Suitability analysis of commercial off-the-shelf components for space application

Abstract

With the rapid development of microelectronics technology and the increasing requirement of high performance in space missions, existing space-level radiation-hardened components and technology cannot meet the design of high-performance spacecraft. More and more commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components are widely used in some space missions to achieve high performance. However, COTS components are designed working in terrestrial operating conditions, and the electronic components used in spacecraft usually have a much higher reliability and suitability requirement because of the nature of space missions. Therefore, the successful use of COTS components in space applications is closely related to reliability and suitability issues, which have to be considered before using COTS parts in the harsh environment in space. This article summarizes the state-of-the-art COTS components suitable for space applications, discusses the problems and risks of using COTS components in space, and presents a suitability analysis approach for COTS components in Chinese space projects. The approach consists of analysis, tests, and evaluation of thermal environment, vibration and shock environment, radiation environment, and vacuum environment. In order to illustrate the usage of the approach, two examples have been selected as case studies. One is the Chinese SZ-4 spaceship with a COTS part AD595 and the other is a joint space project between the Europe Space Agency and the Chinese National Space Administration, which is called the Double-Star Project, with a COTS part MAX471.