X Band, GaN, Space Qualified, Lunar Solid State Power Amplifier | SSPA 8.4-8.6-30

Aethercomm Model Number SSPA 8.4-8.6-30 is a high power, Gallium Nitride (GaN), Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA) employed on the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) platform. This high-performance SSPA delivers 30 watts of linear power to the antenna. This X-band high power amplifier offers good linearity while being excited by OQPSK modulation. The composite power added efficiency with a modulated input is ~27% across the transmit bandwidth @25C. All port VSWR’s 1.5:1 maximum. All harmonics are <-35 dBc. The input voltage is +28Vdc ±0.5 Vdc. Maximum average current is 5.75 Amps at 0 dBm Pin @25C. Standard features include reverse polarity protection, output short and open circuit protection, voltage and temperature telemetry. Nominal input drive is 0 dBm with a 44.8 dBm output power level with a maximum input of +10 dBm. This solid state power amplifier contains a circulator on the RF output port that provides open/short circuit protection to the high power GaN devices.

This GaN SSPA is designed and tested to thrive in space. It is used on a lunar lander space craft and launched from a Falcon 9 space vehicle. There is an SMA-F RF input port. There is a TNC-F RF output port. The volume of this RF module is 5.0”(L) by 2.0”(W) by 1.0”(H). This volume has a mass of 0.75 pounds. EMI/EMC best practices were applied to the design of this X-band power amplifier and verified. This space qualified power amplifier was designed with >10dB of ionization/multi-paction margin. This RF X-band amplifier is hermetically sealed. A 9-pin hermetic DSUB connector applies the voltages/command/ control/telemetry signals.