Sandia Labs FY22 Laboratory Directed Research & Development Annual Report

SATELLITES ENVELOPED WITH STITCHED ENGINEERING SENSORS FOR DETECTION OF APPROACHING OBJECTS.

In contested space, spaceborne assets are vulnerable and must be able to monitor their surroundings. To protect sensitive electronics, the assets utilize multilayer insulation (MLI) to provide a stable operating environment. The environmental stability underneath the MLI is exploited for those components not able to survive outside in the extreme temperatures. Sensing capabilities that can survive the harsh environments must be integrated

to the asset’s exterior. In this project, a Leaky Wave Antenna radar was designed and fabricated using bonded MLI materials, and the radar was integrated onto the MLI. Uncertain material parameters, including material electrical permittivity and loss tangent, were extracted and estimated for bonded spaceborne MLI. The capability provided by this design will help defend national spaceborne assets from attack/interference. (PI: John Anthony McVay)

Elevation patterns at various frequencies of operation within the 5-12 GHz band showing the beam-scanning capabilities of the Leaky-Wave-Antenna with bonded multilayer insulation.

A satellite with Leaky-Wave Antenna radar that utilizes bonded multilayer insulation is provided with greater protection from attack/interference.

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LABORATORY DIRECTED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT