The Moscow Aviation Institute successfully tested the antenna of a small relay satellite, which is being created for the Russian "Venera-D" mission. This CubeSat is intended to become a cosmic intermediary between research vehicles on Venus and Earth.
During the mission, the satellite will receive photos, telemetry, and scientific data from domestic aerostats and landers, and then transmit them back to Earth. For this purpose, a special reflective antenna has been developed, capable of directing a radio signal across hundreds of millions of kilometers of space.
The tests were conducted in an anechoic chamber – a room where radio wave reflections and external interference are excluded. The antenna confirmed the characteristics laid down during its design. In essence, it should work like a precise "space spotlight": receiving a scattered signal and directing it towards Earth in a narrow beam.
Specialists from the MAI Space Technology Center and students of the joint program between MAI and Khalifa University from the UAE are working on the project. Future engineers go through a full development cycle – from idea and mathematical modeling to manufacturing and testing.
In the future, the CubeSat could become not only part of the Russian mission but also a separate service for other countries that will send spacecraft to Venus. When the relay is not transmitting data, it will be able to enter "sleep mode." In addition, the antenna is being considered for radar sounding of the planet – this will help update the map of Venus's surface, where seismic activity is possible.
The "Venera-D" itself is currently in the preliminary design stage. The mission launch is tentatively scheduled for 2036. The NPO Lavochkin is the developer of the lander, and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAN) is the lead scientific institution.
Read more on the topic:
- Russia to Search for Traces of Life on the Hottest Planet in Our System: "Venera-D" Mission to Launch in 2036
- Domestic station "Venera-D" will receive images of Venus' surface for the first time since the 80s
- First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Manturov: Russia will begin to explore Venus