ACT Ships Spacecraft Hardware to Government of India Department of Space
Lancaster, PA: Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) announced today the first shipment of hundreds of Constant Conductance Heat Pipes, or CCHPs, to the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC). CCHPs are a highly reliable technology that transfers waste heat from onboard electronics to heat rejection surfaces along the satellite’s architecture, allowing the mission-critical electronics to operate safely below maximum operating temperatures. The CCHPs manufactured by ACT will provide thermal management for numerous Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) spacecraft, which are part of India’s next generation of High Throughput Communication satellites. ACT’s contract with URSC is valued at over USD $2 Million and is one of the largest export sales programs in the company’s history.
“I was proud of our team’s ability to join together and solve numerous design and manufacturing challenges during this program,” said John Hartenstine, Vice President of Operations at ACT. “I’m also grateful for our partnership with ISRO, and we look forward to supporting India’s impressive space program with high-quality spaceflight hardware.”
During the course of this program, ACT collaborated with members of the International Trade Administration – U.S. Commercial Service and the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development through the World Trade Center Harrisburg, as well as ACT’s Indian representatives at SM Creative Electronics Ltd. (SMCEL). Adam Say, ACT’s International Business Development Manager, provided insight to ACT’s global support system:
“A major part of our global success can be attributed to our network of support through various U.S. Commercial Service and State of Pennsylvania export programs and services. Over the last two years, we have expanded our portfolio of international clients in more than 15 countries. Export sales to partners like ISRO/URSC have helped ACT to create and sustain jobs, and have also contributed to the achievement of year-over-year sales growth within our company. SMCEL played a tremendous role in the coordination, communication and logistics throughout the ISRO/URSC program, and we are proud to have their team serving as our local connection to the Indian market.” Adam also serves as the Board Chair for the World Trade Center Harrisburg and was recently appointed to the Mid-Atlantic District Export Council by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
“ACT is an example of American manufacturing ingenuity and innovation at work, and demonstrates how U.S. businesses are growing their customer base and competitiveness by expanding into new export markets,” said Joseph Hanley, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Field at the U.S. Commercial Service. “India represents a growing and dynamic market for U.S. exports, and the U.S. Commercial Service provides companies like ACT with the necessary tools and resources to increase exports, which support U.S. jobs and economic growth.”
CCHP technology provides passive heat transfer, routinely meeting 20+ years of life in the harsh environment of space. As an industry leader in space heat pipe production, ACT has achieved over 50 million hours of spaceflight heritage without failure.
Hartenstine said that “Our CCHP products feature proven manufacturing and quality processes, and our production team has routinely increased capacity to adapt to the market growth. Our current production facility allows us to provide best-in-class quality and lead times to our global customer base.”
Manufacturing of spaceflight hardware and other innovative thermal solutions takes place in the BURLE Business Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. ACT has expanded its footprint within BURLE seven (7) times with a current facility that spans over 91,000 ft2 (8,454 m2). The current CCHP manufacturing capacity was achieved over the past decade with investments in equipment, processes, and personnel. ACT has a streamlined process and a high-mix product capacity of thousands of CCHPs per year. ACT continues to invest in manufacturing expansions to grow this product line and support additional CCHP programs, such as satellite internet constellations.