A 0.1% product defect rate translates to a 100% life-or-death concern for astronauts in space.
November 14, 2025, marked a heart-stopping chapter in global space history. The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft sustained a micro-debris impact in orbit, resulting in a fine crack on its viewport. In a critical split-second decision, the three astronauts abandoned the compromised vehicle and safely returned to Earth by transferring to the backup Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. This event not only demonstrated the contingency capabilities of China’s space program but also posed a profound question to all manufacturers of high-reliability products: When lives depend on your product, can you bear the weight of that trust?
As Tortai Technologies, specializing in high-reliability electronics manufacturing, we see a deep resonance between this space incident and our own mission. This article shares how high-reliability electronics manufacturing can draw wisdom from aerospace events and outlines our practices and reflections on this path.
Life Above All: Elevating Quality from a Metric to a Promise
During World War II, a manufacturer supplying parachutes to the U.S. military took pride in a 99.9% yield rate. However, the military insisted on a 100% pass rate because that 0.1% failure rate meant one soldier could perish in every thousand jumps. When the acceptance method was changed to require the company’s executives or production workers to personally test jump with randomly selected parachutes, the defect rate rapidly plummeted to zero.
This quality philosophy—”linking the fate of the producer with the user”—is the core tenet of high-reliability manufacturing. In space, astronauts’ lives depend on the absolute reliability of every component; on the ground, passenger safety equally relies on the flawless operation of automotive electronic control systems.
Tortai Technologies has embedded this philosophy into every of our manufacturing process. We have established a stringent traceability system covering the entire process from component selection to production, ensuring any potential issues can be promptly identified and resolved. Mirroring the redundant backup systems in space missions, we also implement quality checks and backup solutions at critical stages.
From Aerospace to Automotive: Cross-Industry Wisdom in High-Reliability Manufacturing
The high-reliability requirements of the aerospace industry share striking similarities with the automotive electronics sector, particularly in autonomous driving. Both demand stable performance under extreme conditions and bear the significant responsibility of protecting lives.
Volvo Trucks once conducted a series of: suspending its president from the front of a truck cab 20 meters high, standing on top of a stack of four trucks, and even driving a heavy truck directly over the head of its buried-alive president. These tests vividly demonstrated the company’s of safety, aligning perfectly with the aerospace industry’s exacting demands for reliability.
At Tortai Technologies, we similarly validate product reliability through extreme environmental testing. Our inspection methods include X-ray scanning, high-temperature aging tests, vibration simulation, and more, replicating various harsh conditions products might encounter. Behind these tests, we constantly ask ourselves: Would we have enough confidence to let our loved ones and colleagues ride in autonomous vehicles equipped with our control systems?
Case Study 1: Enhancing Reliability in Automotive Electronic Control Systems
In automotive electronics, Tortai Technologies operates in an industry directly impacting life safety. Every PCBA control board we produce carries the responsibility for vehicle driving safety. To this end, we have established a full-process quality control system.
By introducing advanced AI-assisted inspection equipment and dynamic sampling strategies, we significantly reduce the risk of incoming material defects. In process control, we employ fool-proof design and SPC real-time monitoring to ensure each production step meets standards. In the final inspection stage, multi-dimensional checks and a defect traceability system ensure products meet the high-reliability requirements of automotive electronics.
Our matrix management system’s X-axis covers quality systems from various industries like automotive (IATF 16949) and medical devices (ISO 13485). The Y-axis encompasses multiple management specifications such as information security and ESD protection. This multi-dimensional management framework ensures products maintain high reliability throughout their entire lifecycle.
Case Study 2: The Pursuit of Zero Defects in Medical Electronic Equipment
Requirements for reliability are equally stringent in the medical electronics field. A malfunction in a medical device can directly endanger patient lives. Tortai Technologies introduces aerospace-grade reliability standards into medical electronics manufacturing.
We strictly adhere to the IPC-A-610H Class II electronic acceptance standard and are certified under ISO 13485 for medical quality management. Through an MES traceability barcode system, we achieve full-process tracking for medical client products, ensuring any issue can be traced back to its source.
The case of Kinbyte Electronics being selected as an outstanding case for manufacturing reliability improvement by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2022, based on their “High-Speed Data Communication HDI Product Reliability Enhancement” project, exemplifies advancements in tackling long-standing technical challenges like resin depression and blind via pad detachment, setting a benchmark for high-reliability electronics manufacturing.
Future Outlook: The Technological Evolution of High-Reliability Manufacturing
With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, IoT, and other emerging fields, requirements for electronics manufacturing reliability are increasingly demanding. Anhui Anxian Electronics Technology Co., Ltd., utilizing advanced LDW process technology, has propelled domestic automotive-grade chips into the lead-free, high-reliability era, producing highly reliable products capable of withstanding junction temperatures up to 185°C. This technological breakthrough showcases the significant progress of Chinese manufacturing in high-reliability sectors.
Similarly, Mingtai Electronics achieved a leap from low-end manufacturing to high-end integration through their “Research and Application of Key Packaging and Testing Technologies for Highly Integrated Semiconductors” project. Their technology enables higher packaging efficiency, greater product integration, and more powerful functionality, finding widespread application in automotive electronics and other fields.
At Tortai Technologies, we also emphasize technological enablement and continuous innovation. By introducing MES systems and advanced equipment like 3D X-ray inspectors, we enhance production efficiency and quality levels. Our R&D direction consistently focuses on further improving product reliability to adapt to increasingly complex application environments.
Conclusion: Guided by the Aerospace Spirit, Fulfilling the Mission of High-Reliability Manufacturing
The safe return of the Shenzhou-20 astronauts is not only a victory for China’s space program but also a triumph for the philosophy of high reliability. It teaches us that when lives hang in the balance, only the pursuit of can secure the chance for survival.
At Tortai Technologies, we regard quality as the lifeline of our enterprise. We have established a comprehensive customer complaint big data analysis system to identify potential risk points through in-depth mining of historical data and adjust production strategies promptly. We implement a quality points system and maintain quality recognition and improvement boards to inspire every employee’s passion and sense of responsibility for quality.
From aerospace to automotive, from medical to new energy, high-reliability manufacturing is the essential path for the transformation and upgrading of Chinese manufacturing. Just as the backup mechanisms of the Shenzhou spacecraft provide a lifeline for astronauts, we are building multi-layered safeguard systems in the electronics manufacturing domain to protect our clients’ safety.
When our loved ones ride in autonomous vehicles, when patients use medical equipment we helped manufacture, when new energy vehicles are equipped with our electronic control systems, we aspire to earn everyone’s trust through absolute reliability, just like China’s space program. Because, in our view, quality is never merely a standard; it is a promise—a promise to life.