EO Facilities and Equipment
SDL has built a nationally- and internationally-recognized reputation as state-of-the art calibration facility. A variety of calibration equipment is available, most traceable to national standards at NIST.
- THOR: Large scale thermal/vac environmental test and space simulation chamber
- MICs: Portable muti-function infrared calibrator systems
- HAES15: large high accuracy extended radiance source
- LWIRCS: Long wave infrared calibration source, characterized by NIST
- SDL-XR transfer radiometer: similar to NIST’s BXR
The SDL optical calibration facility now includes a state-of-the-art altitude test chamber that allows full characterization of airborne optical sensors.
The altitude test chamber is capable of simulating altitudes from sea level to 100,000 ft while attached to multispectral calibrators and external sources that are operated under optically stable cryo-vacuum conditions. It has a 64 cubic foot interior working volume and three 20” diameter test ports that are currently fitted with 14” clear aperture infrared windows. The device under test can be precisely aligned with the optical axes of the window/ports using a remote-controlled 2-axis linear translation system.
The environmental control system has high refrigeration and heating capacity, and can maintain sensor operational temperatures over the -60 C to 125 C range and pressures between local atmospheric pressure and less than 10 Torr.
