Solar Orbiter Spacecraft Instrument Interface Simulator and its applications for the STIX telescope tests

The Spectrometer Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) is one of 10 instruments on board Solar Orbiter mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) scheduled to be launched in 2017. STIX applies a Fourier-imaging technique using a set of tungsten grids in front of 32 pixelized CdTe detectors to provide imaging spectroscopy of solar thermal and non-thermal hard X-ray emissions from 4 to 150 keV. The Spacecraft Instrument Interface Simulator (SIIS) is specified as a part of Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) with the aim to provide a tool for power interface and telemetry/telecommand electrical and data protocol validation during the delivery phase of STIX instrument to Spacecraft integration. However, it will be used during the instrument development and test phases of on-board algorithms, too. Specific test procedures and scripts for that purpose are in progress, example will be presented.