Specific HDI PCB qualification was, so far, not available as per the generic PCB guidelines of the European Cooperation for Space Standardization, ECSS – the common European rulebook for undertaking space missions. Instead, case-by-case project qualification is required for individual designs and batches, which is a significant hurdle in space projects.

But now PCB manufacturer ACB in Dendermonde, Belgium, has received ESA qualification for HDI PCBs, as the successful outcome of a recent General Support Technology Programme contract led for ESA by Belgian research institute IMEC, with Thales Alenia Space Belgium as end user.