The Security Assurance Design of the Ground Test Equipment for Space Payload

This paper presents a security assurance design of test equipment for space payloads. In the process of space payload development, the test equipment on-ground is indispensable because the payload must have been tested through and calibrated before its launch. Obviously the process of test on-ground is significant in view of development security. To assure manipulation security of payload on-ground, this paper focuses on the security design of the test equipment on-ground to protect the payload against any damage and to keep it in good condition. We implement the test equipment access control through a kind of IC card-reader to restrict all of operators´ manipulation. When the operator is going to power on the payload through the test equipment, the test software interface will pop up a window to ask for logging on by IC card. The card-reader will read the information of the card and then send it to the industrial computer of test equipment. Only the operators who have passed the access confirmed can handle the payload. Then every manipulation to the payload through equipment will be registered to be the manipulation log. The test equipment will check every manipulation validity before it is executed so that the mishandling can be shielded to avoid any damage to the payload. The security design of test on-ground can keep away any mishandlings which are unavoidable for operators and make the process of test under control.