Auburn University\u2019s Applied Research Institute (AUARI) has installed its new superconducting 200 MeV proton accelerator, an important step in opening the nation\u2019s first university-led proton testing facility dedicated to qualifying space electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The RAD-FX-200 superconducting synchrocyclotron, manufactured and installed by Mevion Medical Systems, is the centerpiece of AUARI\u2019s Radiation Hardening Facility, created to address the shortage of space-qualifying testing facilities needed by the Department of War and the aerospace and defense industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility will enable government and industry partners to evaluate whether microelectronics can withstand the harsh radiation environment of space before they are deployed on critical missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo provide for a highly reliable defense of our nation and our armed forces, we need to test every microelectronic component for its performance in space,\u201d said Maj. Gen. Jason Cothern, Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency. \u201cGoing forward, we will have priority access to Auburn\u2019s proton cyclotron facility to ensure timely radiation testing of the microelectronics our cutting-edge systems depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satellites, missile defense interceptors, spacecraft and launch vehicles all depend on microelectronics that must keep operating in that environment, and a single radiation-induced fault can disable a system that cannot be repaired once in orbit. The Mevion RAD-FX-200 accelerates protons to 200 MeV, which effectively simulates the proton radiation environment of near-Earth orbit and of solar particle events so that engineers can measure how advanced microelectronics respond before flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe new Radiation Hardening Facility meets two crucial needs in national security: closing the gap on lack of space-qualifying testing facilities and training the next generation of engineers and scientists to be ready to work in the industry on day one,\u201d said Steve Taylor, Senior Vice President of Research and Economic Development at Auburn University. \u201cAuburn takes its mission to serve the people of Alabama very seriously and is proud to answer the call to strengthen national security and be a valuable partner for our Huntsville defense ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis installation represents a new frontier for proton technology,\u201d said Curt Kienast, Chief Operating Officer, Mevion Medical Systems. \u201cSince 2013, our superconducting synchrocyclotrons, designed and built in Littleton, Massachusetts, have treated cancer patients by precisely targeting tumors while sparing healthy tissue. Applying that same proven, compact technology to qualify space electronics is a powerful example of how American medical innovation can serve an entirely new mission. We are proud to help Auburn pioneer this application.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Radiation Hardening Facility is housed within AUARI\u2019s new 50,000-square-foot laboratory in Huntsville\u2019s Cummings Research Park, just minutes from Redstone Arsenal and many of the nation\u2019s leading defense and space organizations, including the Missile Defense Agency, NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center and US Space Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility\u2019s primary mission is to support the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), with additional availability for other US Government agencies, services and commercial partners. MDA awarded Auburn a prime contract in November 2024 to establish the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility will open for testing in January 2027 and is expected to reach full operating capacity in 2029.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Auburn University\u2019s Applied Research Institute (AUARI) has installed its new superconducting 200 MeV proton accelerator, an important step in opening the nation\u2019s first university-led proton testing facility dedicated to qualifying space electronics. The RAD-FX-200 superconducting synchrocyclotron, manufactured and installed by Mevion Medical Systems, is the centerpiece of AUARI\u2019s Radiation Hardening Facility, created to address the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":54250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7062,43,12396],"tags":[12011,12873,12877,12872,10942,12871,12876,12875,9441,12874],"class_list":["post-54249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-top-stories","category-university","tag-aerospace-technology","tag-auburn-university","tag-huntsville","tag-mevion-medical-systems","tag-missile-defense-agency","tag-proton-accelerator","tag-radiation-testing","tag-space-electronics","tag-space-technology","tag-superconducting-synchrocyclotron"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54249"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54361,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54249\/revisions\/54361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intelligentcio.com\/north-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}