‘Incredibly rewarding’: Carpentersville company designed controls for Artemis II mission

For the first time in half a century, astronauts soon should be headed to the moon — and equipment designed and manufactured here in the suburbs will help them get there.

Carpentersville-based Otto Engineering created switches for control and navigation equipment inside the Orion spacecraft set to launch Wednesday evening from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four-person crew inside the vehicle — named “Integrity” by those astronauts — will use the switches to shift between manual and automated piloting systems, ignite rocket engines and help steer the craft, said Edward Trowbridge, senior manager of manufacturing operations with Otto.

Trowbridge led the teams responsible for manufacturing the components.

“It is incredibly rewarding to be trusted by NASA … to supply mission and life critical controls for such a historic program,” Trowbridge told the Daily Herald via email before the launch. “Knowing that our work will play a role in the success and safety of the crew certainly creates a strong sense of pride and connection to the mission.”

Otto is one of several companies manufacturing control and navigation components for the mission. The company has decades of experience designing and building controls for aerospace applications, including the Apollo spacecraft and the space shuttle program.

“Over Otto’s 65-year history, we’ve contributed to some of America’s most defining moments,” company President Dan Stanek said through a spokesperson. “We’re proud to contribute to a mission that will carry humans beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in more than 50 years.”

All the switches Otto manfactured for the capsule were custom-designed specifically for this mission, said Trowbridge, a 54-year-old Barrington resident.

“My involvement began early in the concept phase, where I contributed to the design process with a focus on manufacturability,” Trowbridge said. “As the project progressed into prototype development, my role shifted to ensuring that the necessary equipment, tooling, and documentation were in place, as well as training technicians on proper assembly methods.”

Otto employees worked alongside NASA engineers and other experts. Astronauts even visited Otto to test switches and provide opinions on ergonomics and usability.

Multiple rounds of prototypes followed; eventually Otto secured an order for flight-ready products. Less than two years later, Trowbridge said, the switches were ready for Integrity.

Trowbridge’s teams delivered 17 unique switch designs, each serving a specific role. Some of the switch designs are installed in multiple places, while others have single functions, he said.

While all four astronauts aboard Integrity will interact with the Otto-designed controls, pilot Victor Glover Jr. will use some specifically designed for flying the craft.

While he oversaw delivery of the components, Trowbridge wasn’t able to visit NASA facilities or personally see Integrity. Some colleagues at Otto did, however — and were even able to sit inside the capsule.

“(It was) an incredible opportunity that speaks to the significance of Otto’s role in the program,” Trowbridge said.

Trowbridge hopes Otto isn’t done contributing to the Artemis project, the highest goal of which is to take humans to Mars. The equipment his teams designed were developed with such deep-space missions in mind, he said.

“Including the rigorous demands of a journey to Mars and back,” Trowbridge said.