Satellite and Launch Platforms
LEO Payload RF Interconnects
A low Earth orbit payload is a dense box that has to survive the ride up and then work unattended for years. The RF interconnect inside it is chosen for mass, for volume, and for the fact that nobody is ever going to re-mate it once the fairing closes.
SMP Blind-Mate
SSMP Micro
20 g RMS
Low Outgassing
Phased Array
300–1200 km
Orbit Band
DC–65 GHz
SSMP Coverage
20 g RMS
Launch Vibration
Design Notes
Designing a Payload Interconnect
Five constraints that shape every RF decision inside a LEO payload.
01
Mass and Volume
Launch cost is paid per kilogram. Micro-miniature push-on formats exist because the mass and the volume of a threaded coupling, multiplied across a dense tray, stops being affordable.
02
Blind Mating
Trays and modules are assembled and integrated by feel, often without line of sight. Blind-mate interfaces tolerate the axial and radial misalignment a real integration actually has.
03
Launch Loads
Whatever is inside the payload sees the full launch environment. Detent choice — smooth bore, limited or full — is a vibration decision, not a convenience one.
04
Outgassing
Anything that outgasses in vacuum condenses on the coldest nearby surface, which is often an optical or thermal control surface. Material screening happens before assembly, not after.
05
No Maintenance
There is no second chance on orbit. Contact plating, retention and thermal cycling margin all have to carry the full mission life on the first attempt.
Reference Data
Typical Payload Requirements
Programme specifications govern. These are the conditions LEO payload interconnect is normally held to.
| Parameter | Typical Requirement | Relevant Series | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface format | Blind-mate push-on | SMP, SSMP | Chosen by tray density |
| Frequency | To 40 GHz / 65 GHz | SMP / SSMP | SSMP reaches higher |
| Detent | Smooth, limited or full | SMP series | Retention vs. mating force |
| Outgassing | TML ≤ 1.0 %, CVCM ≤ 0.1 % | ASTM E595 screened | Material selection |
| Random vibration | 20 g RMS, 3 axes | Qualified assemblies | Programme dependent |
| Temperature | -65 °C to +165 °C | All space series | Thermal-vacuum cycling |
Our Role
What We Supply for LEO Payloads
01
Micro-Miniature Blind-Mate
SMP and SSMP connectors in the detent variants a real vibration spec needs, not just the one that is easiest to mate on a bench.
02
Harnesses Built to the Tray
Semi-rigid and formable assemblies bent to your actual routing, so integration is a fit rather than a fight.
03
Screened Materials
Low-outgassing platings and dielectrics selected before assembly, with certificates that go into the payload data package.
Selected Products
Interfaces for Payload Trays
Typical starting points for dense payload interconnect. Send us the tray layout and the vibration spec and we will propose the configuration.
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0.031″ Semi-Rigid Low-Loss RF Coaxial Cable, 18 GHz Rated
$20.00 Add to cartQuick View -
SMP Female to SMP Female RF Adapter
$22.00 Add to cartQuick View -
SMP Male Smooth Bore RF Connector – Stub Terminal, Thread-In, Solder
$22.00 Add to cartQuick View -
SSMP Male Smooth Bore Coaxial Connector – Stub Terminal, Thread-In, Solder
$22.00 Add to cartQuick View
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Market Overview
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The full picture: RF interconnects for LEO and GEO payloads, launch vehicles and ground terminals.
Payload Engineering Support
Laying Out a Payload Tray?
Send us the routing, the density and the vibration environment, and our engineers will propose the interconnect.