NOVEL CONCEPT FOR ALL-COMPOSITE DEPLOYABLE SAR REFLECTORS

摘要

This paper presents a new deployable reflector conceptfor Earth observation missions that require a low-cost L-bandSynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument with alarge aperture. This consists of a linear feed array and areflector with the shape of an offset parabolic cylinder.A novel 'hollow solid' structural concept is proposedthat comprises curved surfaces formed from thin sheetsof carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic (CFRP) connected byflexible hinges along the edges. The front surface of thehollow solid provides the reflective surface. This pro-posedstructure has very high stiffness-to-mass-ratio, be-causeof its thin-walled box-type construction. A detailedstudy of a half-scale technology demonstrator, includingdesign, manufacture and testing, is presented in the paper.