Hypertac hyperboloid contacts help explore the Red Planet

6th November 2020

Alex Lynn

0 0

NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, Mars Perseverance Rover was launched on July 30th, 2020 and will touch down on the Red Planet on February 18th, 2021. Designed to be the most sophisticated rover NASA has built, the Mars Perseverance Rover will use advanced systems to explore the diverse geological landscape, discover ancient habitats, gather rock and soil samples that will be returned to Earth and demonstrate technology for future human exploration.

Mars Perseverance Rover is loaded with scientific instruments, advanced computational capabilities for landing, upgraded sensors, computers and algorithms. It will enable the Rover to quickly and autonomously realise its location on Mars and modify its course during descent. This technology will be able to provide invaluable assistance for both robotic and crewed missions landing on future planets and essential for future robotics and missions to Mars.

Smiths Interconnect provided the Mars Perseverance Rover with high performance ruggedised cPCI 2mm connectors addressing NASA’s need for a high reliability connector solution to meet the mechanical, electrical and environmental performance requirements. Rigorous testing was performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for extreme environmental conditions, including thermal excursions, corrosive atmospheres, excessive shock and vibration, contact engagement/separation cycling, and other key NASA requirements.

“Smiths Interconnect is proud to support the Mars Perseverance Rover with a connectivity solution specifically engineered and optimised to mitigate the effects of heat and shock and vibration, while maintaining exceptional levels of signal integrity,” said Paul Harris, VP Sales and Marketing, Smiths Interconnect.

The cPCI 2mm connectors is based on Smiths Interconnect’s Hypertac hyperboloid contact technology, renowned for its immunity to shock, vibration and fretting. Tested to high level space and aerospace standards, the series delivers high performance in mission critical applications such as military land systems, shipboard, spacecraft, and defence applications.

The cPCI series is qualified to NASA GSFC: S-311-P-822 and assigned NASA Goddard part numbers. It provides:

High speed signal integrity up to 3.125 Gbps
High-temp LCP insulators that meets NASA outgassing requirements
Keying features to ensure proper and secure mating
An integrated shield to maximise EMI/RFI leakage
Compatibility with reflow soldering processes
Low insertion and extraction forces for reduced board strain and improved serviceability.