Quick Links: How We Support the Space Industry | Ideal Chassis & I/O | HIL & Testing | Mission Critical Application Stories

Space is hard. UEI is proven and ready.

United Electronic Industries (UEI) hardware and I/O are designed with the needs of the space industry in mind. UEI offers cost-effective solutions for a multitude of issues that arise within the space industry. We offer a full suite of control, test and monitoring solutions that go anywhere and everywhere with interchangeable chassis and I/O options for maximum design re-use. UEI Solutions are ideal for the following applications:

• Hardware-in-the-loop
• Ground Support Equipment
• SIL/Hybrid Test Benches
• Embedded Control
• Ground & Flight Test
• Health & Usage Monitoring

From launch pad to International Space Station systems, our hardware is being used to control and monitor a large number of deployed space solutions. Whether the application is military, government funded, or even with our growing list of commercial space customers, our hardware is becoming a staple in the space industry. Our redundancy and control feedback capability are crucial in these environments. UEI is the go-to vendor for hardware and I/O systems.

How Does UEI Support The Space Industry?

UEI Hardware On Board the ISS

NASA Glenn Research Center created an Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) to enable end-to–end development and testing of full-scale electric/hybrid aircraft powertrains. Learn how UEI hardware and I/O supported this initiative. Read about the complete solution

Application Story: UEI & NASA SAFFIRE The SAFFIRE program was designed to study the behaviors and characteristics of fire in space. In order to acquire key data, NASA needed compact and rugged data acquisition hardware and I/O that could handle the rigors of an extreme environment. UEI hardware ensured the success of the SAFFIRE missions by guaranteeing reliable and accurate data collection. Read about the complete solution

Application Story: UEI & Blue Origin Blue Origin needed to consolidate custom and COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) DAQ and control hardware into one platform to accelerate development, minimize maintenance, and deliver programs on time. UEI's standardized hardware solutions helped Blue Origin save time, accelerate development, and compete in the Space Race. Read about the complete solution For more information, check out UEI's blog post on Building Robust Design Validation Infrastructure for Blue Origin.

UEI and SpaceX teamed up to get America back into space! Read as John, the Director of Design Verification at UEI, recounts his visit to the Cape Canaveral launch pad. Read the story

UEI is a trusted solution for many of today's most important space companies. Read About Our Hardware In Action

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The Right Hardware & I/O Solutions

• Rugged Ethernet-based architecture (5G Vibration | 100G Shock | -40 to 85º C) for extreme environments.
• Reduced noise due to hardware located in proximity with application sensors.
• Wide array of flexible chassis styles that allow for the installation of up to 12 I/O boards.
• Transfer all measurement/control data through a single Ethernet bus.
• UEI distributed systems allow for redundancy and improved safety.
• Hardware can be mounted anywhere - on the launch pad or in orbit!

UEI has boards to collect:

• General purpose signals
• High speed simultaneous signals
• High voltage signals
• Signals requiring channel to channel isolation
• 0-20 mA current readings
• Temperature readings
• Strain gage readings
• Pressure readings
• LVDT/RVDT or Synchro/Resolver readings
• Speed from magnetic, hall effect, or optical pickups
• Avionics - MIL-STD-1553, ARINC-429
• And more!

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UEI IS PERFECT FOR SPACE HIL APPLICATIONS

UEI’s HIL solutions help reduce system risks by creating virtual environments to test & verify integrated space application components and software before actual deployment occurs. UEI HIL hardware and I/O can be used to simulate everything from ground control and flight systems to launch and in-orbit systems.

With UEI, you can:

• Monitor data from many sensors and many sources
• Troubleshoot faults before they occur
• Get actionable information for constant system optimization
• Simulate or stimulate any interface

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Mission Critical Systems Rely on UEI

Northrop Grumman Launch Pad & Ground Control

UEI partners with many government-funded and commercial space launch operators such as Orbital ATK, SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA, and more. UEI offers robust, reliable and scalable launch pad and ground support monitoring and control I/O solutions to meet the environmental demands of rocket launch for manned flight. Northrop Grumman Space Systems has multiple UEI embedded systems (UEIPACs) all time synchronized to 1PPS with software paced by a hardware clock so applications are also synchronized. These systems also monitor thermocouples, voltages, currents and even control valves. With UEI, Northrop Grumman has precise timing capability for shutting everything down simultaneously.

Blue Origin HIL & DAQ Systems

Blue Origin is a Space Exploration company building rocket engines and launch vehicles. Blue Origin had been supplementing UEI’s COTS I/O solutions with home built I/O products. Helping them streamline their engineering resources, UEI co-developed a path forward that involved building out 3 new COTS products using our UEIPAC embedded platform which supported payload controllers, data collection and experiment communication. The UEI solution allowed them to focus on their core mission of developing rockets and engines and the critical tasks to launch successful missions.

Blue Origin also uses UEI’s PowerDNA hosted systems for hardware-in-the-loop simulation of various sensors, whether it be thermocouples, RTDs, synchros, RVDT’s, current loops sensors (4-20mA), speed sensors (such as variable reluctance), and much more. These HIL systems have been critical for testing their New Glenn reusable launch vehicle.

NASA SAFFIRE

SAFFIRE (Spacecraft Fire Safety) was designed to research large-scale flame growth and material flammability in actual space environments. SAFFIRE was tested in Cygnus cargo vehicles (UEI is also the ground control system) in a variety of deployment scenarios. UEI systems recorded and relayed control signals to NASA labs back on earth. Our hardware relayed crucial data that informed NASA scientists how objects aflame behaved in the microgravity environments in space. The information gathered from these experiments helped NASA combat spacecraft combustion. It is impossible to count how many lives and how much money our technology has saved within NASA alone.

NASA NEAT

Hybrid and electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent in modern society and NASA Glenn Research Center in Ohio has raised the bar by creating a new and cutting-edge Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT). This testbed is designed to enable end-to-end development and testing of a full-scale electric/hybrid aircraft powertrain. UEI’s wide range of products, ruggedness and flexibility was the perfect fit for this application. By using UEI’s PowerDNA® data acquisition and control systems, the entire aircraft could be monitored and controlled. Full integration of avionics - ARINC-664, CAN, and sensors into UEI’s platform made it easy for a SCADA system to monitor and control. The PowerDNA system provided dedicated speed and torque commands to handle errors to each motor pair.

NASA Water Storage System

The International Space Station (ISS) has a complex water system designed to store and create clean water for the astronauts staying there, about 530 gallons of water is stored on the ISS. The water storage system (WSS) improves the resupply/wastewater management and iodinated water storage capabilities on the ISS. UEI supplied NASA with hardware and I/O boards to support communication between the components on the ISS, ensuring continuous functionality. UEI has been such a success, we have been utilized in similar NASA applications, such as the UTS (Urine Transfer System), ISS treadmill, and ISS Food Processing Appliance Control System.

Airbus TEXUS Modules

The TEXUS Sounding Rocket Program at Airbus Defense & Space was started in 1976 to provide the scientific community with opportunities to perform technological experiments and research under microgravity conditions. UEI is helping support the upcoming TEXUS 57 launch, which is comprised of 3 research modules and each module is controlled by the UEIPAC system.

Read the Application Story

UEI & Airbus Application Video

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