Thermovacuum tests on TIGRIsat structure: validation of the thermal model of a 3U cubesat

The TIGRIsat is the first Iraqi satellite. This small satellite was designed and built by the students of the "High Level Postgraduate Course in Aerospace Engineering" organized by the School of Aerospace Engineering of Sapienza University of Rome in collaboration with the Task Force Iraq (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Iraqi Ministers of Science and Technology, High Education and Transport, and the Italian Air Force. Thermal control of the satellite is passive and relies on the thermo-optical properties of the satellite surface materials (emissivity and absorbivity). Numerical simulations were used to verify the temperature reached by the satellite components in space. The numerical model was validated by testing the satellite structure in simulated space environment at the LARES-lab facilities in Sapienza University of Rome.