SBIR-STTR Award

A variety of DoD and commercial space-based RF applications have motivated substantial development of deployable antenna reflectors over the last few decades. Of the multiple reflector architectures that have been developed, mesh antenna systems have dominated the medium-to-large (5 – 20 m) reflector markets. As operating frequencies extend beyond 10 GHz into the Ku and Ka bands, reflector surface precision requirements lead to high part count and fabrication cost for mesh architectures. Even with the relative maturity of mesh antenna systems, demand remains high for a more cost effective approach to antenna reflector deployment. The proposed precision deployable reflector system will offer a design solution that combines a thin membrane composite reflector with a concentrated strain deployable reflector boom to produce a highly capable, reliable and cost effective solution to critical DoD and commercial applications including frequencies through the Ka band. The proposal will develop a packaging architecture that will provide scalability of the reflector system from 1 to greater than 5 meters in diameter while meeting surface profile requirements to meet broadband frequency needs. The reflector apertures will be adaptable for on and off axis feed geometries.

Keywords:
Antenna, Composite Rigid Reflector, Strain Deployed Boom

The National Security Space Office has identified low cost 5 m aperture RF spacecraft payloads as a transformational space technology. The Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office is developing a "common aperture" RF system architecture which would enable $20M class RF payloads meeting a variety of ORS mission requirements. Two critical elements of this architecture are correspondingly low cost deployable reflectors and active electronically scanned antenna (AESA) feeds. SpaceDev has partnered with Mevicon to develop the low cost 5 m class RF reflectors required by this program. The proposed Phase II effort would integrate SpaceDev’s deployable structures and Mevicon’s form-stiffened reflector segment technologies to meet both the technical and cost requirements. SpaceDev has recently developed low cost, elastically deployed RF antenna systems with a variety of applicable technology components. Mevicon has developed enabling fabrication processes for low cost reflector segments which can be rolled to package them for launch. The proposed program will demonstrate the precision fabrication and deployment repeatability required for RF bands from UHF through Ka. At the same time, SpaceDev Precision Deployable Reflectors (SPDR) offer a factor of four reduction in cost when compared to state-of-the-art mesh reflector systems. BENEFIT

Keywords:
Deployable, Structures, Radio-Frequency, Antenna, Membrane, Reflector