Russian Electronics Firm Supplies High Tech Equipment to Thales Alenia

Russia’s Ruselectronics Holding has supplied Thales Alenia with an assembly of ferrite switches for the PLATiNO-1 multifunctional spacecraft.

The ferrite switch assembly allows the spacecraft radar to switch to either transmit or receive microwave signal and is controlled by a digital signal. The new device was designed and manufactured by the design office of the Ferrit-Domain Research Institute of the Ruselectronics holding according to the customer's specifications. The created equipment is cheaper than foreign analogues, and surpasses them in some characteristics. Therefore, the total loss is no more than 0.3 dB and the total isolation (signal suppression between certain inputs or outputs of the device) is not less than 60 dB, Rostec said in a release.

The satellite is being created as part of the PLATiNO program of the Italian Space Agency. The goal of the program is to form a space constellation of small 200-kilogram satellites to solve a wide range of tasks: from providing telecommunications to remote sensing of the Earth and carrying out scientific missions.

“The Ferrit-Domain equipment has significantly surpassed the products of European manufacturers in its characteristics. It features lower power consumption, shorter switching times, while being smaller and lighter in weight. In addition, in the course of cooperation, the company's engineers demonstrated a customer-oriented approach, designing and manufacturing the device in a short time,” said Francesco Barletta, head of radar technology at Thales Alenia Space.