Mechanical supporting ring structure

Abstract

Large deployable antenna reflectors are commonly employed for space missions. Scientific, telecommunications and earth observation applications are enabled due to the antenna gain provided by the large apertures (8–25 m). The most relevant requirements that drive the design are the size of the stowed package diameter (0.4–1.50 m), the mass (18–160 kg), the control of the deployment process, the accuracy and stability of the surface and the RF performance requirements. In this paper a new architecture of conical ring reflector is described, with the objective of providing a response to the mentioned requirements. The projected aperture range of 8–25 m is addressed, enabling to create offset reflectors of elliptical rim. The configuration is based on a double pantograph conical ring. It is an architecture suitable for reflector-based radar in LEO missions from P to C band, although the expected stiffness and stability can be seen as an asset for higher operational frequencies. The configuration of the structure is new and has been preliminarily discussed in the paper. Further investigations might well be of interest.