BEI Kimco, a brand of Sensata Technologies, is a part of NASA’s first asteroid sampling mission that could revolutionize understanding of the early solar system. BEI Kimco designed a customized moving magnet voice coil actuator (VCA) to meet the harsh requirements for a spectrometer moving mirror application on the Origins-Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) spacecraft. The OSIRIS-Rex launched on Sept 8, 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in its mission to rendezvous with the Asteroid Bennu in 2018 and return samples to Earth in 2023.
The VCA was manufactured to custom requirements for high reliability and fail-safe operation. Redundant technology, low-outgassing and high precision for exact motion control positioning were all key requirements of the actuator design. It was also critical to stay within the specific size, weight and power limits. This was achieved in a housing measuring approximately 2 in. in diameter by 3 in. long. To meet the requirements for near-zero emissions, BEI Kimco developed the actuator minimizing the use of adhesives or inks and using only approved materials. This design primarily uses mechanical assembly methods within a clean manufacturing process, thereby eliminating substances that could cause outgassing. High-energy Neodymium Iron Boron (NeFeB) magnets were incorporated to provide superior operating efficiencies.
[Photo credit: BEI Kimco]
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