Context  

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) has been delivering small satellite missions for over 30 years, operating from a site that encompasses some of the most controlled and technically demanding working environments found anywhere in UK industry. With spacecraft assembly taking place in ISO-certified cleanrooms alongside laboratories, offices, and manufacturing facilities, SSTL required an electrical testing partner with the experience, accreditation, and practical competence to work safely across all of them. 
 
Intersafe's track record in precisely these kinds of complex settings and their shared ISO accreditation gave SSTL the confidence to appoint them. Intersafe has now conducted all electrical testing at SSTL's sites for several years. 

Challenge 

Delivering electrical testing across a working spacecraft manufacturer is among the most demanding environments Intersafe operates in, requiring strict protocol compliance alongside technical expertise:  

• Cleanroom compliance as a non-negotiable requirement: Active spacecraft assembly takes place in ISO-certified cleanrooms, where even the presence of paper, mobile phones, food, or drink is prohibited. Engineers entering these spaces must wear appropriate clothing and follow all cleanroom protocols without exception- any deviation carries the risk of contaminating sensitive equipment. 

• Working around live spacecraft assembly: Testing work had to be planned and sequenced around SSTL's spacecraft assembly without interrupting production. Machinery shut downs needed to be agreed in advance, and the testing programme delivered within defined timescales that worked around the facility's own operational schedule. 

• Multi-environment complexity across a single site: Each environment carried its own access requirements, protocols, and technical considerations that had to be managed simultaneously. 

Solution 

Intersafe, part of Complii, brought the site experience, engineering capability, and shared accreditation standards to operate seamlessly within one of the UK's most controlled industrial environments: 

• Strict cleanroom compliance on every visit: Intersafe's engineers followed all of SSTL's cleanroom requirements without exception, wearing appropriate clothing, leaving mobile phones, paper, food, and drink outside, and operating in accordance with the strict protocols required to protect spacecraft assembly throughout.  

• Proactive planning around SSTL's operational schedule: Intersafe worked closely with SSTL ahead of each testing cycle to plan machinery shutdowns in advance, agree timescales, and anticipate any cleanroom access restrictions, ensuring testing was delivered efficiently and with the minimum possible disruption to production. 

• Employed, qualified engineers for consistency across every visit: All testing was carried out by Intersafe's own full-time engineers, qualified to City and Guilds standards. Using directly employed engineers rather than sub-contractors guaranteed the consistency, reliability, and site familiarity that working in a complex, sensitive environment demands. 

• ISO accreditation providing a shared standard: Intersafe's ISO accreditation, alongside NICEIC approval and SAFE Contractor and CHAS certification, gave SSTL the formal assurance they needed that Intersafe operated to comparable standards of quality and process. 

Results 

Intersafe, part of Complii has delivered all electrical testing across SSTL's sites for several years - a long-term relationship built on the reliability, discretion, and technical competence:  

• Full electrical compliance maintained across a complex, multi-environment site: Fixed wire testing and PAT testing have been delivered consistently across SSTL's cleanrooms, laboratories, offices, and manufacturing areas - providing the organisation with ongoing assurance of compliance. 

• Zero incidents or cleanroom protocol breaches: Intersafe's engineers have worked safely and without incident within SSTL's cleanroom environments across multiple testing cycles, demonstrating the practical discipline and professional conduct required to operate in one of the most tightly controlled environments in UK industry. 

• A trusted, long-term partnership in a world-class facility: The sustained relationship reflects SSTL's confidence in Intersafe's consistency, engineering quality, and ability to work within the operational and protocol demands of a world-leading satellite technology business, year after year.