Lightweight Design of 30m Class Large Deployable Reflector for Communication Satellites

Abstract

JAXA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is now developing 30m class lightweight large deployable reflectors. The reflectors are made from seven tri-fold deployable truss modules. The tri-fold deployable truss is composed of three four-sided links with joints and can be stowed as collapsible umbrella. Each segmented module has six tri-foldable ribs so that it shapes hexagonal reflector. The seven modules form a large deployable reflector whose size is 30m in aperture. Since the ribs of tri-fold deployable truss is relatively longer than that of single-fold deployable truss, which was used for the Engineering Test Satellite VIII and successfully deployed in orbit in 2006, the weight is reduced from the previous design. The feasibility and design of tri-fold deployable truss have been being confirmed and improved through structural analyses. The analyses are performed with JAXA FEM analyzer “Origami/ETS.” After this, it is planned to verify and modify the design of reflector with the experiments of prototype models.