Traditionally, electronic systems for outer space applications used hermetic packages which were extensively screened. These parts were used in robust, low-volume, and high-cost systems. Over the last decade, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) New Space (or Space 2.0) systems—driven by entrepreneurial billionaires—using lower-cost, higher-technology Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components—components selected for radiation performance and carefully qualified for the intended satellite orbits. This raises questions. What are the mechanisms for radiation damage and what do they do to the electronics of our designs? This presentation is not comprehensive but is a good starting point for understanding what happens to electronic components in space.

Ken Coffman, currently employed by Vicor Corporation as a Senior Field Applications Engineer for the New Space Initiative, is a power engineer, writer, and technical book publisher (Faraday Press). Formerly employed by Fairchild Semiconductor and Intersil, Ken has decades of experience with power components and their application in power supply designs.