Connections in High Places
Tekdata Interconnection's Cryoconnect group has recently completed delivery of the flight qualified harnesses for the European Space Agency's cornerstone observatory class mission the Herschel Space Observatory.
This consists of two satellite platforms, Herschel and Planck Surveyor.
The Herschel Observatory makes extensive use of Tekdata's superconducting Cryoconnect looms - the three experiments are:
- The SPIRE instrument on the Herschel platform. SPIRE's main themes are galactic and extra galactic surveys providing photometry and spectrometry in the 200-670 micro-meter range.
- The LFI and HFI instrument on the Planck Surveyor. HFI will perform a far-infrared all sky survey.
The SPIRE detectors are connected by 6 x 51 pin nano connectors carrying 450 signals and 42 differential stainless steel shields.
HFI has Tekdata Cryoconnect harnesses primarily at the 0.1K bolometer detector stage and at the 1.4K and 6K stages.
In addition the refrigeration system on Planck has Cryoconnect planar cables.
Working with the system designers and collaborators required meeting demanding heat load and low mass constraints.
This resulted in the creation of a new generation of miniature shielded planar assemblies.
