Highly Accurate Fan Rib Type Mesh Deployable Reflector with Precise Surface Adjuster and Link Deployment System

This paper describes the techniques that realize a highly accurate and reproducible fan rib type deployable mesh reflector. A surface adjuster using a precision screw mechanism and large pads is developed to accurately form the mesh surface with very small amounts of mesh pillowing. A newly developed link deployment system characterized by its high deployment torque and low rib deployment speed limits the variation of surface error under repeated deployment. The absolute value and reproducibility of surface error are 0.82mm rms and 0.1mm rms, respectively. These values are more than 50% less than those of the previously developed fan rib type mesh reflector that used a spring type deployment system. No periodic distortion can be seen and thus a mesh reflector with very low gore lobe and side lobe characteristics, attributes which are very useful for frequency reuse, is achieved in the C band.