Review of Large Spacecraft Deployable Membrane Antenna Structures

Abstract

The demand for large antennas in future space missions has increasingly stimulated the development of deployable membrane antenna structures owing to their light weight and small stowage volume. However, there is little literature providing a comprehensive review and comparison of different membrane antenna structures. Space-borne membrane antenna structures are mainly classified as either parabolic or planar membrane antenna structures. For parabolic membrane antenna structures, there are five deploying and forming methods, including inflation, inflation-rigidization, elastic ribs driven, Shape Memory Polymer (SMP)-inflation, and electrostatic forming. The development and detailed comparison of these five methods are presented. Then, properties of membrane materials (including polyester film and polyimide film) for parabolic membrane antennas are compared. Additionally, for planar membrane antenna structures, frame shapes have changed from circular to rectangular, and different tensioning systems have emerged successively, including single Miura-Natori, double, and multi-layer tensioning systems. Recent advances in structural configurations, tensioning system design, and dynamic analysis for planar membrane antenna structures are investigated. Finally, future trends for large space membrane antenna structures are pointed out and technical problems are proposed, including design and analysis of membrane structures, materials and processes, membrane packing, surface accuracy stability, and test and verification technology. Through a review of large deployable membrane antenna structures, guidance for space membrane-antenna research and applications is provided.

Design and Experiment of Symmetrical Shape Deployable Arc Profiling Mechanism Based on Composite Multi-Cam Structure

“…This kind of profiling mechanism has never been reported before, but the deployable mechanism which can carry out the movement can provide reference for designing it. As a new type of structure, the deployable mechanism has gradually attracted the attention of scholars and become a research hotspot [4]. In 1960, Buckminster Fuller, an American architect, first proposed the concept of deployable structure.…”

“…(4), vector O2E = (X2E, aX2E + b), and rotational change of vector O2E relative to vector e2. The rotation angle φ on driving cam can finally obtained as:…”

An investigation of millimeter wave reflectarrays for small satellite platforms

“…To allow further compactness, reflectarrays can be folded into a compact form during launch, and then can be unfolded and deployed once in orbit. To further facilitate the compactness, reflectarrays can be made inflatable [8][9][10]. A reflectarray can implement any reflector antenna configurations to fit the requirements.…”

Structural Design and Impact Analysis of Deployable Habitat Modules

“…Deployable structure technologies have the advantages of high folding efficiencies, light weights, and low construction costs, which can be used to build future space antennas and lunar habitats [1,2]. To solve the problems of high launch costs and the difficulties in the construction of rigid space cabins due to their heavy weights and large volumes, there has been extensive research on the structural technologies of space-deployable capsules in the United States and Europe, such as that of NASA's TransHab [3] and the lunar habitats [4].…”

“…Referring to the material design scheme of the TransHab inflatable module[2], the flexible composite shell of space-deployable habitat modules is presented inTable 1after a design improvement was determined. The total thickness of the composite thick wall is 85 mm.…”