Radiation抗辐射电子技术中稳定的市场空间需求保持稳定.docVIP

Radiation-hardened electronics technology remains stable amid steady demand in the space market By?John McHale The economic downturn has affected many high-technology markets, but much like the military sector the?space electronics market?continues to prove resilient. Investment in new designs and new programs are steadily increasing and designers of?radiation-hardened electronics?(rad-hard) are optimistic midway through 2010 despite the recession and government cutbacks. Programs that have been canceled the last few years include the Department of Defense’s?Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT)?and most recently NASA’s Constellation program, which includes the Ares 1 and Ares V rockets and the?Orion crew exploration vehicle. This has had its influence on?rad-hard electronics. The cancellation of?NASA Constellation?could be troublesome but “should not manifest itself till early next fiscal year,” says Tony Jordan director of standard products, at Aeroflex Colorado Springs in Colorado Springs, Colo. “Most new space platforms have been either cancelled or delayed,” says Keith Nootbaar, senior director of microelectronics and precision sensors at Honeywell Aerospace in Plymouth, Minn.?“This has delayed the utilization of Honeywell’s newer technologies and products longer than we had anticipated.?However, the first half of this year has seen several new space development programs being awarded, which has resulted in an increase in our 150 nanometer HX5000 ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) implementations. Honeywell, which is a major player in the Constellation program, is still moving forward as if the program will survive. “Until a final budget is approved by Congress, it is inappropriate for Honeywell to speculate,” Nootbaar says. “However, our work continues on Orion, and Honeywell is integrally involved in command and data handling systems, displays and controls, navigation, systems engineering, and software for the Orion crew explorat