Abstract: Pyroshock environments on spacecraft are complex transient high frequency mechanical environments, which may irreversibly damage the components onboard or even the whole spacecraft by high amplitude transient accelerations. Thus, the components need to pass the shock tests which simulate the pyroshock environments in the ground laboratory. Especially for the electrical and electronic components, close attention should be paid to whether brittle materials are cracked, welding spots are broken, relays and switches are turned over, and so forth. Accordingly, in order to establish the reliable shock test conditions for the components, it is necessary to predict the pyroshock environments on spacecraft. This paper summarizes three methods for predicting pyroshock environments on spacecraft, including simulation test method, numerical analysis method and data extrapolation method. A detailed research review of the data extrapolation method is presented, and a new data extrapolation equation is proposed by theoretical derivations. By comparative studies on a large amount of pyroshock measurement data, it is verified that the prediction accuracy of the proposed equation is better than those of NASA’s equation and ESA’s equation in the middle and high frequencies. The data extrapolation technique introduced in this paper is applicable for quickly estimating pyroshock environments of the components on spacecraft, which provides reference for designing shock test specifications.

Key words: Spacecraft, Pyroshock, Environment prediction, Data extrapolation