A laser system capable of measuring satellite antenna deformations with an accuracy of less than one micron has appeared at the test facility of Information Satellite Systems Company named after Academician M.F. Reshetnev. The new complex is designed to control the geometry of reflective surfaces of reflectors in conditions as close as possible to space.
The development for the enterprise was created by specialists from the Design and Technology Institute of Scientific Instrument Engineering of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The system has already been tested on antenna equipment samples and confirmed the declared measurement accuracy.
The complex operates inside a thermal vacuum chamber and includes a laser, a control system, server equipment, and a video camera for observing tests through the chamber's porthole. The main task of the installation is to record even minimal changes in the shape of the reflective surface during temperature loads.
Engineers achieved such accuracy thanks to the pulsed laser mode. Ultra-short flashes do not heat the reflector surface, so no additional distortions occur during measurements. This is especially important when testing space antennas, where even micron deviations can affect signal quality.
