BLACKSBURG, Va., 1 June 2011.power electronics specialist VPT Inc. in Blacksburg, Va., has earned U.S. government certification of the company's space-qualified DC-DC power converters for use in applications that must operate in high radiation environments, Earth-orbiting satellites.Satellite electronics must be able to operate through relatively high levels of radiation, which is common in many Earth orbits where satellites must operate for long periods. VPT has won certification for its space-qualified DC-DC converter power supplies to the rad-hard MIL-PRF-38534, Level P standard for radiation hardness.The MIL-PRF-38534 standard is administered by the U.S. Defense Electronics Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) in Columbus, Ohio, which is part of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Certification to this standard means that VPT's DC-DC converters can be specified as Standard Military Drawings (SMDs).
Specifically, DLA officials have certified VPT to MIL-PRF-38534 Appendix G, which refers to Radiation Hardness Assurance Requirements (RHA) for hybrid microcircuits and multi-chip modules. The certification letter is online at www.vpt-inc.com/media/dbPDF/doc139.pdf.
VPT offers space-qualified DC-DC power converters and DC-DC point of load converters ranging from 6 to 120 Watts, and the company makes all these devices in its factory that is certified to MIL-PRF-38534 Class H and Class K guidelines.
VPT products are designed into space programs such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Pluto Horizons, LCROSS, Messenger, GPSIIF, and GPS IIRM. For more information contact VPT online at www.vpt-inc.com.
