Roscosmos Unveils Deployable 12-Meter Satellite Antenna Reflector
Roscosmos has presented a new development by its subsidiary Reshetnev—a large deployable reflector measuring 12 meters in diameter that fits beneath a launch vehicle's payload fairing and unfolds like an umbrella in orbit using a single actuator.
Engineers at Reshetnev, a Roscosmos company, developed the new antenna system for next-generation spacecraft. According to the state space corporation, the team has built a prototype umbrella-style deployable reflector with a mesh reflecting surface spanning 12 meters.
The design allows the mesh structure to be folded into a highly compact configuration, a critical requirement for fitting inside a rocket payload fairing. Once in orbit, only a single actuator is needed to deploy the antenna. The engineering solutions incorporated into the design also reduced the reflector's weight by 5% compared with comparable systems from the previous generation.
Roscosmos said the prototype has successfully completed testing.
