A low-cost antenna reflector shape and distortion measuring system with high accuracy

The antenna which is used in space for satellite control command communication and data transmission is a key unit for a satellite to work properly and accomplish the task successfully. Accurately measuring the antenna reflector shape and the reflector distortion shortly after the antenna manufacturing or assembling on the satellite is very important to ensure that the antenna functions well. Considering the constraints during the measurement, an antenna reflector shape and distortion measuring system, which is based on the close-range photogrammetry, is proposed. The system configuration, measuring principles, calibration and measuring procedures, data processing, experiment configuration and results as well as error analysis are discussed in the paper. The system was constructed and tested in the laboratory environment. The experiment results show that the system has the ability of accurately measuring the shape of the reflector. The distortion of the reflector surface can then be gained from the shape data. The average accuracy of measurement about 240 points on a 600mm antenna reflector is less than 0.015 mm (1σ).