Centre National Detudes Spatiales

Jean-Paul Aguttes

Jacques Sombrin

Eric Conde

The invention concerns a system comprising a radiofrequency antenna stationed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting round the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means. The invention is characterised in that the antenna is a radiofrequency antenna formed by a mesh generation of tiles and phase-shifting means connected thereto, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting means before being assembled on said tiles, said phase-shifting and/or delaying means being capable of diverting the radiofrequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radiofrequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them to the illuminating means along one or several channels.

System comprising a satellite with radiofrequency antenna

The low earth orbit radar remote sensing or telecommunication satellite includes an antenna forming member in a plane passing through the center of Earth, for example, the plane of its orbit. The antenna(s) are on one or both faces of the member. The height of the antenna forming member is greater than its dimension in the direction of travel of the satellite, so that the satellite is naturally stabilized by the gravity gradient. The solar generator cells are carried by the antenna forming member on the face that is kept facing towards the Sun in the case of a 6 H/18 H local time heliosynchronous orbit. The antenna forming member comprising a plurality of hinged panels over which the received or transmitted wave phase control means are distributed, it includes a plurality of GPS sensors distributed over the panels, enabling measurement and subsequent compensation by the phase-shifters of deformations of the member. At launch, the panels are folded into an elongate cylindrical shell along the launch system axis and having a pyrotechnic trap allowing deployment of the panels. In orbit, this shell constitutes the equipment module integrating all the equipment units other than the panels.

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Toulouse, France

Jean-Paul Aguttes