Astro Aerospace delivers JIB antennas for U.S. Air Force GPS III satellites
NewsMarch 13, 2014
CARPINTERIA, CA. Astro Aerospace, a division of Northrop Grumman, has delivered 32 self-deploying monopole JIB antennas for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III satellites (3-6).
The antennas were delivered to Lockheed Martin, the leader of the industry team developing the GPS III satellites in Littleton, CO. Once they have been installed by the team, eight JIB antennas on each GPS III satellite will deploy to form an RF antenna array. This is the first delivery of antennas, with sixteen more JIB antennas to be delivered in the next coming months, says Astro Aerospace Program Manager Dan Johansen.
"Astro Aerospace has delivered more than 1,000 JIB assemblies altogether for GPS IIF, GPS IIR and GPS III spacecraft, all with a 100 percent on orbit success rate," Johansen continues.
The JIB antenna is a stored energy monopole that deploys in approximately 200 milliseconds. The stowed package is one of the smallest and most compact for a deployable antenna of a given size. The unit is adaptable and comes in diameters from 0.25 inches up to 2 inches and in lengths from 12 inches to 25 feet.
For more information, visit www.northropgrumman.com.
