The space experimental station is an important platform for human space science research, and maintaining the ultra-high vacuum environment inside and specific experimental equipment is crucial. As a pollution-free and highly reliable vacuum acquisition device, ion pumps play an irreplaceable role here.

Core equipment for space environment simulation

Simulating the high vacuum environment of space on the ground is crucial for testing spacecraft performance. Ion pumps can create and maintain a maximum vacuum degree of up to 10 ⁻⁸ to 10 ⁻¹ Pa, and their oil-free nature avoids contamination of sensitive instruments and experimental samples by oil molecules. This makes ion pumps the preferred solution for maintaining ultra-high vacuum in space environment simulation chambers, used to study the performance changes and interactions of spacecraft materials in extreme environments, providing key data support for spacecraft design and manufacturing.

Material and component performance testing

The space experimental station needs to deal with various challenges such as atomic oxygen erosion and high-energy particle radiation in space. The clean vacuum environment provided by ion pumps is the basis for conducting relevant simulation experiments on the ground. For example, in atomic oxygen erosion experiments studying satellite materials, ion pumps can ensure the purity and stability of the background vacuum inside the experimental chamber, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the experimental results.

Support the operation of precision scientific payloads

Many scientific payloads carried on space experimental stations, such as high-precision mass spectrometers, atomic interferometers, etc., rely on ultra-high vacuum environments for their normal operation. The characteristics of ion pumps, such as quiet operation, no need for oil medium, and long-term stable operation, enable them to provide continuous and clean vacuum conditions for these precision instruments, ensuring accurate acquisition of scientific data.

Future Development and Technological Challenges

With the deepening of space exploration, higher requirements have been put forward for ion pumps. Future ion pump technology is developing towards lower power consumption, miniaturization (such as micro composite sputtering ion pumps), and intelligence. For example, the exploration of non-magnetic ion pump technology aims to avoid interference from strong magnetic fields on certain ultra precision quantum sensors. Meanwhile, improving the extraction efficiency of inert gases is also one of the key technical breakthroughs.

Ion pumps, with their excellent vacuum performance and high reliability, quietly guard the "ultimate space" required for space experimental stations and scientific exploration, becoming an indispensable key equipment to support space science research.