HiPeR Flexlinks

Flight proven, light-weight and flexible point-to-point thermal straps

General Introduction

To address the challenges with thermal control in space, Airbus Netherlands (Airbus NL) has developed the HiPeR Flexlinks thermal straps, which offers an unprecedented capability to conduct heat on-board spacecraft. Highly flexible and with a conductance-to-mass ratio (W/K per kg) three to five times higher than traditional solutions, the thermal straps offer a versatile solution for thermal control requirements. Flexlinks have product heritage for space flight (TRL9) and are part of multiple ongoing missions.

Key benefits of HiPeR Flexlinks:

  • Mass reduction, thanks to lightweight PG material
  • Suitable for environments demanding high cleanliness, due to unique sleeve around PG
  • Saves time and cost thanks to standardised design and production
  • Highly flexible

The HiPeR Flexlinks Catalogue

Standard catalogue options are available off-the-shelf for different dimensions and end-fitting configurations. These have minimum lead time and require no up-front engineering phase. Our straps are produced in-house and we can rely on a proven network of qualified suppliers to build them in record time. There is a wide range of standard options available based on:

  • Different lengths of the PG stack
  • Different type of end-fittings – different parallel and perpendicular end-fittings
  • Different orientation of end-fittings

Interested? Download the Excel configurator to explore all options in the catalogue.

Custom design

Custom designs are available on demand. The Airbus NL team can design any configuration and has done so in the past for different projects, e.g. SoRa, Sentinel-5 and JUICE.

Main Specifications

  • Conductivity in standard versions up to 3.6 W/K (in custom solutions, up to 5 W/K has been achieved).
  • A typical 1 W/K straps only weighs about 120 gr.
  • Simple, standard M4 connections.
  • Suitable for clean, optical instrument missions.

Applications & Key missions

HiPeR Flexlinks can be used on either space, or non-space applications, wherever a flexible thermal bridge is needed. For spacecraft applications, straps are typically used to remove heat from on optical instrument detectors, RF components, power processing units, deployable mechanisms (booms, radiators, antennas, etc.) and others. In most of these applications, maintaining pointing accuracy is mandatory, which is ensured by the flexibility and thermal stability of the straps.

  • Mega constellation: For the delivery of 900 thermal straps in just a few months an in-house industrialised production line was prepared, with a maximum manufacturing output of 26 thermal straps/day. These straps are currently flying.
  • SOLO / SoRa: For this mission to the Sun, high performance requirements were applicable.. These straps are currently flying.
  • Sentinel-5: Thermal straps developed for cooling the Optical instrument, which has very low operating temperatures (-150°C). To be launched soon.
  • JUICE: thermal straps for the RF instrument on-board this deep space mission to Jupiter. To be launched soon.
  • And many more!

3 Easy Steps

  1. Select option from the configurator
  2. Talk to us and get your quote
  3. Integrate & launch

Customer testimonials

“We faced the need to combine high thermal conductance with mechanical de-coupling and low mass, using proven technology. HiPeR Flexlinks offered a solution and the design team at Airbus NL greatly helped in optimising the design. We used the additional design margin to improve the performance of our primary payload.”

“Your strap is so flexible, our test equipment can’t measure the stiffness.”

Interested?

Want to know more about HiPeR Flexlinks?
Get in touch with us and send an email.

Download query

The excel configurator, product sheet and several CAD models are available for download here. These can be used to help you select the best standard option. However, if you have questions or need support, do reach out. Same holds if none of the standard options completely meets your requirements.

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Get in touch with us

We are happy to help with any questions you might have.