Melbourne, Florida/Washington, D.C., March 12, 2012 (SATELLITE 2012, Booth 701) - Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has launched the first-ever fixed mesh antenna reflector, supporting the emerging demand for high throughput and high reliability in the Ka-band and higher frequency satellites. This solution is ideal for satellite internet, HDTV, cellular backhaul providers, enterprises, and remote areas such as oil and gas companies and maritime users, facilitating large-scale data transmission.
The fixed mesh reflector design significantly reduces the mass of the antenna for a given aperture size compared to traditional solid reflectors. The lower mass incorporates flight-validated mesh surfaces instead of the conventional solid reflective membrane surfaces. Other advantages and features include:
The new design is insensitive to the acoustic loads during launch, thereby reducing the overall structure and mass of the satellite.
The reflector greatly increases the gain and potential for point-beam satellites offered by manufacturers and service providers. Increased frequency reuse provides additional point beams to achieve the higher data rates required by bandwidth-intensive service providers.
The reflector incorporates flight-validated design elements in U.S. government and commercial programs, including the development and production of uniquely refined, high-precision surface shaping technologies; and thermally stable materials. The high-reflectivity mesh surface provides superior RF reflection without the external surface treatments required for high-frequency solid reflectors.
With diameters ranging from 2.6 to 3.5 meters and a compact stowage configuration suitable for most launch vehicles, the anticipated aperture range of the antenna reflector is achieved. Its mass is significantly lower than that of traditional solid reflector technologies, thereby greatly enhancing the potential mission capabilities compared to currently employed technologies at half the performance.
"This new fixed mesh antenna reflector is a natural extension of our existing products to meet the emerging demands for quality and weight in conventional solid reflectors for larger apertures," said Sheldon Fox, President of Harris Government Communications Systems. "Harris has a 35-year history of providing high-performance antenna solutions that deliver unparalleled performance, supporting the increasing global demand for higher bandwidth capacity."
With over 50 antenna reflectors in orbit, Harris is the leading supplier of large aperture and all-orbit unfurlable mesh parabolic antenna systems. The company's products cover the Ka-band through UHF frequency ranges, with sizes ranging from 2.6 meters to the world's largest commercial 22-meter reflectors. Harris reflector products feature the highest surface accuracy design in the industry while significantly exceeding the average specified mission lifetimes for spacecraft and payloads.