Infineon celebrates success of Artemis II
NASA's Artemis II mission and its four astronauts have returned to Earth after ten days in space, having approached the Moon and reached the farthest distance from Earth ever achieved by crewed spaceflight.
Infineon is also celebrating the event as its rad-hard semiconductor devices supported the electronic backbone of the Orion capsule from power supply and control systems to data communications.
Back in the 1970s, Infineon's predecessor companies supplied the first rad-hard components for NASA and ESA space programs. Since then, Infineon IR HiRel has supported hundreds of space missions including navigation satellites, the International Space Station (ISS), and today's Artemis program.
Most recently, Infineon has been advancing the use of GaN for space use. Its 100-V GaN transistor, qualified to JANS (Joint Army Navy Space) per MIL-PRF-19500, brings GaN from concept to proven technology for space missions as the first and only internally manufactured rad-hard GaN transistor on the market.
“Space programs require technologies and partners they can rely on for decades. Infineon is a critical technology partner, and we are proud to have once again contributed to the success of a historic space mission,” said Mike Mills, SVP and general manager of IR HiRel at Infineon. “The space industry is evolving rapidly: more missions, more data, more electrification – while facing increasing pressure on size, weight and power consumption. In this equation, semiconductors are becoming a central focus in space. The fact that our components performed flawlessly from the first to the last minute of the Artemis II mission is no coincidence. It is the result of decades of engineering expertise, state-of-the-art qualification processes and a deep understanding of what semiconductors must deliver in space."
