Metal mesh on large reflector

A very finely knitted metallic mesh on the top parabolic net of the 'double pantograph’ large reflector demonstrated at ESTEC in November 2016. This mesh is what will eventually reflect the radio signal – doing the real work of the reflector. 

This reflector was developed in an activity addressing a full large deployable antenna system through ESA’s Basic Technology Research Programme (TRP), by a consortium led by HPS GmbH in Germany, responsible for the antenna subsystem engineering and the mesh development, with Germany’s Large Space Structures GmbH as main subcontractor, responsible for the whole reflector engineering, assembly and its deployment. “Different companies and European countries joining forces in combination with ESA’s programmatic approach have resulted in an excellent technology development,” comments Ernst K. Pfeiffer of HPS GmbH.