Large Deployable Spaceborne Reflector Antennas in Europe: Progress Status and Perspectives

Due to the limited volume available under the launcher fairing, large spaceborne reflector antennas need to have their RF radiating aperture unfurled once the satellite is placed on its orbit. This is the case for reflector antennas with aperture diameters above 3-4 meters for conventional geostationary satellites but it may also apply to reflectors with smaller diameter when embarked on a small or micro satellite. The need for larger radiating apertures is mainly driven by increased gain and/or higher resolution and sensitivity required by the advanced satellite telecommunication payloads or microwave instruments for Earth Observation and Science missions. It is proposed in this paper to provide the current progress status of large deployable spaceborne reflector antennas in Europe in terms of research and development. Future outlooks in Europe regarding this technology are then presented.