ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND TEST CENTRE IN MALAYSIA: INTEGRATIONBETWEEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WORKS AND EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION

Elena Woo Lai Leng, Abadi Azhar, Hamid SalimNational Space Agency of Malaysia (ANGKASA)

ABSTRACT

On 14th July 2009 at 0335 UTC, Malaysia created a historyby being the first in the world to launch a satellite,RazakSATTM, to a Near-Equatorial Orbit (NEQO). After launchingfour communication satellites and two remote sensingsatellites, Malaysia is ready to take a step further bysetting up an “Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Centre”which will be used for assembly, integration as well as thelaunch and environmental testing for a satellite. This will beanother achievement for Malaysia as it shall be the firstfacility to be setup in ASEAN region. The construction of theAIT facility began on 12th October 2009 and it is expected tobe completed within a period of eighteen (18) months. Therewill be six equipments which will be housed in the AIT centre,all which are procured separately and from overseas. Thisfacility has been designed by local engineers and architects,with the inputs and requirements from each equipment supplier.This centre will be the next stepping stone for thedevelopment of space program in Malaysia; therefore it iscritical that the planning and managing of the AIT facility isin line with the objectives of the country’s space program andthat includes monitoring closely on the construction of theAIT building and the integration of equipments into thebuilding so that the final result will be a completed andworkable AIT facility that meets all the specifications andrequirements specified.

INTRODUCTION

The National Space Agency of Malaysia which was set-up in2002, was given the mandate to develop the country’s potentialin space sector to support the development of the new economy,generate knowledge and strengthen the country’s securityinfrastructure. And one of the main activities of the agency

is to set up the core physical infrastructure which includesthe Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Centre. This projectbegan in 2005 after the establishment of National Space Centrewhich consists of a Mission Control Centre and an OpticalCalibration Laboratory. A group of officers from ANGKASA,Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia(SIRIM) and Ministry of Works paid a visit to KARI’s Satelliteand Integration Test Centre at Korea in 2005 as part of theresearch study in setting up a similar facility in Malaysia.With the inputs gathered from the study trip, two teamscomprises of experts in various fields was then set up, headedby then the Director-General of ANGKASA, Prof. Datuk Dr.Mazlan Othman. Figure 1 below shows the entire layout for theentire Phase 3A project at the National Space Centre andFigure 2 shows the enlarged area of the AIT building.

Fig. 1. Phase 3A (indicated in purple) to be developed atNational Space Centre

Fig. 2. Layout of AIT Building

The AIT building was designed as an environmentallycontrolled laboratory which will be constructed to accommodatethe testing requirements of both ground-based instruments andfully qualified space-flight hardware. It is specificallydesigned to permit the assembly, integration and test orverification of spacecraft components, equipment, instruments,satellite modules and systems. The three main activitieswhich will occur in this AIT facility are:

1) Assembly: Includes all mechanical and electricalconstruction activity such as solar array assembly, mountingof wall panels and structures, installation of electricalcomponents such as printed circuit boards into an electricalsubsystem box and other activities.

2) Integration: Includes interconnecting various components toform a subsystem, or various subsystems to form an engineeringor flight model. Integration activities also involvedswitching on the power of each components step-by-step andverifying that all components and subsystems are working asper design.

3) Testing: Includes performing analysis and evaluation atcomponent, subsystem and system level to verify that it meetsall the performance requirements for each component, subsystemand the entire satellite. All electrical and mechanical testson components and subsystems should be done and its resultsshall be used as inputs to perform the environmental tests onsystem level.

The AIT facility will be equipped with test equipments formechanical, environmental and electromagnetic testing. Themain test equipments are Vibration Test System, ReverberationAcoustic Test Facility, Thermal Vacuum Chamber,Electromagnetic Compatibility Test Chamber, Mass PropertiesMeasurement System and Alignment Measurement System and itsspecifications are as shown in Table 1 [1].

TABLE 1SPECIFICATIONS OF THE EQUIPMENTS

Test Equipment SpecificationsVibration Test

System(250 kN)

Max Sine Thrust: 289 kN Max Random Thrust: 267 kN Max Velocity: 2.0 m/s

Test Equipment Specifications Useful Frequency: 5 Hz – 1700 Hz Manufacturer: LDS, UK

Vibration TestSystem(80 kN)

Max Sine Thrust: 105 kN Max Random Thrust: 105 kN Max Velocity: 3.0 m/s Useful Frequency: 5 Hz – 2700 Hz Manufacturer: LDS, UK

ReverberationAcoustic Test

Facility

Chamber Volume: 999.5 m3

Chamber Dimension: 9.79 m (D) x 7.54 m (W) x 13.54 m (H)

Frequency Range: 20 Hz – 10,000 Hz Overall Sound Pressure Level: 155

dB Noise Measurement: 16 microphones Manufacturer: Wyle Laboratories,

USThermal Vacuum

Chamber Operational Volume: 4 m () Ultimate Pressure: 10 -7 mbar Pumping Rate: 10 -6 mbar within 5

hours Temperature Range: -180C to 150C Manufacturer: Angelatoni Industrie

SpA, ItalyElectromagneticCompatibility

Test

Operation Area: 5m Compliance Chamber

Door Size: 5m (W) x 3m (H) Frequency Range: 20 Hz 40 Hz Manufacturer: Siepel, France

Mass PropertyMeasurement

System

Max Test Weight: 1000 lbs Range of Spin Speeds: 30 -300 rpm Manufacturer: Space Electronics,

US

The following paper is organized as follows: Section IIwill present the various parties involved in this project andits roles and responsibilities; Section III will discuss onthe integration works between different parties and how is itbeing done and Section IV as the conclusion and summary.

DIFFERENT PARTIES, DIFFERENT ROLES

Setting up the AIT facility had not been an easy task.Understanding and lining out the scope of work betweenbuilding contractors and equipment suppliers is crucial as itinvolves integration of work between the building contractorsand the equipment suppliers. Each stakeholder has its owninterest in the project and it is not manage carefully, theproject often ends up as no one’s baby. Therefore, projectintegration management is crucial in ensuring that thebuilding is designed and constructed as per its requirements.

The design of buildings under Phase 3A was done by a teamof consultants comprises of architects, civil and structuralengineers and mechanical and electrical engineers and it washeaded by Arkitek FAA, a local architect consultancy firm. Theconstruction of buildings was awarded to a local buildingcontractor called TSR Bina Sdn. Bhd where else the contract tosupply, installation, testing and commissioning of the varioustest equipments which will be housed at the AIT centre wasawarded to SIRIM Berhad. Figure 3 shows the different partiesinvolved in setting up the AITC.

Fig. 3. Various parties involved in the project

Both TSR Bina Sdn Bhd and SIRIM Berhad have a differentrole to play. For TSR Bina Sdn Bhd, who is the buildingcontractor, there are many duties that they must complete inorder to ensure that the project is completed in a timely andcorrect manner. The most important of all is to provide theimplementation plan to carry out the project where this plancovers from hiring of workers to developing a step-by-steptimeline that the project will follow from start to finish.The building contractor is also responsible for obtaining raw

ANGKASA

Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

BuildingConsulta

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BuildingContract

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Equipment

Supplier

building materials for the project and obtaining all necessarylicenses and permits in order for the project to kick-start.These are some of the many issues the building contractor hasto deal with.

For SIRIM Berhad, there are some similarities in theirrole compared to the building contractor although theircontract basically is to supply and install the equipments.Just as the building contractor, the equipment supplier isalso required to submit its implementation plan where the plancovers from design, delivery, installation, testing andcommissioning of the equipments on site. During the designstage for each equipment, special requirements onarchitectural, civil and structure, mechanical or electricalwere highlighted to the consultants which shall be used indesigning the building. These include size of pits andtrenches, floor load, chilled water requirement, electricalload and others. This helps to ensure that there will not beany other construction works once the equipments have beeninstalled.

Both building contractor and equipment supplier has itsown subcontractors to carry out the work on site. And it is atthis stage where proper coordination of work is required toensure that the integration of the building works andequipment installation does not hampered the progress on site.

INTEGRATION OF BUILDING WORKS AND EQUIPMENT INSTALLATION

As have been presented in the previous chapter, there aretwo major parties with different role to play in setting-upthis AITC. Each party has its own set of goals to achievewhich may result in arise of conflicts that may hamper theprogress of work on site. Therefore, it is impeccable thatintegration of building works and equipment installation isdone in a proper manner and a proper coordination.

There were several stages of integration between buildingworks and equipment installation that took place. Stage 1involves coordination in outlining a feasible implementationplan. Stage 2 involves integration of equipment’s coordinateddrawing into building’s construction drawing. Stage 3 involves

partial readiness of AIT building for equipment installation,Stage 4 on completion of building works and finally Stage 5 ontesting and commissioning of the test equipment. Each of thesestages is explained in detail as follows:

Stage 1

As have been explained earlier, one of the main tasks forthe building contractor is to provide the implementation plan.As the construction works and equipment installation goeshand-in-hand, it is therefore critical that the implementationplan has to indicate the following: i) the preparation worksto be completed by the building contractor, ii) the sequenceof each equipment installation, and iii) the sequence ofconstruction works to accommodate the equipment installation.Therefore, the implementation plan has to be mutually agreedby all parties, i.e. the building contractors and theequipment supplier, before the construction work could begin.

Stage 2

Integration works in Stage 2 refers to the integration ofequipment’s layout drawing into the construction drawing. Thearchitects who had designed the AIT building designed based onthe requirements which have been given by the equipments’manufacturer. However, the requirements given were notdetailed enough, therefore, the equipment supplier needs tocome up with the detailed equipment layout plan, whichincludes details such as size, dimensions and positioning forpit and various trenches, positioning of the equipment and itsrelated components, requirements related to electrical, data,and voice supply, cold water supply and other details.

Stage 3

Stage 3 involves partial readiness of the AIT building forequipment installation. This is the stage where the actualphysical integration between building works and equipmentinstallation are done. Building contractor is required tocomplete all work below ground level such as pit, trenches,and seismic block and joint inspection shall be conductedbetween all three parties to ensure that it has been

constructed according to specification. Once work below floorlevel is completed, the walls and roof of the building will beerected partially according to the schedule of equipmentinstallation. The pre-requisite for equipment installation isfor the building to be in weather-tight condition. As soon asthe wall and roof portion of thermal vacuum chamber andvibration test system is completed, the installation of thesetwo equipments begins as had been agreed before in theimplementation plan. Installation of equipment is done instages to avoid chaos during construction and installation onsite. As the installation of the first equipment is underwayon one end of the building, the erection of wall on the otherpart of the building continues. This ensures that no party isleft idling in its work.

Stage 4

In this stage, most of the equipments are expected tocomplete its installation, except for Mass PropertiesMeasurement System which will only begin its installationafter the AIT building has been handed over to the client.There won’t be much integration work at this stage as thebuilding contractors will be concentrating on applyingfinishes to its workmanship as well as testing andcommissioning of the building. This includes all systems thatwill be hooked up with the equipments at the last stage.

Stage 5

At the final stage where building works have beencompleted, the last integration works to be done is to connectthe electrical and mechanical services of the building to theequipment for testing and commissioning.

CONCLUSION

It is not easy working with different parties in setting upthe AIT facility. Proper planning and management needs to bethere to ensure that the integration works are done properly.Many aspects of integration works need to be addressed toensure that the end result will be a functional facility thatmeets all its technical requirements. All five stages which

have been outlined earlier are from the viewpoint andexperiences of the authors, which may or may not apply inother situation. REFERENCES

1. Leng E.W.L, Ismail M., Subari M.D., “Setting Up TheAssembly, Integration and Test Centre in Malaysia” 4th

International Conference on Recent Advances in Space Technologies 2009 (RAST09), Page 453 – 458. 11 – 13 June 2009.