We will review ALTER’s capabilities for space equipment testing, with a special focus on new developments and ESA’s statement of conformity for small satellites.
Invincible business decisions of the Component Manufacturers shape the EEE Component market, endangering long-term follow-up projects. Especially the Military/Space EEE Components minuscule market share is more vulnerable to business decisions.
The space industry is booming, and space semiconductors are transforming from traditional ‘space-grade’ to advanced ‘Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS)’. However, most COTS semiconductors are severely affected by extraterrestrial radiation.
The New Space industry resorts to this way of saving. Such a shortcut obviously is cost-efficient, but it still invokes knowledgeable, educated technical decisions. It is not enough to accept some usually undefined risks. The cost of cost-saving has to be known.
There is a trend to push toward the use of Automotive Grade 0, 1 EEE Components as preferred vs. Industrial Grade EEE Components.
The presentation walks through the AEC-Q100 (ICs) document, highlighting points to be scrutinized before making an educated decision.
It is obvious that many barriers must be overcome in order to reach fundamental confidence in COTS.
The following aspects are presented:
Resistance to Change Barrier.
The Risk Barrier.
The Obsolescence Barrier.
The Counterfeit Barrier.
The Lead-Free/ Tin Whiskers Barrier.
Various myths related to EEE Components are circulating due to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. The presentation attempts to debunk 16 myths, hopefully helping the community avoid pitfalls.