SCIENTIFIC PROBLEMS AND ENGINEER RESOLVENT DURING DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE DEPLOYABLE MESH ANTENNA

Paper number

IAC-19,C2,2,x49417

Year

2019

Abstract

In order to capture the small power signal, to achieve high gain and provide high coverage, the needs of the Large Deployable Antenna (LDA) are proposed in the new generation of large communications satellites, relay satellites, earth observations satellites. 
 
The LDA is a complex antenna structure with the most significant technological leapfrogging. It is difficult to realize in engineering. There are many challenges need to be broken through during the development process of LDA, for instance, reliable locking and releasing, reliable deployment and verification, deployment indication, electrical performance realization, in orbit surface accuracy maintenance. Those challenges involve many aspects of the structure, mechanism, material, control and testing and other interdisciplinary problems. We think the three most critical problems during the development of the LDA are: (1) the ability of deployment after entering the orbit, (2) controllability when the coupling vibration of the satellite and (3) good performance of signal receiving and receiving. They are referred to as “reliable deployment, reliable control, and reliable electrical performance” for short. From the mechanical point of view, they are related to three mechanical problems. First, the development process of LDA is a complicated, flexible multi-body dynamics process; and obtaining the deploying process dynamic characteristics requires the use of flexible multi-body dynamics method. Second, the LDA has typical ultra-low modal characteristics and how to accurately track modal information identification to achieve the attitude control of the whole satellite during flying is a typical super low modal structural dynamics problem. Third, the electrical performance of LDA mainly resolved by the surface accuracy and the surface design is a typical statically indeterminate nonlinear tension cable net system pretension optimization design problem.

In this paper, we introduced and summarized the scientific problems and engineering solutions of the above three aspects of the development, the control, and the surface accuracy, based on successful development of LDA.

Abstract document

IAC-19,C2,2,x49417.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

(absent)