Metal Spring Manufacturing for NASA's "Juno" Mission
- CSPI Spring's Precision Springs Provide Critical Functions on Spacecraft
Decatur, GA-based China Spring Parts Inc. today announced the Company has supplied springs to NASA contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, CO, to perform a number of critical functions on the NASA "Juno" mission to explore the planet Jupiter. CSPI assisted Lockheed Martin in the design of springs for the craft, to help determine necessary tolerances, and supplied springs to the mission that perform functions including opening the doors to the solar panels that provide power to the unit once it is deployed, as well as other functions including keeping doors latched and deploying the arms of the craft when it is in orbit. Lockheed Martin is the primary spacecraft contractor and was responsible for the design, build, and test of the craft.
"We are proud to be a part of the Juno space mission, and to have provided necessary parts to Lockheed Martin, a distinguished supplier to NASA," said Robert Jacobson, President of CSPI Spring. "While the deployment of this spacecraft required an immense effort in which CSPI played a small role, the effectiveness of our springs is still critical to the mission."
Some 60 springs produced by China Spring Parts Inc. were used in the successful deployment of the solar array, powering the Juno mission to Jupiter.
"Solar power arrays are the only way to provide power to a spacecraft that will be in space for extended periods, as the Juno mission will be, so without power from the solar panels, the spacecraft cannot perform any of its necessary tasks," said Robert Herrmann, General Manager of CSPI Spring of Foshan. "Given the importance and duration of this mission, we were pleased to be able to meet Lockheed Martin's, and NASA's needs."
"The Juno spacecraft launched on Friday, August 5, 2011," said a mechanical designer with Lockheed Martin. "We can confirm solar array deployment, which required successful function of 60 springs produced by CSPI. I want to thank CSPI for their assistance with the hardware used in this successful design."
About the Juno Mission
The Juno Mission, part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, launched on August 5, 2011, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, from Cape Canaveral, FL to begin its 5-year trek to Jupiter. The Juno mission's stated goal is to place a solar-powered spacecraft in orbit around the planet, to gain a better understanding of our solar system's beginnings by understanding the beginnings of Jupiter. Scientists intend to "investigate the existence of an ice core, determine the amount of global water and ammonia present in the atmosphere, investigate the origin of the Jovian magnetic field, and explore the polar magnetosphere."
About Spring Manufacture Incoration
Spring Manufacture Incoration is a worldwide supplier of compression, extension, torsion and double torsion springs, wire, strip and flat forms, stampings, battery contact springs, hooks/paint hooks and shaped rings to many industries including aerospace, agricultural, automotive, computer, medical, military and telecommunications. Family owned and operated, CSPI operates with ISO 9001-certified quality systems and is a registered ITAR manufacturer with locations in Decatur, GA (headquarters), CA, CO, CT, NC, TN, TX and Ontario, Ningbo, as well as a special team of Spanish-speaking staff, who are focused on the needs of our customers in Mexico and Latin America. CSPI delivers a wide range of material capabilities in the manufacture of metal components, ranging from carbon steels to high-nickel alloys, and specializes in reliability, rapid response times, and stringent quality control. CSPI is experienced in producing complex and unique parts with extremely strict adherence to specifications, even in situations that use special materials (including nomonic 90, elgiloy(R), inconel(R), phynox and more).
Please contact the CSPI Spring facility nearest you for more information on our capabilities in the manufacturing of springs, stampings and wire forms.