The European Space Agency (ESA) have announced that they have started to test out 3D printed satellite components. A prototype 3D-printed antenna is being put to work in ESA’s Compact Antenna Test Facility, a shielded chamber for antenna and radio-frequency testing. This 3D printed radio antenna has been copper-plated to give it an even coat to give it its proper radio-frequency performance requirements.
The first 3D-printed dual-reflector antenna can potentially allow faster manufacturing with low cost. The ESA points out, since the antenna which has complex geometry can be printed in a single piece, it removes the need for assembly, which in turn also removes any possible mistakes like as misalignments that could cause problems in the future.
Designed for future mega-constellation small satellite platforms, the 3D antenna still requires further qualification before its certified fit for space missions, and though the finished antenna has a rougher finish than conventional ones, the ESA team is satisfied with its resulting performance.
Two different antennas were made for ESA by Swiss company SWISSto12 says that they will now aim at more complex geometries and target higher frequencies, and eventually would want to build space-qualified RF components for Earth observation and science instruments.
Based at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the test range is isolated from outside electromagnetic radiation while its inside walls are covered with ‘anechoic’ foam to absorb radio signals, simulating infinite space. The range is part of ESA’s suite of antenna testing facilities, intended for smaller antennas and subsystems, with larger antennas and entire satellites put to the test in its ‘big brother’, the Hertz chamber.
