A Space Antenna That Folds Like Origami — From Palm-Sized to 50cm Square (Institute of Science Tokyo)

Explanation

Associate Professor Takashi Tomura and Professor Kei Sakamoto of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering at Institute of Science Tokyo, and colleagues have developed an antenna for small satellites that can be compactly folded like origami.

The design uses an origami structure called a 'flasher,' which, like a folding umbrella, can be stored in a small form and expanded to cover a large area. It reportedly can deploy from its folded state simply by lightly pulling on its four corners.

In terms of performance, it is palm-sized when stowed, expands to 50cm square when deployed, and weighs 64 grams. Because there are strict limits on the volume and weight that can be carried on a rocket, 'packing small and opening large' translates directly into performance.

Flasher folding is a geometric pattern in which fold lines are arranged radially from the center, and it is widely studied in the field of space structures. What makes it interesting is that the act of folding paper becomes a geometry problem of 'at what angles and in what order must it be folded to lie flat.'

Published paper: DOI 10.1109/TAP.2026.3656735.