Three HEICO Subsidiaries Supply Mission-Critical Parts for NASA’s InSight and MarCO Cube Satellites

HEICO Corporation (NYSE:HEI.A) (NYSE:HEI) today reported that its Sierra Microwave Technology ("Sierra Microwave”), VPT, Inc. ("VPT”) and 3D-Plus ("3D-Plus”) subsidiaries supplied mission-critical equipment for NASA’s landing vehicle named InSight ("InSight”), which launched in May 2018 alongside two, twin cube satellites, called Mars Cube One ("MarCO CubeSats”). With assistance from the twin MarCO CubeSats, InSight landed on Mars at approximately 3pm Eastern Standard Time today.

Georgetown, TX-based Sierra Microwave supplied medium power isolators on board InSight’s X Band Transmitter. Blacksburg, VA-based VPT provided hybrid DC-to-DC converters to assist with InSight’s interior exploration efforts. Buc, France-based 3D-Plus provided data memory modules on board InSight and the twin MarCO CubeSats. The memory modules on board InSight will store key pieces of information procured during the mission and the parts on board the MarCO CubeSats will facilitate communications between the landing vehicle and Earth.

Sierra Microwave, VPT and 3D-Plus have been critical suppliers for many high-profile space missions in the past, such as: ICESat-2, Parker Solar Probe, Juno, New Horizons, Dawn and Orion.

InSight, which is the acronym for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is intended to perform a thorough study of Mars’ interior surface. This study will allow NASA scientists to understand the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planet.

Separately, the MarCO CubeSats, which are about the size of a briefcase, are a pioneering innovation in spacecraft. While the satellites’ main goal is to provide communications assistance between InSight and Earth, the small satellites withstood the winding, 300 million mile voyage between Earth and Mars. MarCO is allowing space exploration at a much reduced cost, which is widely believed to deliver the value of 10 launches in one mission.

Troy Rodriguez, Sierra Microwave’s President and Founder, Dan Sable, VPT’s CEO and Co-Founder, and Pierre Maurice, 3D-Plus’ President and Co-Founder, jointly stated: "We are honored to partner with NASA and its suppliers to support InSight and MarCO CubeSats. Our companies strive to be world-class leaders in these daring missions. We thank our teams for their outstanding work ethic and brilliance.”

Laurans A. Mendelson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HEICO Corporation, along with Victor H. Mendelson, HEICO’s Co-President and Chief Executive Officer of HEICO’s Electronics Technologies Group, jointly commented, "We are, once again, happy to congratulate NASA on its amazing efforts. The agency’s level of perseverance, innovation and pioneering efforts continues to push humankind’s boundaries. As always, we thank Sierra Microwave, VPT and 3D-Plus for their outstanding accomplishments and are humbled by their persistent excellence.”

HEICO Corporation is engaged primarily in the design, production, servicing and distribution of products and services to certain niche segments of the aviation, defense, space, medical, telecommunications and electronics industries through its Hollywood, Florida-based Flight Support Group and its Miami, Florida-based Electronic Technologies Group. HEICO’s customers include a majority of the world’s airlines and overhaul shops, as well as numerous defense and space contractors and military agencies worldwide, in addition to medical, telecommunications and electronics equipment manufacturers. For more information about HEICO, please visit our website at http://www.heico.com.

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