On August 1, 2023, NASA and academia engineers collaborated to test hybrid printed electronic circuits near the edge of space, also known as the Karman line. The space test was carried out on a Suborbital Technology Experiment Carrier-9 (SubTEC-9) sounding rocket mission, which launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on April 25. Launched into space, the flight lasted just a few minutes at an altitude of about 174 kilometers (108 miles), before the rocket parachuted down to the ground.
△The short flight carried 14 experiments in the development of new technologies, including 3D printed circuits, faster telemetry links and new star trackers
The tests included humidity and electrical sensors, which were printed on two additional panels along with the payload door, and all transmitted data to the ground during the brief flight. The mission is considered a success and has the potential to help scientists and engineers improve the efficiency of small spacecraft designs.
The biggest advantage of 3D printing is that it saves space and can be printed on three-dimensional surfaces, with traces between components only about 30 microns (half the width of a hair) or even smaller. It also brings other benefits for antenna and RF applications.
The humidity-sensitive printing inks were produced at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, while the circuits were fabricated at the University of Maryland's Laboratory of Physical Sciences (LPS).
Printed circuits provide a new framework for designing smaller spacecraft, both for near-Earth and deep-space missions.
The hybrid technology allows the fabrication of circuits in locations normally inaccessible to conventional electronic modules. Printing on curved surfaces is also helpful for small deployable sub-payloads where space is very limited.
The SunTEC-9 mission established a "tipping point" in the development and validation of LPS printed circuit technology, the engineers said.
