Large In-Situ Manufactured Apertures (LIMA)
Abstract
The Large In-Situ Manufactured Apertures (LIMA) program seeks to demonstrate the structural fabrication of a high-performance radio frequency (RF) antenna attached to a microsatellite. Larger and more directional than any comparable antenna that could be deployed from a microsatellite platform, LIMA would deliver high-performance communication and data services to the dismounted warfighter at significantly lower cost while enabling signal intelligence (SIGINT) capability. The program will complete a low Earth orbit (LEO) small-scale demonstration in which a commercial communications microsatellite is augmented in situ (i.e., on orbit, in flight) with an antenna that is completely fabricated in space, and will prove by computational modeling and simulation how a constellation of full-scale microsatellites with In-situ fabricated apertures may be applied to close a high-performance RF link directly to a cellular hand set in a global tactical communications network. The program seeks to achieve greater than 50% savings in individual communications satellite system launch costs and a corresponding increase in launch opportunities due to ride sharing relative to the preferred state of the art solution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2018
- Source ID
- d52e1c7b8f1db5523e4d1b75b3a4114c