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| Paper: |
VSOP-2 Antenna and its Structure |
| Volume: |
402, Approaching Micro-Arcsecond Resolution with VSOP-2: Astrophysics and Technologies |
| Page: |
41 |
| Authors: |
Higuchi, K.; Kishimoto, N.; Mizuno, T.; Kawahara, K.; Tachikawa, S.; Murata, Y.; Tsuboi, M.; Ogawa, H.; Kimura, S.; Ujihara, H.; Meguro, A.; Tanaka, H.; Yoshihara, M.; IIkura, S. |
| Abstract: |
To achieve scientific improvements from VSOP (HALCA) to VSOP-2 (ASTRO-G), the satellite design incorporates the engineering characteristics of a large-scale deployable antenna of offset Cassegrain type with observation bands of 8, 22, and 43 GHz. The antenna subsystem requires the surface accuracy of 0.4mm RMS on the main reflector named LDR (Large-scale Deployable Reflector) of about 9m in diameter. An off-axis paraboloid reflector is adopted to achieve this surface accuracy for millimeter-wave observation. The main reflector is composed of seven deployable modular antennas, and each of the modules employs a new idea of radial-rib/hoop-cable reflector construction to stretch metal mesh and to satisfy the required surface accuracy. The deployment mechanism employs most of the LDR technology developed for JAXA’s ETS-VIII satellite, which was launched in December 2006, and both of the two antennas on the ETS-VIII deployed successfully on orbit. Some prototype models of one module have been made to investigate the surface accuracy. In addition, the antenna will have a two-axis adjustment mechanism for the main reflector, and a three-axis adjustment mechanism for the sub-reflector in order to optimize the antenna gain after deployment in orbit. |
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