The test campaign following orbit raising through which the customer accepts the satellite, the contractual hinge where launch cover gives way to in-orbit cover.
In-orbit testing is the campaign run after orbit raising, in which every subsystem, propulsion, power, attitude control and payload, is verified under real conditions before the customer formally accepts the satellite. It serves two functions that have nothing to do with each other and must be kept apart. Technically it exposes the design and integration faults that only appear in flight, the period that carries by far the highest loss frequency of the whole spacecraft life. Contractually it is the hinge transferring title and risk from manufacturer to operator, and the point where cover moves from the launch policy, often written as launch plus twelve months, to the annually renewed in-orbit policy. An anomaly found during acceptance therefore raises the most litigated question in the class, that of the date of occurrence, because the answer determines which insurer responds, which deductible applies and whether a manufacturer warranty claim exists at all.
The Inmarsat-6 F2 satellite, launched in February 2023, suffered a power subsystem failure during orbit raising, disclosed in September 2023, before entering operational service.
in-orbit testing, IOT, recette en vol, in-orbit acceptance