As the Shenzhou spacecraft rose from the depths of the desert time and time again, I not only held my breath like everyone else, sharing the unforgettable moments from the rocket liftoff to the separation of the rocket ship, but also cheering for the success of each spacecraft experiment. As an old aerospace technology worker, I have a special feeling and responsibility more than ordinary people. Because I have participated in the acceptance, failure analysis, and reliability screening of various connectors on spacecraft, I am well aware of the role and status of connectors in aerospace system engineering. A small mistake in thousands of contacts can lead to the failure of the entire experiment. Failure and success, as well as failure and reliability, are two aspects of a contradictory pair. Only by carefully summarizing experiences and lessons can failure be transformed into reliability and a record of success be consistently maintained.

Aerospace electrical connectors face new opportunities

The quality and reliability of aerospace electrical connectors are directly related to the success or failure of aerospace system engineering. In the process of developing aerospace electrical connectors with Chinese characteristics, products such as micro rectangular electrical connectors, separated and detached electrical connectors, and push-pull environment-resistant quick separated electrical connectors have high popularity in China and have been successfully applied to key parts with high contact reliability requirements in aerospace system engineering, making extraordinary contributions to key system engineering such as the Shenzhou spacecraft and the Chang'e lunar exploration. We can say without exaggeration that without highly reliable aerospace electrical connectors with Chinese characteristics, there would be no success in these aerospace system projects that raise national prestige and inspire people's hearts.

Looking back at the development process of aerospace electrical connectors in China over the past 50 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has gone through three stages: imitation of the Soviet Union in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, transfer from imitation of the Soviet Union to imitation of the United States in the early stages of reform and opening up, and transition from imitation of the United States to independent development after entering this century. After nearly 30 years of reform and opening up, China's comprehensive national strength has significantly increased. In the aerospace electrical connector industry, we have a group of well-known enterprises with certain research and development capabilities, independent intellectual property rights, and national brands. Today, with the development of reform and opening up, China has developed many aerospace electrical connectors with Chinese characteristics. The era of relying too much on imports and completely copying and imitating foreign electrical connectors is gone forever.

In order to achieve the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, as proposed by the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, many national key system projects will be launched one after another. For example, space technology such as lunar exploration needs to be developed and produced with independent intellectual property rights, including high fidelity space separation electrical connectors, high vacuum sealed electrical connectors, aerospace suit electrical connectors, solar panel electrical connectors, and high-density, high reliability electrical connectors that can be used for satellite, spacecraft, and space station work The miniaturization of high-speed data electrical connectors has brought new opportunities for the development of aerospace electrical connectors with Chinese characteristics.

Strict management ensures high quality

But we should also be aware that there are still many difficulties and problems in the process of developing aerospace electrical connectors with Chinese characteristics. While welcoming development opportunities, we also face enormous challenges.

The role of aerospace electrical connectors in the entire machine should be fully recognized and given sufficient attention. At present, some viewpoints believe that aerospace electrical connectors have low technological content in various components, limited to plug and unplug, and are not as complex as integrated circuits. Therefore, technical training for design, process, inspection and other personnel has been relaxed, as well as basic technical work such as updating and transforming production process equipment and testing instruments. Therefore, the production and use units of aerospace electrical connectors must change their concepts, timely learn, learn from, introduce, and absorb new materials, processes, technologies, and equipment for the production of electrical connectors, and continuously improve their professional level of design, process, and other aspects in order to create new types of aerospace electrical connectors.