DemonstRation Experiment of Alignment Monitor (DREAM)

Abstract

For future advanced missions, large and highly accurate space structures are required. A prior shape adjustment of the structure before launch is not sufficient to achieve such accurate space structures. For example, thermal deformation on orbit cannot be eliminated by the preliminary adjustment of the structure. Therefore, the shape control of the structure is a promising technique for highly accurate space structures. For the shape control, the shape error should be measured on-orbit. In this study, a measurement system for the displacement of a slender space structure has been developed as an alignment monitor. The characteristics of this measurement system are long working distance and simple configuration. The measurement system consists of a laser, retro-reflector and positioning sensing device. The performance on the ground was already demonstrated through the satellite ground test. As a first step to on-orbit experiment, the demonstration experiment on the balloon is planned. In this paper, the system configuration and development progress are reported.