Profile Measurement Technique of 32 Meter Antenna Reflector for Indian Deep Space Network System

ISRO ambitious program "Chandrayaan mission" initiated the establishment of a ground station for Telemetry and Tracking of chandrayaan satellite. The ground station was configured with a 32 meter antenna system capable to meet chandrayaan mission and also having capability of telemetry and tracking deep space objects. The antenna system is designed, manufactured, tested and successfully installed at Byalallu village near Bangalore with public and private industrial participation. One of the major challenges in this project was to realize a reflector of 32 meter diameter in size having a profile accuracy of 0.3mm rms. The challenge was in terms of manufacturing and measurement techniques used to measure with close tolerances of large surface area. This paper deals with the measurement techniques of antenna reflector surface using a laser tracker instrument.