Increasing complexity and diversity of space-based applications for civil and defense purposes will continuously require very large antennas. At the same time the demand for lower costs of transportation inevitably leads to smaller satellites and/or to lower stowage volume inside the launcher fairing. Large deployable antennas will therefore become for some applications the strategic key to solve this dilemma.

On the level of subsystems in Europe the Bavarian company HPS has very early raised the claim for leadership in the field of Large Deployable Reflector Subsystems (LDRS) with focus on scalability, modularity, low storage space, low mass, high surface and pointing stability and – last, not least – price. The HPS-offer, in cooperation with mainly the Munich company LSS, covers each and every application in the field of earth observation, telecommunications, science and military. It comprises the fully subsystem with reflector, arm/boom, hinges, HDRM, thermal hardware, harness, deployment control electronics, EGSE and deployment MGSE.

HPS Germany acts as LDRS-Prime and is responsible for the subsystem configuration, design & analysis, the reflector RF design, the reflective metallic mesh, the deployable arm, the LDRS integration and test. Yet another basis for its solid leadership is HPS´ tight cooperation with more than 15 highly experienced European companies (mostly SME), especially with the German companies LSS (deployable reflector assembly), RUAG Space Germany (HDRM/Hinge) and von Hoerner & Sulger (electronics, harness, EGSE).

Meanwhile this strong consortium called “WeLEA” has reached with its product “LEA” a reliable and sustainable European source for LDRS: