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A novel antenna steering mechanism with self hold-down feature for communication spacecrafts

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Abstract

Steerable antennas are widely used for Satellite communications. A steerable reflector array antenna is designed to meet in-flight reconfigurability requirements for space applications such as minimized interference and production of fixed spot beams on the ground from an LEO/GEO Satellite. Indian communication Spacecraft in the discussion was being realized as an exclusive communication satellite catering to user service requirements in Ku-band. It has four Ku-band offset-shaped steerable reflectors of 0.6 m aperture diameter. Normally any deploying/moving mechanism needs a hold-down mechanism to resist the launch loads. Any type of hold-down mechanism requires a release actuator and such a dedicated hold-down system requires both mechanical and electrical resources which means increased mass and power requirements. Hence, a separate launch hold-down requirement is also eliminated by moving the mechanism to the dead centre position. The steering mechanism consists of an input link and an output link connected by a coupler link. Antenna is connected to the output link. The input link is driven by a motor. The link lengths are selected such that the output link oscillates by a known angle for specified rotation of the input link through kinematic analysis. When the motor is operated, the input link rotates and in turn moves the output link up and down about the main bearing axis thereby steering the antenna with high accuracy. This paper presents the concept and design details of the novel steering mechanism incorporating a four-bar linkage for steering through small angles ranging from \(0^\circ\) to 5\(^\circ\) and back. Additionally, details of hardware realization, performance evaluation through ground testing and on-orbit performance summary are also provided.

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Data availability

Data that supports the findings of the study is available within ISRO servers at 10.21.6.100:9088/smg. This has restricted access.

Abbreviations

AHSM:

Antenna hold down and steering mechanism

APM:

Antenna pointing mechanism

DOF:

Degree of freedom

GD&T:

Geometric dimensioning & Tolerancing

TVAC:

Thermo vacuum

ADE:

Antenna drive electronics

FMECA:

Failure Modes, Effects and criticality Analysis

LEO:

Low earth orbit

GEO:

Geostationary orbit

EF:

Earth facing

SHF:

Super high frequency

TAS-I:

Thales Alenia Space Italia

MEMS:

Micro electro-mechanical systems

RF:

Radiofrequency

ESA:

European space agency

CFRP:

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic

MLI:

Multi-Layer insulation

GFRP:

Glass fibre reinforced Plastic

MOS2:

Molybdenum Disulphide

FRP:

Fibre reinforced Plastic

ADC:

Analog to digital converter

TM:

Telemetry

FPGA:

Field-programmable gate Array

VHDL:

VHSIC Hardware Description Language

QSL:

Quasi Static Load

FE:

Finite Element

FM:

Flight model

DM:

Developmental model

ETLS:

Environmental Test Level specifications

CW:

Clockwise

CCW:

Counter clockwise

IOT:

Initial orbit testing

References

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to acknowledge the support towards alignment and implementation of the thermal blanket and related elements from the alignment division and thermal implementation division, URSC. They would also like to thank the Special Mechanisms Review Committee, SMG and other senior colleagues for their valuable inputs during the internal reviews. They thank DD, MSA, and Director, URSC for their constant support and encouragement.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U R Rao Satellite Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560017, India

    Abhinandan Kapoor, B. P. Nagaraj, Abhishek Kumar, H. N. Suresha Kumar, B. V. S. Dinesh, N. Viswanatha, D. Manoj Reddy, Sidharth Tiwary, A. Shankara, K Prakasha & B. K. Muthu

  2. Spacecraft Mechanisms Group, Bengaluru, India

    Abhinandan Kapoor, H. N. Suresha Kumar, N. Viswanatha, D. Manoj Reddy, Sidharth Tiwary, K Prakasha & B. K. Muthu

  3. Spacecraft Mechanisms Analysis Division, Bengaluru, India

    B. P. Nagaraj

  4. Spacecraft Mechanisms Design and Development Division, Bengaluru, India

    Abhishek Kumar

  5. Reliability and Quality Mechanical Systems Group, Bengaluru, India

    B. V. S. Dinesh

  6. SPADEX, Bengaluru, India

    A. Shankara

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  1. Abhinandan Kapoor
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Correspondence to Abhinandan Kapoor.

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Patent bearing registration no. 393573 has been granted in accordance with the provisions of the Patents act, 1970 in respect of patent application no. 201641030507 dated 07.09.2016 by Controller of Patents, Govt. of India. Title of the patent is ‘‘A Novel Antenna steering mechanism with self hold down feature for communication spacecrafts’’.

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Kapoor, A., Nagaraj, B.P., Kumar, A. et al. A novel antenna steering mechanism with self hold-down feature for communication spacecrafts. CEAS Space J 16, 285–306 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-023-00496-x

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