Inflatable Antenna Experiment

The Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) was a NASA experiment that began on May 19, 1996, consisting of an inflatable antenna made of mylar which was launched from the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the 1996 STS-77 mission, in cooperation with the satellite Spartan-207.^[1][2]

The deployed Inflatable Antenna Experiment

The deployment of the antenna did not go as planned due to "residual air in the stowed structure and a significant amount of strain energy release from the torus structure"^[3][4] leading to unexpected rotation but ultimately the correct shape. Later the deployed antenna was separated from the Spartan-207 spacecraft before re-entering Earth's atmosphere a few days later, on 22 May. The Spartan-207 spacecraft was retrieved and returned to earth on the Endeavour. IAE was intended to pave the way for the development of lightweight inflatable structures for space applications.^[3] The IAE was constructed by LGarde, Inc., an American aerospace company based in Orange County, CA.^[5][6]