The DFAN (Direct Field Acoustic Noise) system arrived at CIRA in November after a long sea voyage from Baltimore (USA), transported in three containers. Thanks to the intense and meticulous work of the CIRA and MSI-DFAT teams, installation and functional testing were successfully completed, confirming the full operational capability of the system.

Developed through the funding of Italian Space Agency (ASI) within the PNRR Space Factory 4.0, Module A of the DFAN system is designed and realized to generate extremely intense and controlled acoustic loads. Thanks to its full mobility, the system can be transported directly to aerospace companies, reducing costs and eliminating the risks associated with transporting satellites to test houses, while accelerating the product qualification and development process.

The DFAN system uses high-power, highly linear loudspeaker columns arranged in a circle around the test article, along with a sophisticated MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) feedback control system that integrates arrays of microphones and accelerometers placed around and on the test article. This method makes it possible to accurately simulate, with the precision and spatial diffusivity required by ECSS and MIL standards, the operational acoustic loads experienced during launch. Module A of the DFAN system, in particular, can generate sound pressure levels up to 146.3 dB OASPL for more than 120 seconds on test items up to 3.5 meters in diameter and 3.0 meters in height.

With the system now fully operational, CIRA’s Space Qualification Center becomes the first facility in Italy and Europe capable of performing qualification acoustic tests on aerospace systems of this size using a mobile system. This achievement further strengthens CIRA’s role as a strategic resource for the aerospace industry, offering new opportunities for the testing and qualification of space systems at the European level.

The subsequent modules of the DFAN system, which will be developed under the PRO.RA (National Aerospace Research Program), will allow the replication of even higher acoustic loads, the extension of the frequency range, and the testing of larger articles, further expanding CIRA’s testing capabilities.