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\n An artist\u2019s impression of CarbSAR orbiting Earth<\/p>\n Oxford Space Systems<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n A new UK satellite is about to launch, wearing the latest in high\u2011tech knitwear. Called CarbSAR, it is due to go into orbit on Sunday, where it will deploy a mesh radar antenna produced on a machine more commonly found in a textiles factory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very standard, off\u2011the\u2011shelf industrial machine used for knitting jumpers. All we\u2019ve done is add some bells and whistles to let it stitch our special yarns,\u201d says Amool Raina, production lead at Oxford Space Systems (OSS) in the UK.<\/p>\n The company has partnered with another UK-based firm, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), to mount the antenna onto a small, inexpensive spacecraft capable of capturing high\u2011resolution images of Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If it performs as expected, a similar novel design will be adopted for a network of surveillance satellites for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) later this decade.<\/p>\n The \u201cwool\u201d in OSS\u2019s knitting process is an ultra\u2011fine tungsten wire coated in gold. The company\u2019s machine turns out metres of fabric at a time. These mesh sheets can be cut into pizza slice-shaped pieces and sewn together to form a 3-millimetre-wide disc that, when stretched tightly over 48 carbon\u2011fibre ribs, becomes a smooth parabolic dish ideal for radar imaging.<\/p>\n A key innovation lies in the way each rib is wound radially around a central hub for launch, like 48 coiled builder\u2019s tape measures. They allow the entire structure to collapse to a diameter of just 75 cm. This wrapped\u2011rib design dramatically reduces the volume the 140-kilogram CarbSAR satellite would otherwise occupy at the top of its rocket.<\/p>\n Once released into orbit, the strain energy stored in the bent carbon fibre drives the ribs to snap back into a straightened configuration, pulling the mesh into place to form the parabolic dish.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for the imaging we want to do, we also need to unfurl with precision \u2013 to get that perfect parabolic shape,\u201d says Sean Sutcliffe, OSS\u2019s chief executive. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the beauty of our design.\u201d Testing shows that, across the antenna, the mesh sheets remain within a millimetre of the ideal shape.<\/p>\n Earth observation with small radar satellites is booming. The technology\u2019s ability to image the ground in all weather conditions, and even at night, has been championed by a slew of new space companies.<\/p>\n Their data has found particular favour with militaries around the world and has played a major intelligence role in the Russia-Ukraine war.<\/p>\n But despite leading the development of space radar in Europe in the 1990s, the UK has largely been left behind by international competition.<\/p>\n CarbSAR, and a future MoD constellation called Oberon \u2013 which is part of a broader programme named ISTARI \u2013 offer British aerospace engineers a chance to reassert themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting a lot of interest from foreign governments about the possibility of providing a radar concept for them,\u201d says Andrew Cawthorne, SSTL\u2019s managing director. \u201cObviously, the first thing we need to do is deploy this antenna and prove we can take an image.\u201d<\/p>\n The expectation is that CarbSAR will see objects down to about 50 cm in size, which is more than sufficient to make out tanks and planes.<\/p>\n When the antenna is deployed about two days after launch, UK Space Command \u2013 which is overseen by the Royal Air Force \u2013 will be watching closely.<\/p>\n \u201cCarbSAR is a testament to the innovation and collaboration of one of the UK\u2019s most forward\u2011thinking space companies,\u201d says Major General Paul Tedman, commander of UK Space Command.<\/p>\n \u201cSpace Command is excited to see CarbSAR in action and to explore how its advanced instruments can be integrated into Oberon and our wider ISTARI satellite programme.\u201d<\/p>\n Topics:<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n