RESHETNEV waveguides for Russian equipment

A waveguide is a radiofrequency device that serves for reception and transmission of electromagnetic signals. Waveguides are widely used in satellite onboard units. It takes quite a lot of waveguides to fully fit a satellite, sometimes over a thousand. This is why companies of the Roscosmos state corporation join their industrial capabilities in large-series production to ensure growth of country’s satellite fleet.

“Within a short timeframe we managed to complete design and start series production of waveguides. The batch delivered to RSS was manufactured and tested in accordance with specified requirements, – RESHETNEV company’s Deputy General Director for Production Evgeny Patraev explains. – Given the declared plans of Russian satellite fleet enlargement and growing demand for components, we are planning to increase waveguides manufacturing volume. For this purpose, an almost fully localised waveguide production line was organised at RESHETNEV premises in cooperation with our long-term partner – the RSS holding”.

Nowadays Roscosmos companies are mastering a process organisation philosophy focused on belt-line manufacturing of satellites. It calls for completely new approaches to production, procurement, contract work, schedule management and quality control. Deployment of waveguides series production line at RESHETNEV is one of the steps on the way to the strategical goal of overhauling the industry’s model.

“Cooperation in the field of waveguides production with our long-standing partners from RESHETNEV company, one of the key consumers of our products, is taking on particular importance as the space industry is striving to technological sovereignty, – RSS Deputy General Designer Alexaner Kondrashov says. – Our company, in turn, continues working in this area. RSS engineers developed a so called multimicron integral waveguide technology that allows building state-of-the-art noise-proof high data rate links, thus reducing dimensions and mass of the units, as well as the number of interconnections inside units”.

Broadening of cooperative relationships between Roscosmos companies is aimed at achieving the strategic objective of changing the industrial model of Russia’s space engineering. Its key component shall be the belt-line manufacturing. It is premised upon satellites modular design implying unification and standardisation, optimisation of industrial logistic chains and efficient incoming inspection of components. It is planned to lower overhead and operational cost by 40 %, lower final product price by up to 28 %, increase production rate up to four times by shortening production cycle from today 4–8 years to 2 years in future, and lower satellite manufacturing schedule risks by up to 25 %.