Articulated Tensioned Hexapod Extendible Nanosatellite Antenna (ATHENA)

Roccor intends to submit for Air Force Space Pitch Day. In the current market trend (private sector and government) toward smaller, lighter spacecraft with increased communications capabilities, there emerges a need for deployable antenna systems over a wide range of frequencies. To meet these needs, Roccor has assembled a portfolio of CubeSat deployable antenna systems suiting a wide variety of applications. These systems span multiple frequency ranges including UHF-band dipoles, L-Band Vivaldi antennas, L-Band helical antennas, and Ka-band 1m mesh parabolic reflector systems. For each of these cases, Roccor co-engineered the backing structure and deployable mechanisms with strategic partners and held key roles in integrating the RF apertures into the system. The Antenna Reconfigurable and Extendable Tensioned Hexapod Architecture (ARETHA), developed for the Link-16 helical antenna application, has applicability to support alternative antenna architectures. Here, Roccor proposes to investigate the use of Roccor's TRL9 ROC-boom deployment system to create an integrated antenna of the Log Periodic or Yagi format and to make improvements including: accommodation of a scaled helical aperture to allow for other frequency bands; simplification of the boom deployer to lower manufacturing costs; and miniaturization of specific components to improve volumetric efficiency and mass.