Description
*On Delegation Request (formerly called Priority 2)
The objective is to assess the use of flexible printed wiring in place of conventional harness for any spacecraft platform equipment.
Targeted Improvements: Reduction of the mass of the Electrical Harness by at least 50%. Reduction of assembly and integration time by at least 50%. Enabling new harness routing rules.
Description: Conventional spacecraft harnesses contribute significantly to the overall mass of the platform, and are time-consuming to produce and install. For some subsystems, where lengthy electrical connections are needed, the use of pre-fabricated flexible printed wiring would be an attractive solution. In particular for recurrent spacecraft builds where standard harness designs and layouts are used, the flexible printed wiring technology could offer significant improvements in the cost and integration times for the harness.
The purpose of this activity is therefore to assess the suitability of the technology to telecommunication spacecraft platforms, to develop this technology for applications up to 400 V and up to 20 A, and to overcome the length limited range of about 1 to 1.5 meters. Besides, the use of such technology will have to comply with typical wiring harness requirements on derating, bundling and reliability etc. A printed wiring breadboard will be designed, developed, manufactured and tested to verify the performances.
*On Delegation Request (formerly called Priority 2) activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one National Delegation.
Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and RD entities in ESA programmes".