RADIO FREQUENCY & MICROWAVE


FEAT


ATURE


SPACE THE EXPANDING FRONTIER T


By Roberta Rebora, marketing communications director, Smiths Interconnect


he space market is growing and is expected t o continue to experience a significant growt h over the next years despite t he short-term challenges presented by the COVID pandemic. This has been possible because of the diverse range of customers and applicat ions for space-enabled services from commercial telecommunications to instit utional surveillance.


Collectively we are 7 .7 billion people on this planet with a high percent age using more data every day. We watch and monitor our planet and its environment in greater detail than ever before and are extending t he exploration of t he far reaches of the universe using more sophisticated long-last ing exploration sy stems and devices than ever before. Space covers a wide range of activities from commercial communications satellit es, through location-based services to science and exploration initiatives – many of which are extremely high-value projects. Any space-based infrastructure support s a myriad of applicat ions and services – some of which Smiths Interconnect can provide – with t he advant age of being a single- source umbrella company t hat can also provide one-stop shop for critical qualification and testing of products used in space applications. The industry encompasses not just spacecraft but also the manufacturing of t he launchers and the ground equipment. Satellites perform many functions autonomously but need to be operated (supervised and controlled) from the ground and this means that these


operational locations require as st ringent high-performance reliable component supply net works as any thing that is launched into space.


Smiths Interconnect’s connectivity solutions have been incorporated int o the sy stems used in highly successful and prestigious space programmes, such as O rion, Solar Parker Probe, and Cosmo SkyMed, just to name a few.


Spacecraft and satellites are certainly among the most fascinating applications of technological advancement due to the extreme condit ions in which they operate and certainly due to the longevity of many of these programmes which are set to examine the outer reaches of our Solar System.


For spacecraft which travel into deep space and visit other planets, the journey can take many months or even decades. y months or ev When they


y leave the Eart h’s surface,


they must contend with huge radiation levels, vibration, shock and temperature extremes. This means that manufacturers of the equipment must push technologies and manufacturing capabilities to their limits to ensure that they


hat they will not fail


during the journey. Failure is simply not an option in space applications, because there is no physical access for maint


sical access for maintenance, nor


they can be returned to a depot for repair. These harsh environmental condit


require space products and systems to be of exceptional performance, light, rugged, reliable, and durable.


require space products and systems t ions


hese harsh environmental condit For example, Smiths Interconnect’s


ruggedised D-sub miniature connectors - designed to wit hstand t he high vibration and extreme temperature fluctuations faced in space – make it possible for Orion’s data sy stem t o transmit more data than the network used in the Space Shuttle era while also eliminating extraneous signal noise.


Furthermore, they are required not only to meet the primary functions of navigation and communications but to exceed these parameters by offering the safest and most high performing connectivity solut ions available on the market . Decades of experience have positioned Smiths Interconnect well – both in designing and delivering act ive and passive connect ivity solutions specifically engineered and optimized to mitigat e the effect s of heat, shock and vibration and to deliver unparalleled signal int egrity, as well as reduced overall system size and weight that are essential in space applications.


Smiths Interconnect’s microwave high power waveguide circulators, loads and transitions are used in the data and cont rol transmission sy stems of the Parker Solar Probe, a NASA robotic spacecraft. Launched in 2018 with the mission of repeatedly probing and making observations of the outer most part of the Sun’s atmosphere, the spacecraft has just successfully completed its second close approach to the Sun, the closest any other spacecraft has been before in the history of space exploration.


In within the Cosmo SkyMed


Second Generation constellation that is orbiting since December 2019,


Smiths Interconnect has provided high performance microstrip circulators embedded int o t he active antenna T ransmitt er/Receiver modules, as well as low profile solderless interposers for t he core elect ronics of the satellite. The interposer’s reduced size adapts well to


/ ELECTRONICS SpaceNXT MWC


ext reme space constraints, allowing for a smaller, lighter design of t he main equipment and easy installation as well as replacement, opt ions.


The system also included high


performance coaxial isolators for the equipment payload, as well as right- angle spring probe connectors for the ant enna harnessing connection. These connectors provide streamlined rout ing of t he cable harnessing, therefore, simplifying t he antenna’s mechanical structure and allowing for a highly efficient plug-in modular approach. High frequency , reduced footprint , and increased power rating are crucial in SATCOM and 5G broadband applications. In order to meet the stringent


requirement s of these market segments Smiths Interconnect has just released it s new CT X high frequency wire-bondable chip termination series optimized to combine high frequency and power in a small package.


Using wire bonding techniques, the CT X series allows 5G manufacturers to further reduce t he size of their infrastructure in broadband and narrow band applications. T his one part can serve in multiple applications thus reducing, both, the customers’ bill of material and lowering their cost of ownership.


Roberta Rebora, marketing


communications director, Smiths Interconnect


“We are getting close to the smallest sizes we can go with current thick and thin film ceramic capabilities” says Dave Raymond, product line manager at Smiths Interconnect. “We are embarking on new technologies and materials to further miniaturize components along with combining component functionality into a single device to continue the


miniaturization process. New mat erial and processes will be essential in addressing power ratings as miniat urization becomes more prevalent ”.


www.


smithsinterconne ct.com


Smiths Interconnect will be also releasing a surface mount product in t he upcoming months for additional applications for 5G customers.


ELECTRONICS


| MAY 2020


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