Innovated Space-Based Radar Antenna Technology (ISAT) - ILC Dover

The DARPS/USAF ISAT program developed technologies to enable the deployment of extremely large electronically scanning antennas in space, and the metrology and calibration technologies necessary for coherent beamforming from such large antennas. These large antennas were designed to conduct tactical sensing from space, including missions like continuous reliable tracking of surface targets to improve persistent surveillance coverage.

ILC's role was to create some the most advanced rigidizable structures ever developed to create a stable packable truss structure for the antenna system. ILC developed a shape memory composite truss technology that had a 100:1 packing ratio which allowed the spacecraft to fit into a Delta IV fairing. The truss was constructed without hinges or mechanical parts to make it simple and reliable. We performed in-depth design, analysis and test on all materials, sub-assemblies and sections of scaled units.

Our shape memory composite materials exhibited near zero CTE performance with negligible degrading after ultra-compact packaging. Inflation was used for deployment and ensuring complete evolution of structural shape of the composite inflatable structure.