 110″ L stainless steel thermal vacuum chamber
  • Electrically heated platen for controlled thermal cycling
  • LN₂ cold finger to capture condensable contaminants and improve vacuum performance
  • Roll-out shelf for efficient loading and unloading of large test articles
  • Integrated HVC-3500 Thermal Vacuum Controller for automated vacuum, temperature, and test sequencing
  • Custom-engineered configuration tailored to the customer’s application

The completed system enables repeatable qualification testing by recreating the vacuum and thermal conditions experienced in orbit while improving operator efficiency and testing consistency.