Advanced techniques for grating lobe reduction for large deployable mesh reflector antennas

Abstract

Spaceborne deployable mesh reflectors are lightweight antennas made by a tensioned net supporting an RF reflecting mesh, which are deployed in orbit. The tensioned net is typically made by regular and periodic planar triangles that cause unwanted grating lobes in the pattern of the antenna. Here, we build on a recent study and propose an improved configuration using a so-called pentagonal arithmetic mesh of non-regular and non-periodic triangles and a shifted feed that modifies the reflector phase distribution and simultaneously provides excellent grating lobe reduction and lowered sidelobes. This configuration may pave the way for future space missions relying on large deployable mesh reflector antennas.