Astro Aerospace has completed the preliminary design review (PDR) of the AstroMesh radar antenna reflector for the Nasa-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite.

Mainly designed for high frequency communications and radar applications, Astro Aerospace’s proprietary AstroMesh deployable mesh reflector has been deployed on NISAR's 12m aperture antenna.

The antenna reflector is a part of NISAR L-band synthetic aperture radar controlled by Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

With the completion of PDR, the NISAR project will now undergo detailed design and fabrication phase.

"With the completion of PDR, the NISAR project will now undergo detailed design and fabrication phase."

A collaborative mission between Nasa and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NISAR will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual L-band and S-band frequencies and will deliver a detailed view of the Earth.

Designed to monitor Earth’s complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet dynamics and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides, NISAR is scheduled to be launched in 2021.

Data to be gathered by NISAR will disclose the evolution and state of Earth's crust, as well as help scientists better understand Earth’s processes and changing climate and support future resource and hazard management.

Astro Aerospace has also supplied a 6m AstroMesh antenna to JPL’s soil moisture active passive (SMAP) satellite, which was launched in January last year.

Last month, Northrop Grumman secured a contract from JPL to conduct a next Mars orbiter (NeMO) conceptual study efforts to develop concepts for a potential future orbiter.

Image: NISAR will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual L-Band and S-Band frequencies. Photo: courtesy of Nasa JPL.