As of Aug. 30, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Observatory successfully completed Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) testing at Orbital Science Corporation’s facility in Gilbert, Ariz. EMI/EMC testing is conducted in order to validate that all Observatory components, including the instruments, can operate successfully together on-orbit in space without electrical interference.
The LDCM Observatory remained inside the chamber for a Mission Readiness Test that successfully demonstrated the capability to command the Observatory from the Mission Operations Center at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. This test was completed on September 6, 2012. Next, the Observatory will be prepared for a series of mechanical tests to validate that the Observatory can survive the launch environment.