The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and partners have developed a metal mesh for onboard deployable reflectors in space, replacing the need for using precious and rare metal.

To realize faster communication speeds, next generation communication satellites need to be able to work with high frequency bands, which necessitate large deployable reflectors. Conventionally, the metal mesh of the antennas have been made from gold plated molybdenum wire, which requires use of costly Artist’s rendering of deployable reflector using metal mesh. Source: JAXAprecious and rare metals. The new metal mesh was engineered to both improve communications capacities and cut costs.

Jointly developed with Taiyo Wire Cloth Co. Ltd, NGK Insulators Ltd., Technosolver Corporation and Koyo Materica Corporation, the metal mesh is made from zirconium copper wire and fabricated by tricot weaving. It is light weight, flexible and has excellent electrical reflection properties at the high frequency band of Ka (30 GHz).

Zirconium copper wire has characteristics similar to molybdenum wire and is applicable to metal mesh. In addition, the newly synthesized wire is strong enough to be fabricated into a metal mesh without gold plating. These properties make it possible to dramatically cut cost compared with conventional metal mesh.