Thirty years ago this month, Quantic Wenzel (formerly Wenzel Associates) undertook its first space engineering and manufacturing project supporting the GEOSAT Follow On satellite program. Since May 1993, we’ve amassed a storied record of achievement supporting commercial, defense, and ground systems. We could not be more excited to celebrate our history in space, our success, and all the incredible accomplishments achieved thanks to our employees, customers, supplier partners, and the local Austin, Texas community.
Thirty years in space is a huge deal to us! Our entire team is beyond thrilled to celebrate this important milestone. Much has changed since undertaking our first engineering and manufacturing project for space in 1993; technological achievements have been revolutionary and as a result quality of life has advanced significantly for billions of people across the world (think rapid communication, internet access, etc.). While we are not an integrated systems manufacturer delivering space vehicles to the launch pad, our frequency control and timing solutions have contributed in a small way to the advancement of humankind, and for that we are very proud.
Building for space is very challenging, programs require innovative engineering approaches to achieve size, weight, power, cost, lead time, and performance requirements. We’re proud to say our team has earned a reputation for engineering solutions that deliver excellent frequency stability, vibration mitigation, low-g endurance, ultra-low phase noise performance, and temperature balance. That reputation is why our solutions continue to enable the world’s leading integrated systems space manufacturing companies.
From traditional space to new space applications our team has worked with many different government contracted and commercial entities to engineer and manufacture custom crystal oscillators, advanced frequency sources, and integrated microwave assemblies. The timeline featured below highlights some of the most prominent space missions we’ve supported to date.
1993
U.S Navy GEOSAT Follow On (GFO)
Wenzel receives its first space applications contract
1996
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory NEAR Shoemaker
First flight unit deployed into space.
1996
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Pathfinder
Oscillator installed into Martian base-station.
2001
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory TIMED Mission
Frequency reference
2009
NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Ovenized Crystal Oscillator
2011
NASA SAC-D
Timing device for Aquarius instrument
2011
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Curiosity
Timing Synthesizer
2014
Orbcomm OG2 Satellite Constellation
2015
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory SMAP
10 MHz ovenized crystal oscillator
2017
NOAA JPSS-1
Frequency reference for Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder instrument
2018
NASA ICESat-2
USO timing solution for ATLAS instrument
2020
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Perseverance
Timing Synthesizer
2021
Classified Defense Space Program
Mini-USO for LEO/GEO satellite constellations
2021
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Europa REASON
Timing Synthesizer
2021
Confidential Commercial Broadband LEO Space Application
ONYX Crystal Oscillator
A mission that we were particularly proud to support was NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars 2020 mission, which included the rover Perseverance, the small robotic helicopter Ingenuity, and associated delivery systems. Working closely with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, our expert engineering and manufacturing teams delivered a 11.25 GHz frequency synthesizer supporting the radar-based altimeter. The power system, antennas, and our frequency synthesizer allowed the landing craft to hover above the Mars surface, as Perseverance gently guided to the landing site on February 18th, 2021. The mission, which is still ongoing as of May 2023, addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars. The mission takes the next step by not only seeking signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, but also searching for signs of past microbial life itself.
One exciting development in recent history was our rebrand, a decision made to communicate our extended engineering and manufacturing ecosystem with Quantic Electronics. With over a century of combined experience, our teams across the U.S. and abroad share best practices, learn from each other, and support our customers’ mission-critical RF & Microwave, Capacitor, Resistor, Magnetic, and Sensing applications.
Charles Wenzel and Liz Ronchetti founded Wenzel in 1978 and over the decades, built a name in quality, performance, and a culture dedicated to employee and customer success. While our branding and logo has changed, we retain the same exceptional engineering, manufacturing, and leadership team at our facility in Austin, Texas. We remain committed to providing our customers with the highest quality solutions, meeting the absolute toughest requirements for any space application.
It wasn’t long ago when space was primarily a government applications domain. Today, commercial organizations are no longer hindered by high costs, limited launch system options, and other operating challenges. Within Earth’s orbit and beyond, the commercial sector is pioneering the future of space-based technologies and capabilities. While our space expertise is rooted in government applications our engineering teams are shifting to meet requirements for cost-effective and reliable space timing solutions, a recent example being a LEO communications satellite constellation. We don’t anticipate the commercial space sector slowing anytime soon, and with that growth we’ll continue to develop innovative solutions to help our customers overcome their unique challenges.
Our team has achieved so much since our support of the GEOSAT Follow On satellite program in 1993, and we are grateful for the assistance of all the individuals who helped make us a trusted name in the electronics industry. Our success in space is one that has been 30 years in the making, and we look forward to another 30 years of success!
