Alternative test set-up for testing the immunity of spacecraft equipment against discharge of electrostatic energy (ESD)

Discharge of electrostatic energy, often referred to as electrostatic discharge (ESD), is a potential threat to all electronic equipment and in particular to equipment flown on spacecraft. Once the spacecraft is in orbit, its equipment will be exposed to indirect effects of ESD, mainly coupled through wires. As opposed to equipment on ground, satellite equipment that suffered from ESD in orbit cannot be repaired any more, thus it is of high interest to ensure that spacecraft equipment can with stand ESD in space. In order to verify that this equipment is able to operate normally when exposed to indirect ESD effects and does not suffer from malfunctions or upsets, tests are performed according to the applicable standards [1], [2] for spacecraft. In this article an alternative test method is proposed to replace the existing standard test set-up with a much simpler one, improving the repeatability of the test and avoiding the use of components difficult to procure.