Dear Readers of the Tesat-Spacecom Parts Agency Newsletter,
50 years ago, the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins began their historic flight to the Moon. Today, many companies worldwide are preparing new missions to the moon or into the moon orbit. For some of them even this goal is only an intermediate step for a mission to Mars.
In the past years, the number of players who have set themselves such targets has grown by orders of magnitude. In the past 25 years, 18 missions were targeting the Moon, now planned for the next 5 years are more than 30 missions.
Compared to 1969, todays missions have enormous computing power, massively higher data collection, a variety of modern sensors and broadband transmission capabilities. All that is realized by powerful, reliable EEE components. A major role to mission success plays the careful EEE parts selection in the design phase, followed by specialized procurement, engineering and quality assurance. The TESAT Parts Agency @ TESAT CAPMUS started a new series of EEE parts training covering all these aspects, please find more details below.
Also covered in this newsletter are some details on the successful Euclid mission closeout and our participation at the ESCCON 2019. As a new section, we have decided to add to our letter from time to time news of our PCB production capabilities for external customers. TESAT not only offers the well-known EEE parts services via the Parts Agency, but PCB manufacturing, assembly and tests as a one-stop-shop.
After the summer, a series of conferences will take place with TESAT participation: we would be pleased to meet you there! And finally, after the summer vacation period, the TESAT Parts Agency will launch its new web site. We will keep you updated!
Best regards,
Frederik Küchen.
For any questions, for your feedback or topics you wish to be addressed in the next newsletter please contact Dr. Frederik Küchen.
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: +49 (0) 7191 - 930 - 2414
First EEE Space Parts Training @ TESAT CAMPUS
In May our new TESAT Campus started with a 3-days training course on “EEE Parts Engineering and Procurement” conducted by TESAT experts from the Agency and EEE-Center. The EEE Space Parts Training is specialized in the challenges of EEE HiRel procurement activities up to the opportunities and risks of the future - also in respect of the growing requirements of “New Space”. The aim is to transfer know-how and experience and to learn how all important aspects like performance, quality and reliability within various space projects can be guaranteed.
On an additional and optional “Lab-Day” participants get the possibility to get their hands on different EEE components and perform their own destructive physical analysis in our laboratories. Finally, all participants were awarded with an official TESAT Campus certificate.
Our first training session was fully booked and elicited a positive response. Especially the expertise of our technical experts was highly appreciated by the participants. Building on this success we already announced our next training in September. For more details and register information click here: Link.
Related to new technologies and expectations for future evolution of the space industry, we plan to offer further - more specialized- trainings sessions. Our new product “TESAT Campus” shall become the first address for professional education and know-how exchange lead by engineering and quality experts.
So don’t miss and participate TESAT Campus!
EUCLID: successful Close-Out
In May 2019 the Euclid Close-Out Meeting was hold between the responsible project managers of the TESAT Parts Agency, Alter Technology, Thales Alenia Space Italy as project prime and ESA. The programme was organized as a CPPA (Coordinated Parts Procurement Agency) programme. All Parties agreed that the cooperation was excellent and by means of the standard CPPA approach, a high quality management and a fast execution could be achieved.
TESAT was responsible for the procurement of EEE components for both instrument and platform users over the last four years and supported them in the selection, engineering, procurement and testing of these parts and built a consortium together with Alter Technology due to the size of the activities. In addition, the CPPA is the interface to the primes and ESA for all tasks related to EEE components. In total, TESAT procured 315 different types of EEE components for this programme, these are summarised more than 50.000 component pieces which are used by 12 users.
Euclid is an ESA mission to map the geometry of the dark Universe. The mission will investigate the distance-redshift relationship and the evolution of cosmic structures by measuring shapes and redshifts of galaxies and clusters of galaxies out to redshifts or equivalently to a look-back time of 10 billion years. In this way, Euclid will cover the entire period over which dark energy played a significant role in accelerating the expansion.
Non-destructive test for voiding in MLCCs
Destructive micro sectional analysis was and still continues to be the method of choice to find critical imperfections in multi-layer ceramic chip capacitors (MLCCs). The destructive nature of this method, however, could result in unpleasant consequences with high cost and schedule impact. Take, for example, a destructive physical analysis, where a single critical finding in the micro sectional analysis formally led to the rejection of a complete batch due to the lack of a non-destructive screening method. With confocal scanning acoustic microscopy (CSAM) we now offer a non-destructive escape from this dilemma. Candidates with critical defects in such a batch are identified and scrapped while the spotless specimens can still be used, thus saving time and money. Please contact us for further information.
TESAT Operational Competencies - enhancement by verification of soldering joints via X-Ray and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
TESAT was the first manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCBs) who offers ESA qualified circuit boards with the multifunctional surface ENIPIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Palladium Immersion Gold). The ENIPIG surface allows, in addition to the soldering (PbSn & SAC) of components, direct electrical conductive bonding and gold wire bonding. The ESA certificate also includes the μvia technology (connection of position 1-2 and position 1-3).
The TESAT PCB product range includes double-sided, multilayer, flexible and composite circuit boards, as well as special designs with integrated metal / ceramic core for controlled thermomechanical expansion and heat conduction using high-Tg-FR4 as the basic material. All circuit boards are manufactured in-house for various applications like standard products as well as complex designs. We also provide PCB services to external customers and guarantee 100% qualified circuit board technologies, which have a unique heritage in a large number of satellite projects.
A new quality feature in PCB manufacturing is the capability to verify soldering joints via X-Ray and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to guarantee highest quality.
- X-Ray System „Yxlon Cougar“ in place since Jan 2019
- 160 kV x-ray tube
- resolution < 1 µm
- 2D/3D-x-ray funktion
Please find below some picture examples:
3D picture „solder joint in Tubus“ - assessment of degree of wetting, shape of miniscus and blowhole
Picture Example: solder volume and shape only
Picture Example: solder joints of „high performance chip“ assessment at closed body
These technologies as part of our PCB manufacturing and testing are available to our external customers, too. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
European Space Components Conference ESCCON 2019
On March 11th to 13th the ESCCON 2019, announced by the European Space Components Coordination (ESCC) took place at ESA ESTEC, Noordwijk, in the Netherlands.
The focus of ESCCON is to support cooperation and discussion on the most relevant topics related to EEE components for space systems. Discussions addressed topics such as standardization, new technology insertion and validation test methods, harmonisation of needs, investments, fundings and industrial experience and expectations for future evolution. The conference is an international forum and therefore invites all specialists involved in development, selection, procurement and use of EEE parts.
You will get more information on ESCC on its website: https://escies.org
Especially in the area of New Space various presentations have been given about selection, procurement of parts in the area of new space as well as building up a whole supply chain for industry 4.0. Also experts of TESAT Parts Agency and EEE-Center participated the conference and presented a market analysis on EEE Parts in the new space area and the TESAT transition to space equipment manufacturing has been shown with an interesting video showing TESATs production capabilities.
DLR Conference on EEE Components
From 23th to 24th of May, the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) invited German industry and German users of EEE parts to their yearly conference. The objective of this conference is to exchange information, know-how and to discuss the latest news about space business and new technologies.
TESAT Parts Agency has participated this popular conference with presentations and has contributed to the exhibition. Registered users will get more information on the website of DLR: https://www.dlr.de
Tesat goes green
End of 2015 TESAT kicked off the project „Digital EEE Documentation“. 6 months later all newly delivered EEE related documentation were stored in the TESAT SAP linked to the parts meta data. At the beginning, TESAT simply scanned the delivered paper documentation to store it in SAP. Right now we ask the manufacturer to provide the documentation on file (CD or memory stick) and transfer this into SAP. Additionally a good portion of the EEE documentation from the last years have been scanned up to now.
The completeness of digital data and correctness of linking in SAP are verified during documentation check. The advantages of having digital EEE documentation in the SAP System are fast and comfortable access to EEE parts documentation for e.g.: parts control boards, re-checks in case of part failures; no misplace of paper files; multiple user access; less space for paper archive.
Dates
- 16 - 20 Sept. 2019
RADECS, Radiation and its Effects on Components and Systems
Montpellier, France - 23 - 24 Oct. 2019
MEWS32 Microelectronics Workshop
Tokyo, Japan - 06 - 08 Nov. 2019
ACCEDE, Assessment of Commercial Components Enabling Disruptive Space Electronics
Sevilla, Spain - 19 - 21 Nov. 2019
Space Tech Expo
Bremen, Germany
Yours Tesat Parts Agency