EL SEGUNDO, CA, February 2002 - Advanced Analog power modules from International Rectifier, IRŪ (NYSE: IRF) are on-board the Jason-1 and TIMED research satellites.

Jason-1 satellite's power systems are managed with International Rectifier Advanced Analog ATR2800T Series 30-watt DC-to-DC power converter modules. The TIMED satellite's power systems are managed with ATR2800S Series 30-watt, AHF2800S and AHF2800D Series 12-watt DC-DC converter modules. IR is the market leader in high-reliability (hi-rel) DC-DC converters. Hi-rel converters are designed to survive harsh environments such as outer space.

Bel Lazar, Vice President of the Advanced Analog business unit of International Rectifier, said, "We are pleased to provide power management solutions for the Jason-1 and the TIMED Earth sciences programs. The data gathered from these satellites will help scientists understand the effects of Earth's oceans on climate and Earth's atmosphere."

Jason-1 will monitor world ocean circulation, interactions between the oceans and atmosphere, improve climate predictions and observe events like El Nino. Jason-1 is a joint U.S./French oceanography mission. The U.S. portion of the mission is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, D.C., by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

TIMED, which stands for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics, is studying the influences of the sun and humans on the least explored and understood region of Earth's atmosphere - the mesosphere and lower thermosphere/ionosphere (MLTI). The MLTI region is a gateway between Earth's environment and space where the sun's energy is first deposited into Earth's environment. TIMED is focusing on a portion of this atmospheric region located approximately 40-100 miles (60-180 kilometers) above the surface. TIMED was designed, built and is being operated for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), in Laurel, Md.

Technical Highlights

The ATR2800T, ATR2800S, AHF2800D, and AHF2800S Series DC-DC converters are designed to meet MIL-STD-704D input requirements and are manufactured in a facility certified to MIL-PRF-38534. International Rectifier currently does not have a DSCC certified Radiation Hardness Assurance Program. The devices feature high power density and an extended temperature range for high-reliability (hi-rel) military and industrial applications. The power converters have nominal 28VDC input with various outputs to satisfy a wide range of requirements.

The power modules incorporate a pulse width modulated single forward topology operating in the feed-forward mode at a nominal switching frequency of 550KHz. Input to output isolation is achieved with transformers in the forward and feedback circuits. The advanced feedback design provides fast loop response for superior line and load transient characteristics and offers greater reliability and radiation tolerance than devices using optical feedback circuits.

Jason-1 Mission Information

The CNES Satellite Control Center in Toulouse, France, is in charge of satellite control and operations through the on-orbit checkout mission phase. At the end of the assessment period, routine operations will transfer to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

TIMED Satellite Mission Information

TIMED is the first mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes Program. The TIMED mission is sponsored by NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C., and managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Solar Terrestrial Probes Program Office, Greenbelt, Md. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory operates the spacecraft, leads the project's science effort and manages the mission's Science Data Center for NASA.

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