Specialists of the Russian Space Systems holding (RKS, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) have developed a circuit solution that will provide a new level of protection for all electronic onboard devices of satellites from the aggressive effects of space radiation. The product will increase the reliability of onboard equipment and increase the service life of spacecraft in orbit.
The development is a universal circuit solution on two printed circuit boards 2 × 3 cm in size as a part of a current consumption detector and a protection device against the thyristor effect – a breakdown in the power grid due to a voltage surge caused by external factors. The device is integrated into the electrical circuits of the on-board equipment, monitors the current state of the input and output voltage, reveals the destructive effect of radiation and is able to quickly conduct short-term circuit disconnections up to 20 microseconds in order to avoid degradation of on-board components.
In the near future, ground tests of the device as part of the spacecraft will be held. The components of the development – a current detector and a protection device – were awarded silver and bronze medals at the International Salon of Inventions and Innovative Technologies “Archimedes-2019”.