Key highlights

OSS helical antennas are distinguished by their novel structural architecture, featuring a proprietary deployment kinematic and unique counter-wound glass fibre helical structure. This design delivers exceptional, best-in-class RF performance. Crucially, deployment is achieved using stowed strain energy – released via a thermal knife or flange bolt Hold Down Release Mechanism (HDRM) – eliminating the need for motors or active deployment systems. This passive deployment approach simplifies the overall mechanical design and reduces spacecraft-level complexity and power consumption.

The OSS helical design is both scalable and tuneable, allowing customisation across a wide range of frequencies and performance parameters. This adaptability is demonstrated through the OSS helical antenna product family, which supports frequencies from VHF to S-band – deployed lengths from 0.3m to 6m – and a diverse set of missions including IoT, Satcom, PNT, and telecoms applications.

Applications

Flight heritage for UHF IoT. Variants for IoT in S-band, air traffic control, PNT (Position, Navigation, and Timing), and signal intelligence. Customised design is possible for other applications.

Key features

Simple deployment: strain energy only, no actuator or partial deployment
No ground plane required; everything can be stowed in 0.65U volume
Customisable RF and mechanical features: Frequency (VHF to S-band), beam pattern (directional and Isoflux), helical length/shape (> 3 m helical length, conical shape), high-RF power compatible

Flight heritage

As of May 2025, 18 flight units of the UHF IoT helical antenna have been deployed in orbit. The antenna is optimized for IoT constellation volume production as a COTS product.

Export control

The Oxford Space Systems deployable helical antenna for IoT/M2M applications is ITAR Free

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Last updated: 2025-09-15