A nearby train line caused vibrations that disrupted sensitive optical experiments inside a thermal vacuum (TVAC) chamber.

RVS designed a custom chamber with a vibration-isolated optical breadboard inside. By “floating” the optics platform within the chamber, we provided the university with a stable environment for thermal vacuum testing, without exceeding a university budget

Enabled reliable optical testing in a noisy environment, delivering performance and precision at an accessible cost.

NASA needed a chamber that could simulate planetary surface conditions, including regolith (space dirt) for rover component testing

RVS developed a system that allowed a full box of simulated soil to be loaded into the chamber while protecting the vacuum pumps from contamination. Optical access ports were carefully aligned to allow experiments on the soil itself.

Enabled robust, dust-friendly component testing for planetary exploration. The chamber was so well-loved that NASA dubbed it the “Planet Chamber,” complete with a custom emblem and stickers coveted across the spaceflight community

SDL needed a large-scale TVAC system, 12.5 feet in diameter and 24 feet long, to test a major satellite optical assembly

RVS delivered an advanced design with floating, swappable doors mounted on air bearing carts and a fully LN2-flooded inner liner to reach cryogenic temperatures

Despite project complexity and evolving client requirements, RVS delivered one of its largest chambers to date, supporting optical payload testing at an impressive scale

The university lacked thermal vacuum testing capabilities for student research.

RVS provided a compact, cost-effective chamber tailored for academic use.

Opened the door to hands-on space hardware testing for undergraduate and graduate students, expanding local capacity for satellite development and experimentation.

Ion thrusters help satellites reorient in space by firing a heavy gas like xenon or krypton. The gas is ionized, accelerated, and expelled at high speed, creating momentum that nudges the satellite in the opposite direction (thanks, physics!). ExoTerra needed to be able to test their ion thrusters without wasting time, budget, or gas (because xenon isn’t exactly cheap).

RVS engineered a custom system with two antechambers flanking a central vacuum chamber. Each thruster could be staged in an antechamber, then rotated into the main test environment, keeping the central chamber under vacuum at all times. This system maximized xenon capture and minimized downtime between tests.

Doubled ExoTerra’s testing throughput.