The paper describes details of the antenna deploy experiment of the scientific satellite HALCA conducted on 24 to 28,February 1997. HALCA was launched on 12 February 1997 by the ISAS's new rocket M-V for the purpose of engineering experiments on the technologies necessary for space VLBI and radio astronomical observations by space VLBI. HALCA has been designed as an orbiting radio telescope, and deployment of a parabolic antenna with an effective aperture diameter of 8 meters, the aperture of which is made of molybdenum mesh and a tremendous number of cables, was the largest engineering challenge in the HALCA's engineering experiments. The deploy of the antenna was successfully conducted following an operational sequence carefully of the antenna was successfully conducted following an operational sequence carefully designed and prepared. The success of the antenna deployment has opened a way towards the successful space VLBI experiments that HALCA has conducted since the first reception of a signal from a celestial radio source on 24 March 1997.
科学衛星「はるか」のアンテナ展開実験
SA0165948.pdf
(3.47MB)
