FAQ
Frequently Asked QuestionsLocation/Access
Where is European Test Services (ETS) BV located?
ETS is located on the ESA ESTEC site in the Netherlands with the address:
Keplerlaan 1, 2201AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
How do I get access to your site?
Please submit the ETS visitor form to your ETS contact at least 2 work days before your arrival. Upon arrival, park your car at the ESTEC gatehouse and obtain your personal badge for site access.
Once you have your badge, you can drive your car to parking C. At the test centre, you will receive a safety briefing and a badge for access to the test halls. Badges can be collected from Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 16:30.
Please note that only individuals with a valid ID card or passport will be issued a badge for access to the ESTEC site and the test halls.
During which times and which days do I get access to your site?
The gatehouse is opened during normal working hours (Mon-Fri, 8:30-17:15). You can get your site badge during that time.
After ETS can arrange site access as required up to 24/7 if needed. Thus, you can enter the site outside ETS working hours to perform your activities.
Which hotels are you recommending for our overnight stay?
We recommend hotels close to ETS/ESTEC in the village of Noordwijk. When ordering via the ESTEC Travel Office (ATPI Travel), ESTEC.Traveloffice@atpi.com hotel discounts are granted for certain hotels in and around Noordwijk.
Shipping & Handling of Equipment
Who is responsible for handling, shipment and storage of my equipment?
The Customer is solely responsible and liable for the organisation, transportation (including transport within the ESTEC Premises), packing, unpacking, off-loading, loading, maintenance, operation,
handling, storage activities, integration and mounting of the Customer Goods. Without changing responsibility and liability the customer can request ETS to perform part of these tasks, depending on available resources and
complexity ETS can accept such request or refuse such request.
Where to should I send my equipment for testing?
You should send your equipment to:
ETS/ESTEC
Keplerlaan 1
2201AZ Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Please indicate your ETS contact, project name and items on the waybill and announce your shipment to ETS five working days in advance.
What should I do when I send my equipment from a non EU country?
ETS is not exempted from import tax and thus we advise you to send your equipment via CARNET. ETS never accepts customer equipment when to be imported permanently.
Note: Equipment for ESA projects only can be imported freely, the sender shall send invoice and packing list to the ESA technical responsible first and wait for approval (the goods shall thus not be sent to ETS but to ESA for tax exemption).
How do you perform truck off-/loading?
There are several ways for truck off-/loading: By 3tons fork lift truck, by 16tons overhead crane in the loading bay or by specially rented external crane or large fork lift truck.
In all cases the truck off-/loading is performed by external supplier, the external crane and large fork lift truck are charged extra if not offered in our proposal.
All ESA waivers and the insurance form must be sent to ETS before arrival of the truck, without those documents dully signed, there will be no unloading.
Do I have to pack my equipment for return transport?
Yes, ETS personnel is not packing your equipment for return transport. After you have packed it, ETS personnel can manage the truck loading but packing has to be done by the customer.
Who is cleaning my containers and auxiliary test fixtures with what cleansing agent?
ETS contractors clean containers and auxiliary test fixtures (if dirty) before entering the test centre. Following cleansing agents and methods are available: HP water spray, pressurised air, water & soap, damp cloth, dry cloth, etc.
During which hours do you perform truck off-/loading and containers cleaning?
Truck off-/loading is performed from Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 16:00. The cleaning personnel is available for cleaning from Monday to Friday between 7:00 and 15:00.
In case you plan your transport arrival differently, please request your ETS contact to arrange support personnel.
Does ETS personnel handle my equipment?
ETS personnel is instructed not to touch customer hardware and instead to give support to the customer during handling.
Instructions for test centre handling equipment is given to customers before use. Based on the indicated value of the equipment exceptions can be granted by the ETS managing director.
What do I need to operate your cranes and aerial workers?
You need to be authorised by your company to operate cranes and aerial workers and you need to proof this to ETS before you get the instruction and authorisation on using the test centre cranes and aerial workers.
Testing and Preparatory Activities
Who is my contact within ETS?
Your first contact within ETS is the ETS Commercial & Projects manager who will manage that ETS will check the feasibility of your requirements, that you get a proposal and reserve a provisional test slot.
As soon as a contract is signed, a Test Programme Manager will be designated within ETS who will be your focal point for the test campaign. The ETS Test Programme Manager will be at your disposal to ensure an efficient and successful test campaign at ETS.
Do I need to fill in any forms or templates before arrival?
Yes at least the following forms are to be filled in before arrival:
- Insurance form, Waiver of liability vis a vis ESA, Waiver of recourse for handling and storage at ESTEC.
- The ETS visitor form to announce all visitors at the gate.
- Safety Questionnaire
This form is used to assess safety constraints related to your product or test. The questionnaire shall be provided to ETS two months in advance of your spacecraft arrival or two weeks before your equipment arrival. - Data handling forms
You shall fill in ETS data handling forms for the right configuration of our data acquisition equipment.
The forms shall be provided to ETS four weeks in advance for mechanical testing, six weeks in advance for thermal testing; submittal shorter than four or six weeks may lead to delays. - IT Forms (if networks or DSL lines are offered in our proposal)
If you require any special network connections for your onsite office you shall fill in the ETS network interface form for the right configuration of data connections inside the test centre.
The form shall be provided to ETS six weeks in advance of your arrival; submittal shorter than six weeks may lead to delays in the data connection provision. Special connection is to be understood as “anything else than WiFi network”.
What inputs do you require before testing?
Specific inputs required by ETS are indicated in the work package description of the ETS proposal. Furthermore we need to receive certain forms to be filled in (see question about forms).
The most common required inputs are: Test specification, test procedure and Declared Materials and Parts list for thermal vacuum testing, instrumentation plan (in case ETS shall install sensors), schedule updates, day to day planning for test preparation.
Access in Large Space Simulator:
On top of the basic clean room rules, in our TVAC facilities it is mandatory to have empty pockets, to wear gloves, safety shoes and wear no jewellery or badges. Due to safety, it is not allowed to get access inside LSS when electric devices are switched on.
Do we need to bring a special fixture/adapter to mount the test article on your facility?
When receiving a facility (service), your test article will not fit directly on the offered facility: The facility is offered basically with the accompanied interface drawings depicted in the detailed facility description.
Thus a dedicated fixture/adapter is required to mount your test article onto the facility: In general the fixtures/adapters are provided by our customers, if specially requested and confirmed by an offer the fixture/adapter can be provided by ETS.
Where can I find the facility interface information?
Facility interface information you can find in the respective facility description. Please be aware that the acquisition system interface information is described in the thermal and mechanical data handling facility descriptions. All can be downloaded from
http://www.ets-bv.net/customer-login/ .
Do you provide bolts for test fixture/adapter installation on your facility?
For mechanical testing we have available a stock of bolts for all our facilities, nevertheless the customer is responsible to assure that the right bolts are available with the right length/material/strength before coming to ETS.
For thermal vacuum testing you shall always bring your own bolts.
Do you provide tools?
We have a general toolbox available at every facility but the customer is responsible to bring the required tools for his own activities at ETS.
Is it allowed that our equipment may enter your clean rooms?
In case you have a doubt that your equipment is not clean enough for entering the clean rooms please inform ETS. We make sure that your equipment will be cleaned before entering the centre, contamination hazards will be covered by foil.
In general equipment covered with rust, grease or wood is not accepted to enter the test area unless provisions for covering these parts (foil/paint) are discussed and accepted.
Do we have to be present at your site during the test?
We require the presence of at least one customer representative for operating and handling the customer equipment.
What test standards can you comply to?
We have experience with a wide range of test standards like: ECSS, MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-167, RTCA DO-160, IEC 61373, IEC 60068, EN 50121, ASTM D 4169 and more.
If you are interested in our compliance to other standards please submit your standard to us and we will check our compliance.
Do you provide a test report and in which timeframe?
Normally ETS provides a facility data report after performing tests. The provision of the report is indicated in the ETS proposal, preliminary test data is already provided at the end of the test.
Facility Data report delivery time is maximum 4 weeks after test. In case you wish to receive the data report sooner please refer to your test contact.
How do we return loaned items?
If you loan connectors the connectors are to be returned clean and unpinned.
If you loan accelerometers and cables the rented accelerometers shall be returned to ETS in the same state as delivered:
- Coiled tension free (20cm bending diameter, over-under cable coiling technique), cleaned (no adhesive residues, no additional labels) and undamaged cable,
- Undamaged, cleaned (no adhesive residues) and boxed accelerometer.
Safety
Do we need to to fill any safety related forms?
Yes you need to fill in our safety questionnaire before arrival, at least 3 months before satellite arrival and 1 month before arrival of equipment. We use the form to identify hazardous risks and assure that mitigations are defined.
Do we need to bring our own Personal Protective Equipment? (outdoor and indoor safety shoes, helmets)
Unless agreed differently by contract safety shoes and helmets are to be brought by you when you come for testing and when wearing shoes and helmets is mandatory.
Please note that safety shoes are for example required when you perform following operations: hoisting and lifting, unloading/loading, moving heavy equipment or pallet movers.
What propulsion tank simulant are allowed to be used during dynamic tests?
Demineralised water and non flammable/non explosive technical fluids are allowed to be used as tank simulant.
Which certifications do we need for our non-test equipment on your site?
Your non-test equipment shall be CE certified, on request you must be able to prove it to ETS. Your activities on site shall be compliant to Dutch health and safety guidelines depicted on:
https://osha.europa.eu/fop/netherlands/en/legislation
Offices, ICT and general infrastructure
Do you provide offices?
If requested and included in our proposal: Yes. Offices are equipped with desks, chairs, cupboards, phones and DSL connection on request.
Do you provide preparation or storage area?
Yes inside the test centre there are several preparation halls available, storage area is available on the same site and should be arranged with the ETS test program manager.
Do you provide ICT services?
Yes we provide phones and data connections for your computer network and your computers.
In general WLAN and phones are available to all customers, special network and DSL connections (request time of at least 6 weeks) are charged extra if not included in our proposal. No hardware (e.g. PC, printer, scanner …) is provided.
Is there a restaurant or cantina available on your site?
Yes you can use the ESTEC restaurant for your lunch on work days from 11:30 to 14:00.