In 2023, there are about 5.2 billion active internet users worldwide. Despite this impressive figure, more than 35% of the world’s total population still does not have access to the internet. Commercial satellite operators are launching thousands of satellites in the coming years to serve this market, requiring advancements in space electronics.
Food security is also becoming another focus with the growing population, which is estimated to cross 9.7 billion in 2050. Feeding the world population in 2050 would call for increasing overall food production by about 70%, the Food and Agriculture Organization predicts. To optimize agricultural practices, availability of farmland, soil health, etc., Earth observation satellites are rapidly using hyperspectral optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagers, thermal infrared sensors and other technologies.
Due to many such requirements, the number of missions to space is rapidly increasing. In fact, in 2022, there were approximately 6,905 active satellites orbiting Earth, with an additional 58,000 satellites to be launched by 2030. Figure 1 illustrates the timeline of a total number of active satellites from 2019 to 2030.
Figure 1: The total number of active satellites from 2019 to 2030 (Source: Stratview Research)
Whether it is a communication satellite, navigation satellite, carrier rocket, lander, rover or space shuttle, all require reliable space-grade electronics for functioning. For improved navigation, communication, imaging and data-processing systems in any space exploration, improved space electronics are required. As a result, the global space electronics market is expected to exceed $5.3 billion by 2028.
However, the journey to space comes with a few obstacles, the most challenging of which is the harsh environment of space itself. Other challenges include undesired vibrations in the launching vehicle and the radiation in outer space.
This calls for better performing and ever-evolving space electronics that can overcome the challenges posed by the harsh atmosphere in space.
Enhanced electronics for advanced communication
At its simplest, a transmitter and a receiver are two essential components for any successful space communication. However, recent communication in space goes beyond transmitters and receivers. To offer advanced communications, companies are working toward interference-free and optical communication technologies.
An ultra-flat scalable matrix antenna was launched by Thorium Space, a telecommunications system manufacturer. This antenna is said to be free from interference from Earth or space. It uses high radio frequencies and electronic control of transmitting and receiving beams.
A significant breakthrough in the space electronics field came when NASA achieved 200 Gbits/s throughput on a space-to-ground optical link in April 2023. This has set a record for the highest data rate ever achieved in space-to-ground optical communications. The benefits of laser/optical communications include improved efficiency, lighter systems and strengthened security.
This achievement was made possible due to the TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) system, carried into orbit by NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) satellite.
Figure 2: Demonstration of the TBIRD downlinking data over lasers and linking to an optical ground station (Source: NASA)
Radiation-hardened/tolerant and beyond
The space electronics industry has a long history of system breakdowns caused by several factors. Long duration of exposures, unpredictable solar proton activity and an ambient galactic cosmic ray environment are a few examples. Space electronics must surpass multiple testing and qualification standards to address potential failures.
To withstand these conditions, the electronics are made either radiation-hardened or radiation-tolerant. Radiation-tolerant and radiation-hardened space electronics are differentiated by their ability to resist the effects of ionizing radiation, such as total ionizing dose and single-event effects.
For example, Microchip Technology Inc. announced a significant addition to its existing radiation-tolerant product range by introducing the MIC69303RT 3-A low-dropout voltage regulator in January 2023. This product marks the company’s first commercial-off-the-shelf rad-tolerant power device that offers better space power management. This regulator, featuring a four-layer printed-circuit board, is made up of highly reliable plastic derived from the AEC-Q100 automotive specification that passes all tests necessary for space applications as well as a robust hermetic ceramic.
Quantum material for next-gen space electronics
Future telecommunications require highly advanced electronic devices with immense processing capabilities for electromagnetic signals in the picosecond range. Current semiconductor materials, usually silicon, fall short of meeting such extraordinary speed requirements.
Holding a promise for future electronic devices, particularly in optoelectronics, a team headed by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in March 2023 created a quantum material that can be used to capture and transmit information within new electronic devices at a very high speed. The presence of force fields in the material generates entirely unique dynamics that are not observed in conventional materials; therefore, electrons can navigate through a curved space.
The role of miniaturization
The space industry is moving toward miniaturization, which calls for smaller and more advanced electronics, including integrated circuits and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that enable the development of customized components with reduced circuit size, weight and power consumption, resulting in a cost-effective solution.
The emergence of small satellites like CubeSats has led to the development of miniaturized electronic components like compact sensors, communication systems and attitude-control mechanisms. These small satellites typically cost up to 90% less than large satellites, when accounting for both production and launch expenses.
For instance, the cost of manufacturing and launching Maxar’s WorldView-4 satellite, which weighs 2,500 kg, was approximately $850 million, while a single OneWeb small satellite, including its launch, was estimated to cost about $1 million.
Fueling the next chapter of space exploration
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is not new to the space sector. Encapsulating the current trends of automation, additive manufacturing (or 3D printing), machine learning, artificial intelligence and more, the space electronics industry is already embracing the power of Industry 4.0.
With the growing population and increasing internet and connectivity demand, communication satellites outnumber other types of satellites, emphasizing their greater prominence in the space industry. As these communication satellites heavily rely on radio-frequency (RF) components for wireless communications, more and more RF components are required in the future.
To meet this growing demand, Airbus, for example, embraces the power of additive-layer–manufacturing technology to manufacture RF components in large volume for its Eurostar satellite.
SpaceX is another example. It uses an AI-powered autopilot system in Falcon 9 that helps rockets traverse from the launch to the docking station at the International Space Station. The AI system calculates the trajectory of the rocket through space, considering fuel usage, atmospheric interference and “sloshing” from liquids within the engine, mitigating any possible human error.
In February 2023, Ubotica, a leading space AI company, announced its CogniSAT-XE2 hardware platform to facilitate AI usage in space for in-orbit data analysis. This platform, with its AI capabilities, increases in-orbit data-analysis capabilities in real time, enables collision-avoidance assistance and optimizes downlink data load.
Taking a significant leap forward in advancing the potential of 3D printing in space, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation developed a technology that enables 3D printing of satellite antenna in the vacuum of outer space, using photosensitive resin and solar ultraviolet light. This technology, introduced in 2022, has the potential to reduce costs and create more space on the rocket.
With the advent of Industry 5.0, it brings transforming trends like the metaverse and quantum computing that can significantly change the technology landscape. These technologies even have the potential to simulate the space environment (microgravity) on Earth.
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