S&C Electric Co. has delivered, installed and commissioned a PureWave UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply for NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. S&C's PureWave UPS provides a high level of protection against outages. In the event of a power disturbance, it transfers electrical load to the back-up system in a fraction of a second.
NASA's Goldstone Communication Complex, which handles critical deep space spacecraft transmissions, includes sensitive equipment that can be disrupted by the briefest of power outages. The facility typically has run on back-up diesel generators during critical spacecraft transmissions to ensure electric service reliability. However, a recently enacted California state law imposed new restrictions on generator emissions, which led NASA to seek a battery-based UPS solution.
The PureWave UPS allows NASA to provide back-up power for the tracking facility in a greatly simplified and reliable manner. The UPS system has already protected the facility against voltage dips and utility outages while also allowing compliance with the California state air pollution law.
The PureWave UPS supports the entire 3.8 MW load with clean power for up to 60 seconds, eliminating all of the short-term utility based power quality problems. It supports reduced loads for up to 180 seconds, and in the rare event of an extended outage, the unit seamlessly transfers the facility load to the back-up generators.
