Supplement: Aerospace, Military and Defence The space race
Space is getting busy, and designers are facing the need for fast delivery of higher performance and higher reliability systems at a lower cost, according to Roger Tall, director, Charcroft
JUICE mission to Jupiter uses European-based magnetics and capacitors
T
he UK space industry is vibrant and growing. According to a 2022 report by the UK Space Agency, the size of the total UK space industry grew to £17.5
billion in 2020/21. This was a 5.1 per cent increase in real terms since the preceding year, and the second fastest annual growth in the previous seven years.
For designers, the increase in the size of the space industry is adding to the need to quickly increase the performance and reliability of space-going systems, whilst also meeting tight cost constraints. One of the key changes that designers are facing is that the systems are becoming more intelligent and reconfigurable. Take the Olympics for example. The ability of a satellite to focus on a specific geographical area means that systems can deliver
28 October 2023
greater bandwidth and throughput. This level of flexibility and performance is being achieved by using steerable, beam-forming antennas and reconfigurable software.
Cost versus quantity
To manage the cost of developing satellites and other space systems, designers often start the design using a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), or automotive AEC-Q- qualified component, before moving to the full space-grade version of the component for the Flight model. This approach reduces the cost and increases speed of the design, but also adds to the challenge of accessing technical support.
To produce high-reliability, space-grade components, component manufacturers use highly specialised lines, and the manufacturing process includes manual
Components in Electronics
visual inspections, analysis of samples from the production batch, 100 per cent testing and the burn-in of components. The process is geared to building very high-grade components which are manufactured in relatively low volume.
In comparison, automotive product lines are structured to manufacture components in hundreds of thousands or millions of units, and the manufacturing process is typically highly automated. The demand for quality is high because the components must meet stringent automotive standards, and deliver the reliability which is essential for modern passenger cars. There is also an emphasis on cost to ensure continued success in the highly competitive automotive market. Year-on-year cost- downs are also seen by automotive system manufacturers.
The major difference in the business model of manufacturers producing components for high-rel military, aerospace and space applications, and manufacturers of automotive-grade electronic components, is not only the manufacturing volume, but also the cost. Typically, the piece-part cost of hi-rel or space-grade component is significantly higher than the equivalent automotive component which is produced in higher volume.
Manufacturers of automotive-grade components are focused on supporting high-volume applications, but space systems are manufactured in low volume. So, designers of satellites and other space systems can find it difficult to meet the minimum order quantity (MOQ), or to get technical support and samples from the
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