Developing technology for space is challenging. Developing technology for interplanetary space requires stratospheric skills. At Benchmark Lark Technology (Lark), we embrace challenges, and nothing showcases our expertise more than partnering with the NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA-JPL) to design, manufacture, and test complex RF filters for interplanetary exploration.
Lark frequently designs custom RF filters for geostationary orbit satellites and Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEOS) for military and commercial communication applications. Our custom RF filters allow engineers flexibility in the rest of the system design, while we pride ourselves on meeting each project's unique and critical specifications. However, our work with NASA-JPL on the Europa Clipper spacecraft took our filter customization expertise to the next level.
With the successful launch of the Europa Clipper on October 14th, 2024, this interplanetary mission is now on its way to conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter’s moon, Europa, investigating whether the icy moon could harbor conditions suitable for life. The Europa Clipper will travel more than 500 million miles and perform nearly 50 close flybys of Europa, sending data back to Earth as it navigates through Jupiter’s extreme radiation.
Built to Survive
Lark often designs and builds filters to specifications without additional details since it is common for customers to require confidentiality around a filter project. This was certainly true with Lark's involvement in the Europa Clipper mission. Our partnership began when long-time customer NASA-JPL shared a limited spec sheet, requiring us to build a prototype RF filter without full details of the final application. After receiving our prototype, NASA-JPL engaged us for a more extensive design partnership.
The data we received for the final filter design was unique—just two pages of electrical drawings and roughly 30 pages of environmental and survival specs, including radiation hardening beyond a typical satellite application. That is when we learned the filter would be used on NASA-JPL's Europa Clipper spacecraft. Armed with this knowledge, we went to work on what was sure to be an exciting and challenging project.
Addressing the Challenge
As the development progressed, we knew we needed to solve two major challenges:
- First, the RF filter needed to survive constant vibration and extreme temperatures on the journey to Europa.
- Second, the filter required robust environmental protections to endure the intense radiation of Jupiter’s magnetic field once it arrived.
To address the longevity challenge, we focused on a few critical processes, including:
- Design Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Test/Inspection
Due to the violent nature of the launch and the extremely long journey through space, the RF filter was built and packaged using resilient materials with minimal failure points. The manufacturing process involved numerous inspection points to ensure consistent quality—an approach typically reserved for critical-reliability space applications. The tests, therefore, had to be tightly controlled to avoid any design variation. Frequent in-process inspection is typically not cost-effective nor required for a commercial application, but it can be an option for critical-reliability space applications. We needed to ensure everything was built to last in the harshest environment imaginable.
Once we developed multiple prototypes, the filters underwent rigorous stress tests simulating the launch and space conditions. One critical test involved a temperature chamber running the filters at full power under extreme heat (125 ºC). This test became the most strenuous part of the process. The filters went through roughly 1,000 hours with inspections every 100 hours.
Another critical test was the temperature shock simulation, replicating the shift from frigid space temperatures to the high temperatures of full operation. To do this, we put the filters through a temperature shock machine. During most of the Europa Clipper's journey, the RF systems will not be fully operational to conserve power. Materials can become fragile in cold temperatures while the spacecraft is running at low power. When the spacecraft fires up again, the internal temperature rises quickly and the immediate temperature change can damage parts. For this reason, the test system simulated the shock of going from high temperatures at launch to frigid temperatures of space, followed by the higher temperatures of full operation. The temperature cycled multiple times during this portion of the test.
Radiation Protection
Once we could prove the final filter would last through the launch and space flight's environmental conditions, we began to look at radiation protection. The first step in this process was to select the right materials for the filter itself, so we worked with our suppliers to address this challenge. Jupiter’s radiation is equivalent to 100 million X-rays, far beyond what typical solar radiation protection materials are designed to handle. After rigorous internal testing, we were able to validate the materials to ensure the filters would meet NASA’s stringent specifications. While the Europa Clipper is expected to make only a few trips around Jupiter before succumbing to radiation, our filters are designed to outlast the spacecraft itself.
Mission Success
The Europa Clipper successfully launched on October 14th, 2024, and is now on its journey to explore Jupiter’s icy moon. Lark is proud to have played a role in this groundbreaking mission, having delivered the fully tested RF filters to NASA. The filters Benchmark provided are just one component of this complex spacecraft, but their role in ensuring signal integrity and reliability during Europa’s close flybys is critical to the mission’s overall success.
NASA-JPL selected Lark for this mission due to our long-established expertise in developing custom RF filters for unique, demanding projects. Whether you are searching for signs of life on distant moons or building satellite networks that expand broadband access, we take pride in meeting your needs in the space industry.
Want to learn more about our space capabilities? Check out our page on Space and SATCOM. For more on Lark’s customer filter designs, visit our RF Filters and Components, and don’t forget to visit the Europa Clipper website to learn more about this impressive feat of engineering.
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