EDA & Development | Case Study
Commercial possibilities
© NASA
Space Exploration Technologies has worked to break down the cost and engineering barriers to space exploration and has been helped by using Altium Designer’s unified design environment tool. In this case study CIE looks at how this tool has been able to deliver low cost high reliability designs
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ast month an unmanned, privately owned Falcon 9 rocket with its Dragon cargo capsule took off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to restore a US supply line to the $100bn International Space Station, a project that involves 15 nations, after the retirement of the space shuttle. The spacecraft, powered by nine oxygen and kerosene- burning engines, was built by Space Exploration Technologies or SpaceX. Since 2002, SpaceX has been creating a family of low-cost, reliable launch vehicles for the burgeoning private and commercial space sectors. The ability to reduce costs of space technology whilst increasing the power and reliability has
36 October 2012
been possible through innovative engineering practices and by developing commercially viable launch vehicles, the company is looking to break down existing barriers to space travel and open it up to far greater commercial possibilities.
SpaceX had made a successful practice run to the station back in May, a feat that enabled the company to begin working off a $1.6 billion, 12-flight contract to deliver cargo for Nasa.
The Dragon cargo capsule is carrying
around 882 pounds (400kg) of food, clothing, science experiments and supplies to the station including a freezer to transport medical samples, and it is also
Components in Electronics
taking a rare treat for the station crew - chocolate vanilla swirl ice cream. Nasa turned to the private sector after
the retirement of the space shuttle to develop and fly station freight and is looking to do the same for crew transportation. This contract with SpaceX aims to demonstrate that private launch vehicles have the ability to provide launch and delivery services to the International Space Station (ISS).
Dragon is designed to return to Earth intact, rather than burn up in the atmosphere, so it can bring back research and equipment from the station – a return capability that has been missing since the shuttle stopped flying. SpaceX has a separate Nasa contract to upgrade its Dragon capsule to carry humans as well. Space has long been a field reserved for big spenders such as governments and large companies. However with rapid advances in electronics and information technology, Space Exploration Technologies, which is based in El Segundo, California, has managed to break through the inherent cost barriers with its family of low-cost Falcon launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft.
Through a combination of innovative practices and intuitive tools, SpaceX has been able to develop cost efficient vehicles fitted with high quality avionics. This philosophy helped SpaceX to secure the Commercial Orbital Transport Services (COTS) contract with NASA.
The challenge
Space technology is unique. All electronics and related components must meet the highest level of quality and reliability, all whilst fulfilling a number of industry and government guidelines. The physical rigors of the vehicle launch and the extreme conditions of space place the highest demands on all systems, especially electronics. To ensure its launch vehicles always perform at this extraordinary level, SpaceX has had to develop many of its boards and controllers under the fault–tolerant discipline. This time consuming engineering technique ensures that all systems can continue to operate despite a given component failing. Controllers and PCBs are fitted with additional components and back-up mechanisms for greater reliability. With
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