Active On-Orbit Shapeable Spacecraft Antenna

Space Systems/Loral Engineering, 2011-12

Liaison(s): Colin Francis, Simon Hodgson
Advisor(s): Philip Cha
Students(s): Katherine Lownsbery (TL-S), Ryan Williams (TL-F), Winnie Ding, Alec Storrie-Lombardi, Logan Kroloff (S), Matthew Cummins (F)

The Space Systems/Loral clinic team designed, built, and tested a system to actively and remotely control the shape of a satellite sub-reflector. This system meets the need for remote real-time control of the projection area on the earth of a satellite broadcast signal. The system is composed of computer-controlled piezoelectric linear actuators that manipulate the sub-reflector surface to a high degree of precision.