Eutelsat interest in COTS digital components mainly resides in the possibility to drastically increase processing capabilities while maintain SWaP performance at an affordable level for a commercial GEO Satellite mission.
Whatever the communication mission, whatever the frequency band and associated coverages, the digital processing will bring important benefits in terms of being able to flexibly allocate the spacecraft resource to respond to evolutions of the market needs.
Additionally, more generic payload “building blocks” will permit to lower the procurement time while permitting to decrease industrial cost associated to manufacturing, test, integration on satellite, ranging from one-time programming on ground to full SDR (Software Defined Radio) architectures with full on-board reprogramming!
SmallSats use predominantly commercial electronics and specialized custom miniaturized subsystems out of the primary need to fit volumetric constraints and meet tough power efficiency targets. Using commercial electronics poses a major challenge as the radiation performance of commercial electronics is generally unknown and long-term reliability at elevated temperatures is not guaranteed.
To make matters worse, compressed development schedules and customarily low budgets makes a thorough analysis of each part and circuit impossible. Yet, the combination of educated part selection approaches, part and circuit level mitigations, architectural considerations and operational changes can achieve a high level of reliability even if the individual components don’t meet the typical space grade pedigree. Such mitigation approaches are only cost effective if employed early in the concept and design phase before even minor design changes have the potential to trigger system wide redesigns. For this reason, JPL has developed design and part selection guidelines that reduce the overall part test program.
New Space more and more looks like a large continuum ranging from unique cubesat with low criticality and mission profile up to small constellation with requirements close to traditional GEOsat, via large constellations focusing on the cost of ownership of a service, all looking at components packaged in plastic as the ultimate solution.
Building on its 40 year experience in Space components, ST is proposing a segmented approach with 3 specific value propositions, addressing the requirements and business potential of 3 key segments: traditional GEO Class 1 and 2 missions with it rad-hard ESCC / QML-V qualified products, cubesat with its commercial and automotive products “as is” and constellations with some level of criticality and mission profile with its new LEO series.
Alter Technology as reference test house
Screening of a high number of devices under very harsh conditions: Custom testing setup
High Temperature: 270ºC
Low temp: -170ºC
High Voltage tests: 250V
High Power tests: 2.5A
Long lasting tests with constant monitoring of electrical parameters and temperature of each single diode.
CNES continue to make research to improve its knowledge on COTS reliability. For example, many parts are sensitive to radiations effects and in particular to single event latch-up that could affect the overall reliability of devices.
This work presents how a new approach, based on Machine Learning, to analyze any available information on the performance of COTS could help to carry out this assessment. It evaluates how valuable information might be extracted from archival data despite the limitation of the size of the analyzed dataset in a few practical examples of Total Ionizing Dose (TID) and Displacement Damage (DD) tests.
We provide SiC testing capabilities for very extreme temperature applications, including:
– Packaging and custom assembly techniques
– Full reliability and testing capabilities include constructional, mechanical, thermal, radiation, and endurance tests, including performance validation from -190ºC to +400ºC.
ALTER SiC…