A circular solar array for the next-generation Orion U.S. space capsule, and a flexible wing reflector array for the Inmarsat 4 F3 satellite, both deployed correctly, companies announced.
In the Orion development, NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. [ATK] announced that the UltraFlex solar array successfully tested and deployed, according to ATK.
The array is very similar to the twin arrays that will power the Orion space capsule being developed by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] for missions to low Earth orbit and the moon, with the first manned flight in 2015.
UltraFlex is being developed for a NASA program, the New Millennium Program Space Technology 8 Project (NMP ST8).
Fabrication and deployment testing of the full-scale functioning UltraFlex wing hardware helped NASA, Lockheed and ATK engineers address Orion design questions and reduce potential risks.
Areas where data will be used are manufacturing, assembly, offload, mechanism operation and performance of deployment in Earth’s gravity. Additionally, the UltraFlex solar cells were exposed to environmental testing to verify the UltraFlex solar blanket performance and survivability in expected launch and on-orbit environments.
The UltraFlex disk shaped solar arrays, which measure more than 18 feet in diameter, boast less than half the weight of traditional rigid panel solar arrays.
UltraFlex arrays feature ultra-lightweight materials that provide high strength and stiffness, as well as compact stowage volume.
Smaller scale versions currently power the Phoenix Lander that has been on Mars since May 25. Due in part to the exceptional performance of the solar arrays, the 90-day mission life of the Mars lander has been extended three times.
Power from the arrays has produced more power than pre-mission predictions. The additional power has allowed the surface team to extend the amount of operating hours for the science team.
The two-part test validates the UltraFlex solar array’s deployment reliability and acceleration capability — up to 2.7 gs — as needed by Orion for the lunar mission.
Data from the deployment and static load tests will be used in preliminary risk reduction activities focusing on the thermal, vacuum, and deployed loading environment the solar arrays will experience during actual missions.
ATK is under contract to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the NMP ST8. The ST8 project’s mission is to validate four new subsystem-level technologies, one of which is the UltraFlex Solar Arrays.
ATK is a subcontractor to Lockheed.
Inmarsat 4 F3 Satellite
In the Inmarsat deployment, a reflector that will be part of the antenna system successfully unfurled in orbit in August, Northrop Grumman Corp. [NOC] announced today.
The third in the Inmarsat 4 series, the telecommunications satellite completes the constellation, providing worldwide coverage for Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network, with the exception of polar regions.
Radio frequency testing has confirmed the reflector fully deployed as planned with the expected shape and angle. All three Inmarsat 4 spacecraft utilize reflectors 30 feet in diameter. The AstroMesh unfurlable mesh reflectors and boom support systems were designed and manufactured by a Northrop unit, Astro Aerospace.
The reflector is a key part of the antenna system used by the spacecraft to provide broadband Internet communications. Enabled by the large reflector, the antenna system’s sensitivity allows the use of mobile, laptop-size modems by users around the world. This recent deployment represents the seventh consecutive successful AstroMesh on-orbit deployment.
When fully commissioned, Inmarsat 4 F3 will be moved to its permanent geostationary orbit at 98 degrees west over the Americas. In addition to three nine-meter reflectors provided to EADS Astrium for the Inmarsat 4 program, Astro Aerospace has created five 39-foot AstroMesh reflectors for other space organizations.