6 Meter Antenna and Boom System for CubeSats

Heliospace Corporation proposes accelerated work in development of modular CubeSat-scale, 6 m length passively deployed antennas and instrument booms based on our successful larger SABER helical strip spring technology. While Heliospace has produced similar small-diameter antennas up to 2.7 m deployed length, demonstrating feasibility beyond 3 m requires focused research and development effort which, unless performed prior to and independently of mission formulation, may limit the required maturity of the technology for scientific and other objectives. Antennas and booms based on similar helical strip springs have traditionally been limited to deployed lengths under 3 meters and have demonstrated their suitability for CubeSats on SunRISE. Since then, the sole supplier of those elements has fully discontinued producing any springs of the needed geometry. Establishing an alternative CubeSat-scale helical strip spring production capability is critical for responsive production of low-cost systems antennas and booms for CubeSats. Proposed development of highly compact, modular deployment management mechanisms and specialized tether-harnesses will enable significant extension of deployed lengths past 3 m. The envisioned mechanisms will improve deployed physical properties, enabling their use as finely tuned monopole antennas, formed elements within larger antenna assemblies, and precision-length booms for sensors. The simple and compact nature of the proposed devices will enable better measurements by smaller, lower-cost spacecraft for space physics, planetary and earth science missions, as well as commercial and defense applications. Additionally, engineering and production efficiency will reduce system costs. Heliospace employees have significant experience and involvement with similar previous helical strip springs and their derivative systems. Work will be completed at Heliospace’s existing spaceflight hardware facility in Berkeley, CA.

Space physics, planetary and earth science missions requiring high stowed-deployed ratio, low SWaP-C, antennas or booms will benefit from reestablished availability of CubeSat-scale spring elements and the proposed system development. Developing the longer systems will allow any instrument suite which relies on establishing a known distance between sensors and other hardware to improve resolution and lower noise. The technology is broadly applicable, and not limited to CubeSat applications. The proposed antenna system would improve the range and quality of science possible for compact low-cost deployables, and is immediately applicable to kind of work which has been performed by numerous sounding rockets, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, MAVEN, Parker Solar Probe, ESA Solar Orbiter, Europa clipper, CINEMA, ROLSES, and SunRISE. Space environment data and prediction is increasingly important for commercial development, terrestrial and especially cislunar. Commercial or defense entities interested in the same types of field and particle data as the scientific community or needing highly customizable antenna and boom solutions for radar and other sensors, would have access to a new class of product which overcomes the limited technical performance as well as the cost and manufacturability concerns of previous similar designs. Other terrestrial hardware applications include air-dropped deployable sonobuoys and any other application requiring similar compact, rigid, high stowed-deployed ratio antennas, booms, or springs.

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