Drone-airborne Interference Array Platform for Outfield Tests

As the wavelength of ultra-long band radio waves is from several meters to several hundred meters, to achieve high-resolution imaging of cosmic radio signals in the ultra-long wave band, the antenna diameter is usually required to reach hundreds or even thousands times of the wavelength. The traditional single antenna method is no longer applicable. The far side of the Moon is shielded from radio interference from Earth and has the quietest electromagnetic environment in the solar and terrestrial space, making it ideal for ultra-long-wave observations. The main idea of space-distributed passive microwave interference imaging technology is to use distributed satellite constellations to achieve oversized interferometric baselines in deep space to realize the high-resolution imaging of cosmic radio sources, instead of using large aperture antenna. In order to promote the scheme optimization, it is necessary to conduct sufficient ground tests before the satellites are deployed in-orbit to verify the key technologies of the space distributed interferometry system. The drone-airborne interference array platform is built for effectively solving the multipath effects of the communication ranging system in ground tests, supporting multi-drone formation and control, and the positioning accuracy is up to the centimeter level. By carrying payloads on drones and simulating satellites’ autonomous formation flying around the Moon, interference baselines in different scales are formed. The platform can be used in the mission of Discovering the Sky at the Longest wavelength with small satellites (DSL) to conduct principle verifications such as ranging and angle measurement. It can also be popularized for other distributed drone airborne tests, which is economically feasible and has good application prospects.