Success Stories

NASA GSFC Achieves Milestone Upgrade for Cloud Radar System (CRS): Unveiling Modern Solid-State Technology and Enhanced Capabilities. The transformation includes replacing the extended interaction klystron (EIK) transmitter with a QuinStar 30 Watt 94 GHz SSPA, unlocking superior reliability, pulsed compression, reduced mass, and size, while eliminating the need for high-voltage electronics. The CRS, a cutting-edge airborne polarimetric Doppler radar, now delivers unparalleled observations of clouds and precipitation from the surface to the lower stratosphere. Embarked on the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft, it gracefully operates at altitudes ranging from 20,000 to 70,000 feet.

Learn more here: The NASA/GSFC 94 GHz Airborne Solid State Cloud Radar System (CRS)

NASA’s groundbreaking DopplerScatt airborne instrument utilizes Doppler scatterometry measurements, revolutionizing the estimation of ocean vector winds and currents, concurrently. Operating seamlessly at Ka-Band, DopplerScatt boasts an impressive coverage of approximately 24 km at 28 kft, offering the flexibility to observe multiple azimuth directions. For this highly successful mission, still actively contributing to airborne science, QuinStar delivered a high-performance Ka-Band Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA) and converters, achieving an outstanding 100 Watts of output power through Gallium Nitride MMIC device technology. Meticulously designed for airborne applications, these components underscore QuinStar’s commitment to advancing scientific exploration.

Learn more here: Doppler Scatterometry (DopplerScatt) | NASA Airborne Science Program

AirSWOT, an airborne instrument mirroring space-bound SWOT, captures interferometric measurements crucial for NASA’s mission success. This data aids NASA’s engineering team in refining SWOT’s design, aligning it with mission science objectives by providing insights into Earth’s natural properties. Not only essential for SWOT, AirSWOT’s data serves standalone scientific studies. QuinStar’s contribution to AirSWOT includes a Ka-band SSPA with 50 Watt output power, converters, a power distribution network, and versatile slot array antennas with a wide range of beam shapes, all meticulously designed for airborne precision.

Learn more here: AirSWOT | Mission – NASA SWOT

Scheduled for launch in 2024, the ESA/JAXA/NICT satellite EarthCARE is equipped with a cutting-edge W-band JAXA/NICT Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) instrument. This advanced technology is designed not only to provide precise vertical profile measurements of clouds, but also to observe cloud particle velocities through Doppler measurements. QuinStar contributed significantly by developing and producing 94 GHz active components for the Transmit-Receive Subsystem (TRS). These components include a W-band Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA) featuring external bias circuits, an Active Multiplier (X6), upconverter and downconverter, and a medium-power amplifier tailored to drive the tube amplifier.

Learn more here: EarthCARE – Earth Online (esa.int)

Explore the joint mission set to revolutionize our comprehension of Earth’s ecosystems, surfaces, and ice masses. Navigate through the pioneering Low Earth Orbit (LEO) project here, where QuinStar’s contribution in the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) encompasses two Ka-band SSPAs, using Gallium Arsenide Power Amplifier MMICs to generate 50 Watts of power vital for the payload. Beyond this, QuinStar supplies the Lo distribution network, upconverter, and various associated components, underlining the company’s indispensable role in advancing spaceborne technology.

Learn more here: Quick Facts | Mission – NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR)