Hundreds of Renesas' Intersil-Brand Radiation-Hardened ICs Lift Off Onboard Artemis 1 Mission to the Moon

[TheLostSwede]

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced that hundreds of its radiation-hardened (rad-hard) integrated circuits (ICs), including over 50 different part numbers, are onboard the Artemis 1 launch that blasted off on November 16. Intersil-brand rad-hard ICs are part of the battery management systems, RS-25 engine control electronics and the launch abort system on the Space Launch System that propelled the mission into space, the most powerful rocket ever built. On the Orion Capsule that will circle the moon, Renesas provided critical components for controller boards, the main flight computer, the docking camera system, the power distribution system and display and panel electronics. The Intersil-brand ICs perform multiple functions, including power management and precision signal processing.

Artemis is the ambitious NASA program that will take humankind back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Artemis 1 is sending the test-mannequin populated Orion capsule to orbit the moon and deploy cubesats and other space experiments on a 42-day mission to test all the critical systems. Artemis 2 (2024) will have a crew that will orbit the moon paving the way for Artemis 3 (2025), which will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. The plan is for Artemis to continue to build a space station in lunar orbit and a base on the lunar South Pole. This infrastructure will allow for the awe-inspiring goal of a crewed mission to Mars in the 2040s.




"We leverage decades of experience as a deeply trusted space supplier to design and manufacture our Intersil brand rad-hard ICs to withstand the harshest of environments," said Chris Stephens, Vice President, and General Manager of the HiRel Business Division at Renesas. "These devices play a key role in enabling this seminal moment which is capturing the imagination of a new and diverse group of engineers, scientists, and explorers."

The Renesas Intersil brand has a long history in the space industry spanning more than six decades, beginning with the founding of Radiation Inc. in 1950. Since then, virtually every satellite, shuttle launch and deep-space exploration mission has included Intersil-branded products. Renesas leverages this experience to deliver efficient, thermally optimized and highly reliable SMD, MIL-STD-883 and MIL-PRF 38535 Class-V/Q Intersil-branded products for the defense, high-reliability (Hi-Rel), and rad-hard space markets. Renesas Intersil-brand rad-hard ICs support subsystems for mission critical applications in data communications transfer, power supplies and power conditioning, general protection circuitry, and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C).

Deep space is a challenging environment for spaceflight and asteroid exploration systems, particularly due to the intense radiation environment encountered in nearly all mission profiles. Design, layout, certain process technologies, and manufacturing steps like burn-in and total dose testing of ICs ensures predictable performance and prevents system failure while in flight and on long duration robotic and crewed missions to other planets.

Renesas' Intersil-Brand Spaceflight IC Capabilities Include:

• >400 space-qualified radiation-hardened products available
• Consistent design and manufacturing in Renesas' MIL-PRF-38535-qualified facility located in Palm Bay, Florida
• Renesas' Intersil brand is one of only ~15 RHA Defense Logistics Agency (Land and Maritime) QML suppliers
• Fully Class V (space level) compliant products
• Products are on individual DLA SMD drawings

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Steevo]

It's good to be black on the moon.

Space Force

 

[mechtech]

Back to the moon?!? But all the tin foil hatters tell me earth is flat and we haven’t been to the moon.

 

[R-T-B]

Space Force

This isn't a military venture dude. Space force has zero to do with this. It's all NASA.

 

[ymdhis]

Those Renesas chips are escaping to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

"To the moon Alice!"

This isn't a military venture dude. Space force has zero to do with this. It's all NASA.

Its a beta test if you think about it, in prep for 2024 for the astronautys.

I want to buy stock in this company, it going to popular when the moon base station starts being built and they need these rad-hard chips in everything..

 

[Courier 6]

lol, I still have an old digital multimeter with an Intersil chip

 

[Solaris17]

I'll see your intersil chip and raise you my speedmaster.

 

[Steevo]

This isn't a military venture dude. Space force has zero to do with this. It's all NASA.

 

[R-T-B]

I'll pass on the random video preceded by random out of place space force rhetoric, thanks.

Its a beta test if you think about it, in prep for 2024 for the astronautys.

There's no "if you think about it." That's exactly the publicly stated point of this mission.

 

[trsttte]

I'll pass on the random video preceded by random out of place space force rhetoric, thanks.

It's from the Netflix show "Space Force", created as a parody on the creation of the US 6th branch of the armed forces - Space Force.

It's also another quick cancelation from Netflix (just 2 short seasons), can't really commit to anything on that service :/

 

[R-T-B]

I figured something like that. Space Force is for military projects and really entirely OT here was sort of my point.

 

[Bones]

This isn't a military venture dude. Space force has zero to do with this. It's all NASA.

For now.
One day there will be members there and probrably during base construction and onward.
I mean, who's gonna provide security at the souvenir kiosk you know will be there one day?
Somebody's gotta do it and alien tourists do have sticky tentacles or...... Whatever.

 

[R-T-B]

For now.
One day there will be members there and probrably during base construction and onward.
I mean, who's gonna provide security at the souvenir kiosk you know will be there one day?
Somebody's gotta do it and alien tourists do have sticky tentacles or...... Whatever.

Yes, for now, which this article is about.

Meh forget it. Discuss whatever.

 

[AusWolf]

Artemis 3 (2025), which will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon

When has the need to be woke exceeded the need to be a competent person, regardless of physical traits or political (or any other kind of) affiliation?

You can be the best aerospace expert on the planet, you still don't have a chance to occupy that spot if you're a white male. And people wonder why I find the 21st century disgusting.

 

[R-T-B]

When has the need to be woke exceeded the need to be a competent person, regardless of physical traits or political (or any other kind of) affiliation?

I'm sure they will have no problem training and/or finding a sufficiently skilled colored person. You can have your cake and eat it here too, outrage unneccesary. If anything it's good to see them utilizing a previously untapped resource in the moon-landing program.

You can be the best aerospace expert on the planet, you still don't have a chance to occupy that spot if you're a white male.

We've (white males) had an overwhelming majority of the shots so far. Please tame the unjustified outrage. Not even to mention the majority of the mission crew are still white males.

 

[AusWolf]

I'm sure they will have no problem training and/or finding a sufficiently skilled colored person. You can have your cake and eat it here too, outrage unneccesary. If anything it's good to see them utilizing a previously untapped resource in the moon-landing program.


We've (white males) had an overwhelming majority of the shots so far. Please tame the unjustified outrage. Not even to mention the majority of the mission crew are still white males.

Why is it about white males, though? Why can't we just call the right candidate "the most competent person" regardless of colour or sex? Why do we have to make a class war out of every simple thing?

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Why is it about white males, though? Why can't we just call the right candidate "the most competent person" regardless of colour or sex? Why do we have to make a class war out of every simple thing?

That is woke culture for ya. Competence is the last item on the checklist.

 

[trsttte]

Why is it about white males, though? Why can't we just call the right candidate "the most competent person" regardless of colour or sex? Why do we have to make a class war out of every simple thing?

It's not a class war, it's picking up the loosers of the previously enforced "class war" (not really the correct name but let's go with that...) and trying to bring them up to the same level. Things like this can excite entire generations to pursue higher education and advanced studies, and gets the ball rolling to get to a level playing field.

One day there won't be any firsts, but that's not the current reality.

 

[R-T-B]

Why is it about white males, though? Why can't we just call the right candidate "the most competent person" regardless of colour or sex? Why do we have to make a class war out of every simple thing?

Because that would be completely ignoring the racial history of the matter.

That is woke culture for ya. Competence is the last item on the checklist.

This again, is pretty much implying nobody but white males is competent, and that the past racial bias was in fact, skill based. That is utterly untrue.

 

[AusWolf]

It's not a class war, it's picking up the loosers of the previously enforced "class war" (not really the correct name but let's go with that...) and trying to bring them up to the same level. Things like this can excite entire generations to pursue higher education and advanced studies, and gets the ball rolling to get to a level playing field.

One day there won't be any firsts, but that's not the current reality.

There will always be firsts, whether you or I like it or not. It's called human nature. If we're supposed to learn something from history, it's this. Communism doesn't work.

Because that would be completely ignoring the racial history of the matter.

What racial history? We're talking about space exploration. There's no race here.

This again, is pretty much implying nobody but white males is competent, and that the past racial bias was in fact, skill based. That is utterly untrue.

No it isn't. It's implying that everybody could be competent, including white males. Excluding white males from the selection process for a very important job doesn't make the lives of millions of others better.

 

[trsttte]

What racial history? We're talking about space exploration. There's no race here.

Space race **ba dum tss**

Now on a serious note, of course there are race questions, who is promoted to space training programs? Decorated air force officers and/or Ivy league qualified engineers/scientists. Who was blocked access to any of those career paths for decades? Racial minorities, poor people, women, etc.

It may not be fair for white males to have one very specific opportunity locked away for their demographic group, but we can't really talk about fairness until the playing field is levelled and you balance away past inequelaties which takes multiple generations to achieve. This is not an easy or clear process - it's not like putting one women on the moon will make all women start to pursue engineering - but this examples are still hugely important to inspire future generations to pursue those paths.

And like R-T-B was saying, it's not like they're going to choose someone who is not qualified. Choosing between qualified woman for example is the same as choosing among qualified men who got there on legacy admissions, it's using and unbalanced method now to level the overall playing field for the future.

There will always be firsts, whether you or I like it or not. It's called human nature. If we're supposed to learn something from history, it's this. Communism doesn't work.

I don't understand your point here, of course "firsts" will eventually end. We'll eventually see the number of accepted candidates represent somewhat the general population demographics (with whatever limitations/bias, males are still the majority in engineering programs and if that continues they'll also be the majority in space programs or example)

 

[AusWolf]

Now on a serious note, of course there are race questions, who is promoted to space training programs? Decorated air force officers and/or Ivy league qualified engineers/scientists. Who was blocked access to any of those career paths for decades? Racial minorities, poor people, women, etc.

It doesn't matter. Those paths aren't locked away from anyone right now. We can't condemn an entire generation to atonement for crimes they didn't commit.

It may not be fair for white males to have one very specific opportunity locked away for their demographic group, but we can't really talk about fairness until the playing field is levelled and you balance away past inequelaties which takes multiple generations to achieve. This is not an easy or clear process - it's not like putting one women on the moon will make all women start to pursue engineering - but this examples are still hugely important to inspire future generations to pursue those paths.

I thought leveling playing fields meant opening opportunities for everyone, and not locking them away from certain demographic groups, like we did a couple decades ago - which demographic group locks away what from which other group is irrelevant.

But since I'm wrong, I guess applying the same principle to all fields is in order. Where are all the female construction workers hiding?

And like R-T-B was saying, it's not like they're going to choose someone who is not qualified. Choosing between qualified woman for example is the same as choosing among qualified men who got there on legacy admissions, it's using and unbalanced method now to level the overall playing field for the future.

Let's run an example. The best qualified candidate is a white male. The second best is not. The second best qualified one automatically gets the job based on race, and the white male can shove his qualifications where the Sun doesn't shine. How is this not racism in action?

I don't understand your point here, of course "firsts" will eventually end. We'll eventually see the number of accepted candidates represent somewhat the general population demographics (with whatever limitations/bias, males are still the majority in engineering programs and if that continues they'll also be the majority in space programs or example)

Firsts will never end. If you give up being first, someone else (someone less enlightened than you) will take your place.

Males are the majority engineers because the male brain is wired that way. Females are the majority cosmeticians because that's what females are interested in. This is how society balances itself in equality of opportunity, which is not the same as equality of outcome, where we force a certain demographic representation in working groups, regardless of qualification. Here's a better explanation of what I mean from someone more qualified than I am:

 

[R-T-B]

What racial history? We're talking about space exploration. There's no race here.

How many races have been to the moon?

Let's run an example. The best qualified candidate is a white male. The second best is not. The second best qualified one automatically gets the job based on race, and the white male can shove his qualifications where the Sun doesn't shine. How is this not racism in action?

Because it's an articial example from imagination land and there it will thankfully remain.

Those paths aren't locked away from anyone right now.

Cool. Even if it were completely true that minorities have equal odds there out the gate (it isn't) People are still struggling in all those fields from past sins.

We can't condemn an entire generation to atonement for crimes they didn't commit.

No one is talking about punishing everyone. We are talking about recognizing history and balancing a bit.

tl;dr: "It's his turn on the space pony."

 

[AusWolf]

How many races have been to the moon?

None. Astronauts have been to the moon.

Because it's an articial example from imagination land and there it will thankfully remain.

Are you saying that there is zero chance that the highest qualified candidate for the job will be a white male?