Structural Isogrid/Membrane for Packaging Large Efficient Reflectors (SIMPLER)

The Air Force has a pressing need for large, structurally efficient reflectors for both radar and high bandwidth communication. Because launch volumes are limited, the larger aperture must be volume efficient as well. To meet the stated needs of future DoD missions, the reflectors must be very precise as well as large in diameter. The proposed program will combine ultra-efficient deployable isogrid structures with thin reflecting membranes to form large reflectors with the precise surfaces required for high frequency applications. Foster-Miller isogrid deployable structures have been shown to provide efficiency both in structural support and in packaging for launch. Membrane systems provide smoother surfaces with better electro-magnetic properties than mesh systems and require less tension to maintain their shape. By combining these technologies, the Foster-Miller team will provide the Air Force and other customers with large aperture, high precision reflectors. The Foster-Miller team will develop the Structural Isogrid/Membrane for Packaging Large Efficiency Reflectors (SIMPLER) system through a careful plan of technology transfer, design, modeling, and prototype manufacture and testing. Complete development of this technology will provide the DoD with a reflector system that will enable better, lighter, and less expensive antennae deployed from smaller packaged volumes. (P-040271)