Precise two-stage deployment of a petal space antenna

One of the directions in modern radio astronomy is observing in the centimeter and millimeter ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. The reflectors of radio telescopes operating in these ranges are generally parabolic mirrors. The sensitivity and angular resolution of a radio telescope depend on the mirror surface area. At the same time, due to the short wavelengths, high precision of the reflecting surface is required. This paper discusses a new design for a solid-state petal mirror. To enhance the accuracy of the reflecting surface, a two-stage deployment scheme of the petal antenna is proposed. In the first stage, a preliminary unstressed low-precision deployment of the antenna is performed. In the second stage, a high-precision fixation of the deployed reflector final state takes place. It is proposed to use self-adjusting locks to fix the final state of the deployed antenna. The results of computer and physical modeling of the new mirror design are presented. The method for controlling the deployment repeatability of the transformable reflector model is discussed.