UK contract for NASA
1 min read
A UK based interconnection specialist has won a contract to provide wiring harnesses for NASA’s James Webb space telescope (JWST) program.
Tekdata Interconnections will provide technical advice and build the cryogenic wiring harnesses that connect parts of the JWST in orbit.
The Webb telescope is a successor to the Hubble space telescope and will be NASA’s premier space observatory when it is launched in 2013. It will orbit 1.5 million kms from earth and capture infrared images of distant galaxies and planetary systems.
Tekdata’s JWST technical lead, Roy Blake, explained: “Tekdata’s expertise in space qualified, high specification and cryogenic wiring harnesses was an important factor in winning the contract. This expertise includes solutions derived from other Tekdata projects using our cryogenic technologies involving superconducting materials, ultra fine gauge wire fabrication processes and planar structures to achieve optimal electrical performance and repeatability.”
The JWST program is an international collaboration led by NASA and includes partners from the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
