# Designing PCBs for space: What should you know about IPC Class 3?

**URL:** <https://sierraconnect.protoexpress.com/t/designing-pcbs-for-space-what-should-you-know-about-ipc-class-3/4289>\
**Category:** Today's Discussion\
**Tags:** ipc-class-3\
**Created:** [July 22, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://sierraconnect.protoexpress.com/t/designing-pcbs-for-space-what-should-you-know-about-ipc-class-3/4289 "2026-07-22T19:03:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lucy.sierracircuits](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sierraconnect/user_avatar/sierraconnect.protoexpress.com/lucy.sierracircuits/32/8_2.png) [@lucy.sierracircuits](https://sierraconnect.protoexpress.com/u/lucy.sierracircuits)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://sierraconnect.protoexpress.com/t/designing-pcbs-for-space-what-should-you-know-about-ipc-class-3/4289/1 "2026-07-22T19:03:59Z")

</div>

This one is for BobCAD. 😺

When your board is going into space, reliability takes on a whole different meaning. A failure isn’t just an inconvenience, and repair or replacement may not even be an option. Duh.

 ![ipc class 3](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sierraconnect/original/1X/cd35285a8d497585464f417faed2eba91fabbddd.jpeg)

IPC Class 3 sets stringent requirements for high-reliability electronics, from annular ring integrity and plating thickness to tighter inspection and testing. For space and military avionics, IPC-6012FS adds another layer of requirements to account for challenges such as vibration, thermal cycling, and demanding acceptance testing.

But meeting a standard is only part of designing hardware that can survive a mission.

We (BobCAD and I) would like to hear from engineers with experience in space, satellite, aerospace, or other mission-critical electronics:

**• What design decisions become especially important when a PCB is going to space?**  
**• How do Class 3 requirements influence your layout, particularly vias, annular rings, and interconnects?**  
**• What additional testing or qualification do you consider essential?**  
**• How do you design for redundancy when failure isn’t an option?**  
**• What real-world lessons have you learned that aren’t obvious from reading the standards?**

Share your experience, PCB people!

Oh, and of course, we have an [IPC Class 3 Design Guide](https://www.protoexpress.com/pcb-design-guides/ipc-class-3/?utm_source=sierraconnect&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=feed%2B2026).

[![IPC_class3_DG_small](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sierraconnect/original/1X/6387621068ee8a4666e799b6a267f79fbfb2f649.png)](https://www.protoexpress.com/pcb-design-guides/ipc-class-3/?utm_source=sierraconnect&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=feed%2B2026)