It is not everyday that you get to celebrate a 50,000th event but last month TRAK completed delivery of the 50,000th space qualified Microstrip ferrite junction (isolators and circulators) to a longstanding space customer.
The first device was supplied in 2002 for the RADARSAT 2 program since when TRAK has delivered parts to approximately 11 customers and 35 payloads that include radarsats in C & X-Band and commercial and government GEOSATS and the occasional deep space probe.
Since the first device was supplied the technology has remained broadly similar with small incremental changes to allow the products to adapt to a gradually evolving environment characteristically more demanding in terms of the thermal and dynamic environment. Electrically however the devices are a generation removed from the initial devices typified by higher operating powers and operating bandwidths with 2-4GHz in X-Band quite commonplace. Microstrip remains a core part of the TRAK product development activity with designs activity focused on increasing the peak power handling, operating frequency and operating bandwidth.
Most of the programmes TRAK has supported in the past 15 years supplying such Microstrip these devices remain cloaked for obvious reasons while a few others are already in the public domain including SENTINEL 1a-d, RADARSAT-2 and COSMO SKYMED to name but 10 payloads.
Of the 50,000 flight model devices supplied almost 9,000 remain on terra firma in various stages of integration and launch preparation with most of these expected to be lofted into their orbits over the coming 24 months.
So, to those customers who routinely use TRAK Microstrip devices we raise a glass to thank you for your past business and to look forward to celebrating the next milestone.