The purpose of this work is to determine the conditions for the rational use of tubular quartz incandescent lamps with a tungsten spiral, in particular, halogen lamps, as part of infrared simulators of external thermal loads on the surface of a spacecraft. The paper represents the results of a study on the feasibility of using tubular incandescent lamps with a tungsten coil as radiation sources in simulators of external thermal loads on the surface of a spacecraft. Tribology of the elements of infrared simulator ensures the reliable operation of mechanisms, which can be broadly grouped into one-shot devices, and continuously and intermittently operating devices. In large and medium-sized thermal vacuum installations intended for conducting thermal vacuum tests of spacecraft (SC) or their individual fragments, among the systems simulating the main factors of the space environment that affect the thermal state of the SC, there are almost always simplified means of reproducing some components of external thermal loads, and sometimes total loads. It is shown that if an acceptable value of the discreteness of the placement of emitters (at least 20) is implemented in the design of the simulator, the density value of the heat flux leaving the simulator, commensurate with the value of the solar constant, can be achieved only at a relatively high temperature of the spiral - more than 1500 K. Based on the study, it was concluded that incandescent halogen lamps can be used in infrared simulators to simulate external thermal loads on spacecraft with uniform and gray radiation-optical characteristics of their surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]