Membrane space telescope: packaging and deployment

Membrane mirror technology offers the prospect for future extremely large space telescopes. Utilizing a thin parabolic membrane as primary mirror base, very low aerial weights can be achieved. The flexible nature of those mirrors allows to roll those up for launch un unwrap in orbit. In this paper we will show a proposed foldable structure that can be compactly stared with the mirror in a launcher and deployed in space. With a scaled prototype model, we illustrate the system’s compact stowage and deployment character.