Speaker
Description
The Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (ARIEL) mission, led by the European Space Agency (ESA), aims to significantly advance our understanding of the chemical composition of exoplanetary atmospheres. The mission will deploy a single spacecraft operating at the second Lagrange point (L2), equipped with a suite of remote-sensing and in-situ instruments for high-precision spectroscopic observations of transiting exoplanets across our galaxy.
Within this highly ambitious scientific framework, the communication subsystem plays a crucial role in ensuring the reliable transmission of scientific and housekeeping data back to Earth. The ARIEL communication architecture includes among others one Medium Gain Antenna (MGA) and this work focuses specifically on its thermal behavior, which is critical not only to ensure mechanical and functional integrity, but also to guarantee the pointing accuracy required during communication windows.
The current talk aims to outline the evolution of the thermal design of Medium Gain Antenna Main Assembly (MGAMA), which has been driven by the various challenges encountered throughout mission development. It traces the improvements obtained with each design iteration and highlights the limitations imposed by the presence of certain critical components exposed to an environment that, while not extremely restrictive, contrasts with the high-performance demands placed on the antenna’s operation.
