Development of Deployable Reflector Antenna for SAR-Satellite, Part 5: Experimental Verification of Qualification Model of Space-Grade 5 m-Class Deployable Reflector Antenna

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which appeared in the early 1990s, refers to a technology that creates a virtual large aperture by receiving/combining signals from various locations while moving with a fixed antenna. Using SAR-based image acquisition technology, a reconnaissance satellite can obtain high-quality images regardless of the weather and day/night conditions. In this study, the qualification tests of a space-grade 5m-class deployable reflector antenna for satellites, which is the primary payload of a SAR-based satellite, were conducted. In order to ensure the electrical performance of the reflector antenna, an alignment verification test was performed using a laser tracker system during the assembly and integration process. Generally, the satellite experiences a considerable amount of structural load under the launch condition and is exposed to extremely low- and high-temperature thermal environments under the orbital condition. For the space mission, environmental tests should be conducted to verify the structural/thermal stability for the launch and orbital conditions. A deployment repeatability test was conducted to ensure that the deployment mechanism operated properly before/after each test. The qualification process and philosophy proposed in this work could be applied to the development of the space-grade deployable reflector antenna.