RF radiation test bench for New Space components

Context & Objective

In Toulouse, France’s aerospace and new-space ecosystem, a customer needed to evaluate the radiation tolerance of RF components intended for spaceborne systems. The objective was to design and operate an RF transmission chain in the satellite’s payload. For this, it was necessary to create a dedicated test bench capable of monitoring real-time RF performance under multiple forms of radiation stress to simulate in-orbit performance.

Challenge

Space environments expose RF devices to ionizing radiation, single-event effects, and displacement damage, which can severely degrade performance. The customer required a reliable and flexible test setup to assess these risks and support the development of a radiation-resistant RF solution by using off-the-shelf components that had not been space-graded.

WUPATEC’s Contribution

WUPATEC led the definition and design of the test bench and implementation. Together with TRAD, a specialist provider of radiation testing services for space-grade electronic components, the execution of the complete RF radiation test process was carried out. It consisted of:

• Selection of the RF solution best suited for radiation evaluation.

• Development of a real-time RF test bench to continuously monitor RF performance during irradiation.

• Execution of radiation tests with TRAD.

• Analysis and interpretation of all test results, including degradation mechanisms.

• Adjustment of the RF solution to mitigate radiation risks and improve long-term reliability.

Key Achievements

• For the first time, we worked with a company specializing in radiation tests. This allowed us to understand the intricacies behind the combination of RF expertise and radiation-test capabilities applied to New Space systems, and we saw a niche of opportunities by working together.

• Significant reduction of radiation-related risks for the final RF solution.

• Test-driven improvements led to a custom, robust, and durable design that replaced the original solution.