Launch of PACSCISAT seeks to establish flight heritage for new
technologies used in all phases of commercial space flight
CHANDLER, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PacSci
EMC has successfully launched its own on-orbit technology
demonstrator satellite, PACSCISAT. The company will conduct payload
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tests to prove the performance of several of its commercial space
technologies once the satellite is commissioned and in orbit. The
mission was undertaken to give the company’s customers additional
assurance and confidence that an electronic controller and propulsion
system perform as specified in the harsh space environment where
reliability, precision and control are paramount. PacSci EMC self-funded
PACSCISAT to establish flight heritage, or flight-proven history, for
these products.
PACSCISAT was launched on June 22, 2017 on the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle flight C38 (PSLV-C38) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
India. The satellite is equipped with two fully operational Smart
Energetics Architecture (SEA™) controllers, four Modular
Architecture Propulsion System (MAPS™) rocket motors, two Smart
Initiators and two
space standard initiators (103377-500).
“Undertaking this launch is a first for our company. Our customers
already know they can depend on our technology, but PACSCISAT will
answer the question, ‘has this hardware flown in space before?’ and
highlights our commitment to our investment in NewSpace,” said Greg
Scaven, PacSci EMC’s president. “Our customers don’t have to take on the
risk of using a supplier that does not have flight heritage – we will
have done that for them.”
After a two-week satellite commissioning period once the satellite is in
orbit, PacSci will conduct payload tests using the SEA controllers to
fire the initiators and MAPS rocket motors. MAPS is a solid,
clean-burning propellant array of rocket motors, which were fired in
pairs to maneuver the satellite.
SEA Technology is capable of precisely actuating hundreds of devices on
launch vehicles and satellites while taking up very little volume, mass
or power. It can actuate launch vehicle rocket motors, stage separation
systems, release devices and deploy satellites into space. On satellites
and space vehicles, SEA Technology can deploy solar arrays, scientific
instruments and many other devices, and can use either pyrotechnic or
non-explosive, motorized actuators in any combination needed. SEA is
also at the heart of MAPS.
PacSci EMC products are used in all phases of vehicle flight beginning
with ground-based operations through lift-off/boost, solid rocket
booster jettison, payload fairing separation, booster separation, second
stage flight, payload separation and flight termination.
ABOUT PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC ENERGETIC MATERIALS COMPANY LLC (PacSci EMC):
PacSci EMC makes critical missions possible. Throughout the product
lifecycle, our employees solve the toughest technical challenges with a
dedication to Safety First, Quality Every Time™. We enable success for
innumerable missions on a daily basis, impacting the lives of military
personnel, law enforcement officers, commercial airline pilots,
astronauts, and oil field operators. For nearly a century, PacSci EMC’s
experience and expertise has been relied upon in the times When
Milliseconds Matter™.
Contacts
Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company (PacSci EMC)
Steve
Nelson, 661-917-2947