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Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC)

The new Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) of the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), located in the workshop of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE), will provide a controlled environment for testing satellites, subsystems, and space instruments under conditions representative of Earth orbit

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Laboratories offices IEEC building RDIT

These facilities are located in the different Research Units that make up the Institute and focus on the development, integration, and testing of instrumentation for space science, with the aim of providing the appropriate environment for their development and validation, and simulating the working conditions in space as well as in Earth observatories. The IEEC has contributed to the development and implementation of these facilities by providing equipment and specialised personnel. In this way, the IEEC researchers have at their disposal a set of laboratories that guarantees optimal support to participate in the development and testing phases of instrumentation for space missions and ground-based observatories.

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Laboratories of the scientific units of the IEEC

These facilities are located in the different Research Units that make up the Institute and focus on the development, integration, and testing of instrumentation for space science, with the aim of providing the appropriate environment for their development and validation, and simulating the working conditions in space as well as in Earth observatories. The IEEC has contributed to the development and implementation of these facilities by providing equipment and specialised personnel. In this way, the IEEC researchers have at their disposal a set of laboratories that guarantees optimal support to participate in the development and testing phases of instrumentation for space missions and ground-based observatories.

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Montsec observatory

The Montsec Observatory (OdM) is a scientific infrastructure managed by the IEEC under an agreement with the General Directorate of Research of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It is located at 1570 meters above sea level in the Montsec mountain range, 50 km north of the city of Lleida, in the municipality of Sant Esteve de la Sarga and near Àger, in the Catalan foothills. This area is recognized as one of the most suitable in the European continent for astronomical observation, thanks to the combination of meteorological conditions and the low effect of light pollution. It is, without a doubt, an exceptional sky. The OdM consists of three facilities for astronomical research and two measurement stations. The two measurement stations are dedicated to meteorological study (Meteorological Service of Catalonia) and environmental pollution (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua - CSIC). The astronomical equipment consists of three robotic telescopes: The TJO (Telescope Joan Oró): installed and managed by the IEEC. The TRAC (Telescope Ràpid d'Ample Camp): installed and managed by the IEEC in collaboration with the Port d'Informació Científica (PIC - IFAE) and i2CAT. The TFRM (Telescope Fabra-ROA Montsec): belonging to the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona and the Royal Navy Observatory. In addition, it houses a camera for the detection of fireballs and dangerous asteroids near Earth (All-sky camera, IEEC). The mission of the OdM is to provide the tools to carry out cutting-edge research in astronomy, as well as provide the necessary support for the exploitation of the facilities.