space-satellite

More: Deep Space Exploration > Satellite Integration > Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles

The performance parameters that must be addressed when considering power handling within the spaceflight environment are the three main failure mechanisms that can lead to RF breakdown: Thermal limitations of the materials, multipaction, and ionization.

Multipaction Keeping power completely within an interconnect requires more than just shielding stray electrons from bouncing around a vacuum. Proper design, materials selection, and quality construction are essential for all interconnects within a system. One bad cable can ruin an entire system. CarlisleIT engineers understand the complexities and challenges that arise from multipaction, and are experts at keeping electrons moving along their desired transmission path.

Ionization We implement the highest quality controls during the design and assembly processes to control the critical geometries, venting, and cleanliness to prevent the risk of a partial atmosphere or outgassing constituents becoming trapped within the transmission path leading to a corona and eventual RF breakdown.

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Our broad range of interconnect solutions has been ensuring mission success for decades in the space industry. From spacecraft and launch vehicles to satellite integration and ground support equipment, our RF Connectors, Cable Assemblies, Filter Connectors, Seamless Wire, Fiber Optics, and other specialized products provide high performance and reliability in the harshest and most demanding environments.

Here at CarlisleIT, we design and test our products to meet the requirements of extreme vibration during launch, thermal cycling, outgassing, and radiation once payloads are operational in orbit. In space, there is no option to repair or replace interconnect products — they need to work the first time, every time.

Whether your mission is deep space exploration and discovery or a Low Earth Orbit constellation supporting the “space internet,” we have you covered.

 

Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles

Launchers are complex machines, and require the same kind of interconnects as the payloads they’re delivering. Everything needs to be reliable, performing at the highest level and quality over time.

Satellite Integration

Connecting the world via satellite requires interconnect solutions that meet the strictest tolerances and perform in the harshest conditions. That’s precisely what we deliver.

Deep Space Exploration

Working with the space program for over five decades, our people have extensive knowledge of the unique challenges presented by space travel. From new space capsules and vehicles to discovering and exploring new worlds, CarlisleIT engineers are working with new and innovative companies to bring their ideas and applications to life — to perhaps discover life elsewhere or bring life from Earth to extreme environments somewhere else.

RF Power Handling

The performance parameters that must be addressed when considering power handling within the spaceflight environment are the three main failure mechanisms that can lead to RF breakdown: thermal limitations of the materials, multipaction, and ionization.

mars-rover

More: Satellite IntegrationRF Power Handling > Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles

Working with the space program for over five decades, our people have extensive knowledge of the unique challenges presented by space travel. From new space capsules and vehicles to discovering and exploring new worlds, CarlisleIT engineers are working with new and innovative companies to bring their ideas and applications to life — to perhaps discover life elsewhere or bring life from Earth to extreme environments somewhere else.

Our high-reliability, space-grade products have played a role in countless missions. With our heritage in the space program to date, we offer:

  • Engineering
  • Design
  • Production
  • Testing


CarlisleIT on a Mission: NASA’s Perseverance Rover
Our interconnect technology serves as a communication link between the Mars Helicopter and base command, helping to accomplish the mission 63 million miles away.

Click here for more information

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Semi-rigid
Delay lines
Fabricated cables
Harnesses
High bandwidth
High resolution
Low power consumption
Excellent temp stability
Matched sensor for high stability & repeatability
Radiation tolerant
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Reliable
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spacecraft-launch-vehicle

More: Deep Space Exploration > RF Power Handling > Spacecraft & Launch Vehicles

Connecting the world via satellite requires interconnect solutions that meet the strictest tolerances and perform in the harshest conditions. That’s precisely what we deliver.

We have supported the space industry for over 50 years to provide interconnects that control the critical performance parameters that the payload integrator so highly values:

  • Low-loss
  • Reduced mass
  • Thermal stability
  • Mechanical integrity
  • Approved materials
  • Consistent and repeatable performance

Our customers are confident that they can bring the most demanding and ever-changing requirements forward and the CarlisleIT family of products is ready to support the mission technically and logistically.

Ground Support
We support the satellite industry to ensure transmissions are received correctly by control stations without loss of signal integrity. We use the same interconnect components for testing and ground support as the satellites themselves to help prevent any mismatch of signal or power.

Test
We work with satellite integrators and equipment manufacturers to test and verify the functionality of the assembled products prior to launch, helping to guarantee reliable performance throughout the life cycle of the mission.

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Delay lines
Fabricated cables
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High bandwidth
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Matched sensor for high stability & repeatability
Radiation tolerant
Spaceflight
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Light Weight
Stronger than Steel
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Affordable
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High-temp
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spacecraft-launch-vehicle

More: Satellite Integration > Deep Space Exploration > RF Power Handling

Building vehicles for the purposes of space travel presents challenges unseen anywhere else. Our engineers know them well – we’ve been working with the space program from the start.

Our products undergo extensive acceptance testing that exceeds industry standards, from the connector and cable component level to the final delivered product. We also perform qualification testing for the unique requirements of space flight in our own laboratories to make sure our solutions will perform as specified — from integration, through launch, to the end of program life, and beyond.

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Delay lines
Fabricated cables
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High bandwidth
High resolution
Low power consumption
Excellent temp stability
Matched sensor for high stability & repeatability
Radiation tolerant
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Reliable
Industry-Leading Electrical Conductivity
Light Weight
Stronger than Steel
Flexible
Affordable
Spaceflight
High-density
Self-locking
Multiport quick-connect
High-power
Filtered
Flexible
Semi-rigid
Hand-formable
High-voltage
High-temp
Moisture-resistant

Operating Standards

Trainers & Operators Certified to:

  • IPC-A-620 including space addendum
  • IPC-J-STD-001 including space addendum
  • IPC-A-610
  • IPC-A-600
  • NASA-8739.1 polymetric applications
  • NASA-8739.2 surface mount
  • NASA-8739.3/J-STD-001S soldering
  • NASA-8739.4 crimping & wiring
  • NASA-8739.5 fiber optic terminations

Dedicated On-Site Training Facility

  • Master IPC Training Center

Key Characteristics of CarlisleIT Space Interconnect Products:

  • Electrical testing for AC, DC, RF, fiber optic-based products, including EMC
  • Overmolding capability
  • 2D & 3D form board mockups

Cable Assembly Test Capabilities:

  • X-ray, electrical length
  • Skew
  • Impedance (characteristic, differential, common mode)
  • Insertion loss, return loss/VSWR
  • TDR (time domain reflectometry)
  • Eye patter, jitter
  • Bit error rate testing (BERT) crosstalk
  • Propagation delay
  • Rise time, fall time, rise time degradation
  • Continuity/DC resistance
  • Hipot/dielectric strength

UTiFLEX® Ultra-Light Cable Assemblies are optimized for spaceflight applications. They provide up to 25% weight savings, lowest insertion loss, and best radiation resistance in a flexible cable construction. The cables utilize CarlisleIT’s ARACON® for the outer shield, an ultra-low-density PTFE for the dielectric, and a DuPont Tefzel® jacket*. If required, cable assemblies are manufactured in a Class 10,000 clean-room by certified solder technicians.

Key Features

  • Low SWR (1.25:1 to 40 GHz typical)
  • Excellent shielding effectiveness
  • Precision phase matching available
  • ARACON® outer shield for superior weight savings on semi-rigid cables

Space Qualified

  • J-STD-001 Space Addendum certified assemblers and inspectors
  • Class 10,000 clean-room assembly processes
  • Low-outgassing materials (1% TML, 0.1% CVCM per ASTM E-595)
  • Radiation-resistant up to 100 Mrads
  • Real-time X-ray capability

Other Available UTiFLEX® Variants

  • Miniature
  • Low-Loss
  • Ultra-Low-Loss
  • MKR Ruggedized
  • External Armor
  • TVAC

*DuPont™ and TEFZEL® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

Our third generation ARINC 791/792 Adjustable Fittings make it easy to adjust to structure variations while minimizing labor on the line or at the MRO. Our patented design features Z-Axis adjustability that ensures the lowest possible installation height for ESA applications and supports ARINC 791 to 792 conversion.

Construction

Materials

  • 17-4PH stainless steel heat treated to H1150
  • Passivated per AMS2700
  • Primed using MIL-PRF-23377, Type I, Class N
  • Painted using MIL-PRF-85285, Type I, Class H (Gloss white)
  • RoHS & REACH compliant

Performance Standards

  • Substantiated to 4,000 lbs (at each fitting location)
  • ARINC 791 specified .375” fitting bolt

Patent No.

  • US 10,640,194

Features & Benefits

Function

  • Eliminates shimming and match drilling
  • Minimizes installation time
  • Reduces tools required for installation
  • Accommodates variations in AC-side fittings
  • Meets ARINC 791 slip requirements
  • Fail-safe design
  • CRES material eliminates bushings and galvanic corrosion

Tested to Meet the Following Requirements:

  • Operational Shock: RTCA/DO-160G Section 7.2.1: 6 g 11 ms terminal sawtooth (3 shocks in all 6 directions)
  • Crash Safety Impulse: RTCA/DO-160G Section 7.3.1: 20 g (1 shock in all 6 directions)
  • Crash Safety Sustained: RTCA/DO-160G section 7.3.3: 20 g (3 seconds minimum in all 6 directions)
  • Robust Vibration: RTCA/DO-160G section 8.7.2: Random Category R, Curve B3 and B4
  • High Power Short Duration Engine Imbalance: RTCA/DO-160G Section 8.6: Sinusoidal Category H, Curve R
  • Mechanical Endurance: 250 cycles minimum

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Features Benefits
Linear thermal phase performance
  • Minimizes system phase variation
  • Increases accuracy
  • Eliminates PTFE “knee”
Naturally ruggedized with sturdy concentric core
  • Improved reliability
  • Improved crush-resistance
Vertically integrated
  • Controlled fluoropolymer performance
  • Reliable delivery

Typical velocity of propagation 80%

  • Excellent insertion loss
  • Drop-in replacement for many competing cables
Universally configurable with standard connectors and armor
  • Proven UTiFLEX® assembly reliability and performance
  • Reduced lead-time using existing assembly hardware and techniques

Cable Details

Diameter Frequency Range V of P Minimum Bend Radius Mass Maximum Insertion Loss
0.205″
(5.21 mm)
DC-26.5 GHz 80% 0.500″
(12.7 mm)
20.6 gm/ft
(67.6 gm/m)
0.56 dB/ft @ 26.5 GHz
(1.84 dB/m)

Connector Options

Series Max Frequency Types (CODES)
SMA 18 GHz Plug (300), Jack (310), Right-Angle Plug (380), Bulkhead Jack (320)
PN 18 GHz Plug hex/knurl (50U), Jack (510), Bulkhead Jack (520), 4-Hole Flange Jack (550)
N 12.4 GHz Plug hex/knurl (70U), Jack (710)
PC 3.5 mm 26.5 GHz Plug (000), Jack (010)
PTNC 18 GHz Plug hex/knurl (60U), Jack (610)
PC 7 mm 18 GHz Universal (400)
BNC 6 GHz Plug (804)

 

Features Benefits
Linear thermal phase performance
  • Minimizes system phase variation
  • Increases accuracy
  • Eliminates PTFE “knee”
Naturally ruggedized with sturdy concentric core
  • Improved reliability
  • Improved crush-resistance
Vertically integrated
  • Controlled fluoropolymer performance
  • Reliable delivery

Typical velocity of propagation 80%

  • Excellent insertion loss
  • Drop-in replacement for many competing cables
Universally configurable with standard connectors and armor
  • Proven UTiFLEX® assembly reliability and performance
  • Reduced lead-time using existing assembly hardware and techniques

Cable Details

 

Diameter Frequency Range V of P Minimum Bend Radius Mass Maximum Insertion Loss
0.088″
(2.24 mm)
DC-70 GHz 80% 0.250″
(6.35 mm)
4.5 gm/ft
(14.8 gm/m)
2.37 dB/ft @ 70 GHz
(7.78 dB/m)

Connector Options

Series Max Frequency Types (CODES)
SMA 18 GHz Plug (300), Jack (310), Right-Angle Plug (380), Bulkhead Jack (320)
SMP 40 GHz Jack (F10), Bulkhead Plug (F3M), Bulkhead Jack (F90)
SSMA 40 GHz Plug (G00), Right-Angle Plug (G80)
1.85 mm 70 GHz Plug (C00), Bulkhead Jack (C20)
2.4 mm 50 GHz Plug (100)
2.92 mm 40 GHz Plug (200)
SMPM 65 GHz Right-Angle Jack (Q90)

 

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