IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE INTERCONNECTS INTO SPACE SYSTEM DESIGNS WENDY PRESTON, TECHNICAL CONTENT SPECIALIST, HARWIN
however, there will be other challenges. The components must be able to endure temperature cycling. As the equipment goes from the heat of launch, to severe cold when traversing the dark side of the Earth, followed by periods of exposure to the sun’s thermal radiation. Another design consideration is whether the chosen components will be detrimentally affected by the vacuum of space.
Space deployment comes with several significant engineering challenges for electronic and electrical systems. Engineers must specify components that have all the necessary characteristics for coping with the harsh environment of space, and meet the acute size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements needed to keep the payload and package size down. UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE APPLICATION SETTING But harsh space conditions don’t pose the biggest threat to component reliability. It is the process of getting into orbit that puts the most stress on equipment. During launch, a rocket’s payload can easily be subjected to gravitational forces of 4 to 5 g acceleration. Also, systems experience intense vibrational forces during launch. Hardware may be exposed to very high levels of heat too. Should any damage occur at this stage, the equipment might not properly function, and the mission would end in failure before it had begun.
IT IS THE PROCESS OF GETTING INTO ORBIT THAT PUTS THE MOST STRESS ON EQUIPMENT.
Even after the hardware is safely in orbit,
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