Out of this world: How semiconductor technology enables environmental research from space

It’s been challenging over the course of human history to understand the ripple effect caused by environmental events. How did frost in a pine forest followed by a storm front bringing heavy rain lead to a sudden influx of silt in a harbor hundreds of miles away?

At ground level, the connection between the pine forest and the harbor is challenging, even impossible, to detect. But thanks to the increasing accessibility of earth-observation satellites, scientists and policymakers can look at Earth from above to unravel the symbiotic relationships between geology, meteorology and ecology.

“If you took a single satellite image, you might be able to infer something from that. But now, we can take pictures every day, or even more frequently,” said Jason Clark, systems manager for Space and Avionics at our company. “We can start looking at how things change over time and make forecasts of what will happen. Will there be more earthquakes? Is this ice pack going to shrink or expand?”

Imaging technologies create a big picture

Optical, radar and infrared imaging can provide a comprehensive picture of an environment from space.

“By using a combination of all these different sensors from space, we can recreate a bigger, better view of the world around us,” said Laura Mueller, director of Aerospace and Defense at our company.

Optical imagery uses a camera to capture weather, clouds or topographical changes. Seeing through the clouds to measure the ground below requires radar imaging, which uses longer wavelengths to penetrate clouds. The trade-off with radar imaging, however, is that as its penetrative abilities increase, its spatial resolution decreases.

A synthetic aperture radar overcomes this limitation by bouncing electromagnetic waves off of objects and listening for the return. The size of the radar antenna, or aperture, enables more precise measurements of objects like sea level or ice pack thickness.

“By taking advantage of how satellites move along their orbit, we can create a virtual or synthetic aperture that’s effectively several kilometers in length, with a physical antenna that’s actually much smaller,” Jason said. “We can then make much more precise observations, no matter the weather conditions.”

With optical and radar imaging providing insight into measurements involving depth or thickness, hyperspectral or infrared imaging enables scientists to understand the atmosphere and composition of materials within it, or even reconstruct the chemical composition of soil. Measurement through infrared imagery can also track changes in temperature.

Building reliable satellites using the latest space-grade products and classifications

Many of the imaging technologies setting the future of earth observation are not new. Yet the difficulty of meeting data processing demands with components resilient enough to survive the volatile environment of space has previously limited their use in commercial and research applications.

"There’s a lot of challenges with doing anything in space,” Jason said. “We design and test devices to handle exposure to higher radiation levels or temperature fluctuations and to be reliable and functional for a long time, as the hardware is not easily accessible for repairs once in orbit."

Reliability and survivability are especially important in the context of environmental research. Tracking patterns in temperature or changes in topology over time requires materials and technologies that are capable of withstanding the time frames that this research requires.

Traditionally, this has meant that satellite operators have to rely on radiation-hardened components, manufactured in accordance with the military specification, Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) Class V. Hermetically sealed in ceramic packaging, Class V components are resistant to high radiation dosages as well as off-gassing, in which the temperature fluctuations of space cause the release of chemicals from plastic packages that can degrade sensor arrays.

Space-grade QML Class P components, which are also radiation-hardened, are a new classification of space components that are packaged in specialized plastic and meet requirements for minimal outgassing. The smaller size of QML Class P components makes it possible to pack more components into a satellite and increase its capabilities. 

Radiation-hardened components help meet the radiation and performance requirements for earth-observation satellites in geosynchronous and middle earth orbits and are designed and tested to be reliable for over a decade of continuous monitoring.  

For satellites operating in low earth orbit, radiation-tolerant components, such as space-enhanced plastics, are tailored to meet the lower radiation requirements, shorter mission durations and higher volume of satellites by providing tested radiation performance in a cost-optimized plastic package.

“At TI, we offer different device classifications that help our customers balance the needs of their system,” Laura said. “We deliver products to help meet the system-level specifications and address reliability needs with our broad offering of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant devices.”

These classifications and devices matter now and in the future. 

“The planet is billions of years old, and humanity has only been measuring it for the most infinitesimal time in comparison,” Jason said. “But by working with scientists today, we’re able to prepare for what they will need tomorrow.”