The European Space Agency (ESA) has formally declared successful the closure of the (sub)mmVAST antenna’s Critical Design Review (CDR), carried out by EOSOL as prime contractor, in collaboration with RADIOMETER PHYSICS GmbH, SPACE STRUCTURES GmbH y UNIVERSIDAD POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID.
The (sub)mmVAST reference antenna will be used in the main testing laboratories in Europa for the characterization of the measurement setups, from 86 GHz to 1.2THz.
Measurement uncertainty assessment would greatly facilitate the laboratories to quantify possible errors during measurement process, which could significantly affect the test results. This would allow them to take the necessary corrective actions to increase the reliability of future tests, which are increasingly demanding in terms of alignment precision, repeatability, etc. This will be key, for example, to guarantee the precise characterization of antennas that will be used in future Earth observation or space exploration missions.
With the dimensions of 900 x 250 x 400 mm and almost 50 kg mass, the designed (sub)mmVAST is characterized by high mechanical and thermal stability. Its stiffness ensures the RF performance for the antenna arrangement in all the orientations. Besides, the proposed invar-based design ensures its desirable performance from room temperature down to cryogenics at 4 kelvin. The antenna is based on a Cross Dragone type architecture, fed by a feed cluster of horns. The antenna includes a customizable support structure for different frequency extenders for each channel.
The project has entered its manufacturing phase. In the following weeks the required heat and surface treatments will be done on the different parts of the antenna, as well as the related characterization. The complete assembly of the antenna will be done in the facilities of EOSOSL GROUP in Mutilva, Navarra. Finally, the antenna will be transferred to ESA’s facilities in the Netherlands (ESTEC), where for several weeks the team of engineers will participate in its characterization both at room temperature and in cryogenics.
Final delivery of the (sub)mmVAST antenna is scheduled for April 2023.
