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Spinoff story
Traveling-Wave Tubes Travel Far
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
To receive scientific data, NASA needed versions of electronic components that were small but powerful for launching on deep space missions, and contracted with Hughes to build them. A successor company, Stellant Systems of Torrence, California, is now the only company in the U.S. that produces space-worthy traveling-wave tubes necessary for communications satellites.