The design process of a typical attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) involves the significant effort of tuning and validation of static controllers or state estimators, calibrated for each mission phase/mode. The transition between these controllers/observers may occur without performance guarantee, as well as provoking settling impacts. The tuning effort and Verification and Validation (VV) process can be improved by Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) techniques.

The use of COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) EEE parts together with lead free solder assembly are increasing the likelihood of tin (Sn) whiskers growing and causing issues or failures of flight equipment in service. When considering the growing use of COTS, several component package types are considered most at risk of this type of issue, such as flat packs and BGAs (Ball Grid Arrays).

Today, reference oscillators are based on a quartz resonator which is carefully sheltered in order to provide a very stable environment to this key component which in turn provides a very stable and low phase noise reference. This type of oscillator also called Oven Controlled Oscillator (OCXO) is the core technology in most space products requiring either stable frequency or low phase noise or both. Though far more recent on the market, MEMS oscillators are already as good as TCXO while being much smaller (hybrid assembly as compared to single chip solution).

The project activity focused on the development of advanced direct-conversion detectors for X/γ-ray systems, which are critical for applications requiring reliable detection of radiation, ranging from single photons to high fluxes within the broad mid-energy spectrum. Traditional materials such as Si and Ge have limitations, particularly in detecting higher energy ranges, which motivates the search for semiconductors with a wider band gap, higher X/γ-ray absorption efficiency, and favorable electrical characteristics.

Achievements and status: 

• Both cylinders have been manufactured up to spec and shipped to the end-user. 
• Both cylinders have been accepted by the end-user

Benefits: 

• Tailored lattice design parameters to optimise the design for the defined load cases. 
• Mass savings in comparison to traditional monolithic designs of around 50% (of the composite part, without mounted equipment)

The project included the design, fabrication, and characterization of key components such as transmission lines, resonators, and third-order filters in GGW technology. These components were manufactured using 3D screen printing and then subjected to rigorous testing to validate their electrical and geometric properties. A key technical challenge was to maintain dimensional tolerances within ±15 µm and surface roughness (Ra) below 3 µm to ensure optimal performance at high frequencies.