It will be a payload for the next generation of high-performance low-cost Earth Observation radar small satellite missions, they say.
Specifically, it is a Cassegrain reflector antenna with a metal mesh surface known as the “Wrapped Rib” antenna, a 3m diameter parabolic reflector which stows into a small volume. This makes the architecture compatible with ~150kg spacecraft.
Operating at high frequency, the Wrapped Rib antenna is designed for low-cost, high resolution SAR missions using SSTL’s CarbSAR platform. According to the companies, the project successfully demonstrated deployment of the main reflector ribs and secondary reflector mast with a subsequent RF test of the system’s performance.
SAR data
Apparently commercial demands for surveillance, change detection and “big data” analytics applications are driving interest in spaceborne SAR data – to support day/night and all-weather imaging at a rate faster than what can be achieved with any individual satellite. In turn, this drives demand for much smaller radar satellites that can be launched within a limited launch volume in groups, but it is still desirable to retain a large antenna for better quality imagery…
“SSTL pioneered the development of small satellites from the early 80’s combining initiative technologies with a different approach enabling smallsat missions,” said the Chief Technology Officer of SSTL, Andrew Haslehurst.
“Embedding the SAR electronics directly into our core avionics simplifies the architecture, combined with the impressive stowage volume of the Wrapped Rib has enabled SSTL to develop a very capable CarbSAR product providing high resolution X-band SAR imaging capabilities day, night and whatever the weather”.
It was built with the help of a funding grant from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Technology Programme
“The highly innovative OSS Wrapped Rib Antenna, combined with SSTL’s digital and RF electronics, provides a compact SAR payload for smallsat missions and we are already seeing strong international customer interest for this product,” added the CEO of Oxford Space Systems, Sean Sutcliffe.
See also: Picture of the Day: Space-bound magnetometer uses diamond-based quantum technology
