Engineering news
The wrapped rib antenna design will allow 5m antennas on satellites the size of washing machines, Oxford Space Systems CEO Mike Lawton previously told Professional Engineering. The UK company, based at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, received the investment from the MOD to increase the antenna’s size. The firm’s website says the design is ‘scalable’ and could be between 0.5-5m wide.
The technology consists of carbon fibre ‘ribs’ which are folded around the centre. The stored energy allows them to unfurl in orbit. When open, the expanded ribs present a surface of gold molybdenum metal mesh (‘Gold Moly’) or carbon fibre composite.
The result is a compact deployable antenna, weighing less and taking less room than conventional antennas – helping operators save money on fuel costs for launches.
The new antenna will transmit fine-resolution low-Earth orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, which allows all-weather Earth observation irrespective of time of day or night, providing unique advantages for both civil and defence applications. The UK will deploy “a number” of antennas in space, a government press release said.
The announcement follows the construction of a new company headquarters at Harwell, including a large clean room for construction. The building has security requirements ready for defence and sovereign applications, Lawton told Professional Engineering during a visit last year, and he predicted increased reliance on home-grown space technology as the UK loses access to international projects post-Brexit.
“This contract represents a considerable stamp of endorsement by the UK Government for OSS on the global stage. The funding allows us to create high value employment in the space sector and grow our team of experts at our Harwell base,” said senior commercial strategist and space engineer Shefali Sharma.
“We can now focus on maturing the wrapped rib antenna towards on-orbit demonstration. We view our antenna technology as a key enabler for the next-generation of communications and SAR services from orbit. The antenna is highly scalable and tunable and has been specifically designed for volume production, targeting small-sat constellations. As such, it’s suitable for a range of commercial opportunities not only here in the UK, but globally too. Our doors are open to international trade and we are excited about where future partnerships will take us.”
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson said: “It is vital that we have home-grown affordable technologies like this pioneering deployable satellite antenna to maintain a commanding military advantage over our adversaries and competitors.”
In collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the Defence Innovation Fund, the £1m investment is the largest contract placed with a first-time supplier by the Defence and Security Accelerator.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily reflect the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.