Aerospace Systems

Frontier is a leading small electronics firm with capabilities to develop and produce space-qualified hardware. Frontier has invested millions of dollars in facilities and business infrastructure to offer a competitive advantage over other companies our size. This capability, with our responsiveness and cost-effective pricing, make us an attractive supplier for satellite prime contractors.

In 1991, Frontier Electronic Systems made a strategic decision to enter the satellite engineering and manufacturing business. Major investments in engineering talent, equipment, facilities and process discipline resulted in Frontier achieving the distinction of becoming the first Oklahoma-owned company to be certified for manufacture and delivery of space-qualified electronic hardware. Frontier completed delivery of satellite hardware for the Defense Support Program (DSP) in June 1997 and is currently delivering hardware for NASA's Earth Observing Satellite, Space Station, and DoD's space-based infrared satellite low-earth orbit programs.

 

Examples of hardware units produced by Frontier for TRW-manufactured DSP satellite.

Test and  Environmental Capabilities

Frontier has a wide array of functional test capabilities ranging from simple bench testing to extremely complex automated testing. We have developed a number of deliverable VXI-based test stations as well as custom in-house equipment for satellite subassembly test.

Our in-house environmental test facilities allow us to perform thermal, vibration, and thermal-vacuum testing. We have experience conducting the full range of environmental tests. Experience also includes development of approved test procedures from specifications and design packages for functional, environmental, qualification, and acceptance testing. We generate comprehensive reports on these test and documents the performance of the equipment to our customers' requirements.

                               
  Common Core Test Set                        Thermal Vacuum Chamber

Engineering and Facilities

Since we started on the road to space flight hardware production, our personnel have developed expertise in many related disciplines. This includes skills with structural and thermal modeling tools, expansion of our quality assurance procedures, and experience with critical parts, materials, and processes required for space applications.

Frontier received guidance and tutoring from a major satellite manufacturer under the Department of Defense's Mentor-Protege program. Working closely with their personnel, we gained experience designing, building, and qualifying hardware fro spacecraft applications. In addition, Frontier has senior engineering and program management personnel with satellite experience.

Our engineering facilities include tools for circuit modeling, board layout, packaging design, and structural/thermal analysis. We have an extensive inventory of electronic test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, waveform analyzers, network analyzers, frequency generators, and logic analyzers. In addition, Frontier's network of more than 100 computers and engineering workstations allows our design, quality, and production staff to electronically share drawings and other technical information.

Frontier's manufacturing facilities are designed for small to medium runs of electronic equipment for military and aerospace systems. Our production area encompasses over 40,000 square feet of circuit board assembly, mechanical assembly, and system integration. Within that area a separate environmentally-controlled work cell is dedicated to production of space flight hardware. All space manufacturing areas are electrostatic discharge protected.