United Electronic Industries (UEI) hardware and I/O are designed with the needs of the space industry in mind. UEI offers cost-effective solutions for a multitude of issues that arise within the space industry. We offer a full suite of control, test and monitoring solutions that go anywhere and everywhere with interchangeable chassis and I/O options for maximum design re-use. UEI Solutions are ideal for the following applications:
Hardware-in-the-loop
Ground Support Equipment
SIL/Hybrid Test Benches
Embedded Control
Ground & Flight Test
Health & Usage Monitoring
From launch pad to International Space Station systems, our hardware is being used to control and monitor a large number of deployed space solutions. Whether the application is military, government funded, or even with our growing list of commercial space customers, our hardware is becoming a staple in the space industry. Our redundancy and control feedback capability are crucial in these environments. UEI is the go-to vendor for hardware and I/O systems.
How Does UEI Support The Space Industry?
UEI Hardware On Board the ISS
NASA Glenn Research Center created an Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) to enable end-to–end development and testing of full-scale electric/hybrid aircraft powertrains. Learn how UEI hardware and I/O supported this initiative. Read about the complete solution
UEI is a trusted solution for many of today's most important space companies.
UEI’s HIL solutions help reduce system risks by creating virtual environments to test & verify integrated space application components and software before actual deployment occurs. UEI HIL hardware and I/O can be used to simulate everything from ground control and flight systems to launch and in-orbit systems.
With UEI, you can:
Monitor data from many sensors and many sources
Troubleshoot faults before they occur
Get actionable information for constant system optimization
UEI partners with many government-funded and commercial space launch operators such as Orbital ATK, SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA, and more. UEI offers robust, reliable and scalable launch pad and ground support monitoring and control I/O solutions to meet the environmental demands of rocket launch for manned flight. Northrop Grumman Space Systems has multiple UEI embedded systems (UEIPACs) all time synchronized to 1PPS with software paced by a hardware clock so applications are also synchronized. These systems also monitor thermocouples, voltages, currents and even control valves. With UEI, Northrop Grumman has precise timing capability for shutting everything down simultaneously.
Blue Origin HIL & DAQ Systems
Blue Origin is a Space Exploration company building rocket engines and launch vehicles. Blue Origin had been supplementing UEI’s COTS I/O solutions with home built I/O products. Helping them streamline their engineering resources, UEI co-developed a path forward that involved building out 3 new COTS products using our UEIPAC embedded platform which supported payload controllers, data collection and experiment communication. The UEI solution allowed them to focus on their core mission of developing rockets and engines and the critical tasks to launch successful missions.
Blue Origin also uses UEI’s PowerDNA hosted systems for hardware-in-the-loop simulation of various sensors, whether it be thermocouples, RTDs, synchros, RVDT’s, current loops sensors (4-20mA), speed sensors (such as variable reluctance), and much more. These HIL systems have been critical for testing their New Glenn reusable launch vehicle.
NASA SAFFIRE
SAFFIRE (Spacecraft Fire Safety) was designed to research large-scale flame growth and material flammability in actual space environments. SAFFIRE was tested in Cygnus cargo vehicles (UEI is also the ground control system) in a variety of deployment scenarios. UEI systems recorded and relayed control signals to NASA labs back on earth. Our hardware relayed crucial data that informed NASA scientists how objects aflame behaved in the microgravity environments in space. The information gathered from these experiments helped NASA combat spacecraft combustion. It is impossible to count how many lives and how much money our technology has saved within NASA alone.
NASA NEAT
Hybrid and electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent in modern society and NASA Glenn Research Center in Ohio has raised the bar by creating a new and cutting-edge Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT). This testbed is designed to enable end-to-end development and testing of a full-scale electric/hybrid aircraft powertrain. UEI’s wide range of products, ruggedness and flexibility was the perfect fit for this application. By using UEI’s PowerDNA® data acquisition and control systems, the entire aircraft could be monitored and controlled. Full integration of avionics - ARINC-664, CAN, and sensors into UEI’s platform made it easy for a SCADA system to monitor and control. The PowerDNA system provided dedicated speed and torque commands to handle errors to each motor pair.
NASA Water Storage System
The international Space Station (ISS) has a complex water system designed to store and create clean water for the astronauts staying there, about 530 gallons of water is stored on the ISS. The water storage system (WSS) improves the resupply/waste water management and iodinated water storage capabilities on the ISS. UEI supplied NASA with a hardware and I/O boards to support communication between the components on the ISS, ensuring continuous functionality. UEI has been such a success, we have been utilized in similar NASA applications, such as the UTS (Urine Transfer System), ISS treadmill, and ISS Food Processing Appliance Control System.
Airbus TEXUS Modules
The TEXUS Sounding Rocket Program at Airbus Defense & Space was started in 1976 to provide the scientific community with opportunities to perform technological experiments and research under microgravity conditions. UEI is helping support the upcoming TEXUS 57 launch, which is comprised of 3 research modules and each module is controlled by the UEIPAC system.
The new UEI Multifunction board combines the functionality of a variety of analog IO, digital IO, TTL, serial and I2C products in a single easy-to-use package. #DAQ #industry #industrial #voltage #analog #digital #serial #I2C
United Electronic Industries (UEI) hardware and I/O are designed with the needs of the space industry in mind. We offer a full suite of control, test and monitoring solutions that go anywhere and everywhere, with interchangeable chassis and I/O options for maximum design re-use.
NASA Glenn Research Center created an Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) to enable end-to–end development and testing of full-scale electric/hybrid aircraft powertrains. Learn how UEI hardware and I/O supported this initiative.
Orbital uses PowerDNA Cubes in their third-generation ground support system Taurus II Rocket Launch System Ground Support Using PowerDNA Cubes and I/O Modules.
Research facility uses PowerDNA cubes, and AI-225 layers with strain-gage sensors to measure high-speed dynamic data from a rocket test stand. Rocket Test Stand with PowerDNA Cube, and AI-225.