SVOM/VT: Flight Model Verification and Pre-launch Testing
Abstract
This paper presents pre-launch testing and calibration results for the SVOM/VT (Space-based Variable Objects Monitor, Visible Telescope) Flight Model (FM), validating its performance under simulated space conditions through thermal vacuum cycling, energy concentration analysis, stray light suppression, and CCD/electronics calibrations (gain, noise, quantum efficiency). The results confirm full compliance with design requirements: stray light suppression achieves point-source transmittance at off-axis, thermal control maintains stable CCD temperatures (C for the red channel, C for the blue channel), and detection sensitivity meets the limiting magnitude of 22.50 (SNR 3 with 300 seconds exposure). Early in-orbit tests further validate performance, yielding limiting magnitudes of 22.70 (V-band, red) and 22.78 (blue), consistent with pre-launch specifications.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.24268,
title = {SVOM/VT: Flight Model Verification and Pre-launch Testing},
author = {Jian Zhang and Xue-Wu Fan and Gang-Yi Zou and Yu-Lei Qiu and Wei Gao and Wei Wang and Chen-Jie Wang and Ning Qi and Jin-Song Deng and Li-Jun Dan and Yue Pan and Chao Huang and Yun-Fei Du and Guo-Rui Ren and Zhong-Han Sun and Feng-Tao Wang and Wei Li and Bao-Peng Li and Chao Shen and Peng-Fei Chen and Kun Chen and Hui Zhao and Ming Chang and Tao Wang and Li-Pin Xin and Jian-Yan Wei},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.24268},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in the SVOM special issue in Reaearch in Astronomy and Astrophysics: 16pages, 14 figures, 3 tables