Artem Kamenev, a student at the Faculty of Radiophysics under the leadership of Professor Vladimir Yakubov intends to create a cheap and easy antenna to provide high-quality communication in open space. With this project the he won the third All-Russian Engineering Competition.
- Today, parabolic reflectors are often used to communicate in the open space, - said Artem Kamenev. – It is necessary to maintain an accurate parabolic shape for their smooth operation that is quite difficult for antennas with large diameter in the space environment. Furthermore, they may deform in space.
TSU scientist proposed inflatable antenna design, which has a spherical shape and therefore it is easy to assemble and transport. This allows using less material and therefore the cost and weight of the antenna will be lower than existing analogs.
Also, the design advantage is a high rate of deployment, which reduces energy costs. Antenna-ball with a diameter of 2-3 meters will be disclosed in orbit for 2-3 minutes, while its analogs are able to do it for 5-6 minutes.
The device will be developed by 2018, the researchers are now selected the most appropriate materials for it. After that, they will submit an application for registration of a patent and will negotiate with the companies to establish the production. It is assumed that antennas will be installed on local satellites to provide high-quality communications in open space.