Freek in Zero Gravity – How Our Heating Elements Fuel Research on the ISS - 15.10.2024
Designing a heating element for use in space – an unusual request indeed, which we received in 2021. Then, in 2024, an informal email from our customer: "Just wanted to let you know that your 120 V 250 W heating element is on the ISS and working wonderfully!" – A true success story.
Flawless Photonics, a Silicon Valley startup, has successfully used our heating elements to produce over 11 kilometers of ZBLAN fibers on the International Space Station (ISS) within four weeks. Lynn Harper from NASA described this achievement as unique.
ZBLAN is an optical fiber known for its high transparency and is used in lasers and amplifiers. Manufacturing in space, thanks to the prevailing microgravity, enables the production of fibers with fewer imperfections. Due to the higher transparency, the distance between signal amplifiers in undersea cables can be increased. The energy consumption of these optical amplifiers accounts for up to 1.5% of the global energy demand, and this new technology can significantly reduce it.
We asked ourselves: What special requirements must a heating element meet to operate on the ISS?
In collaboration with our customers, we strive in development projects to find the optimal heating solution for each individual application. This case was no exception.
Due to the unusual location, the reliability of the heating element in its application is paramount. Furthermore, the production of ZBLAN requires a precisely defined and homogeneous temperature profile over the entire length of the heated area to achieve minimal imperfections in the final product. Both factors were considered in the design and confirmed through tests. Additionally, factors such as energy efficiency, lightweight construction, and robustness for use in zero gravity played a significant role in the design of this custom heating element.
And so, the email quoted above, received about 2.5 years after the project started, caused jubilation within our team. Not only can we proudly claim that a heating element from Freek is orbiting in space, but we have also proven ourselves as a reliable and competent development partner, even for particularly demanding requests starting from a quantity of one.
We are fortunate to have been part of this extraordinary development and congratulate Flawless Photonics Sarl on this out-of-this-world success!





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