Perseverance Rover antenna Gimbal mechanism

The X-Band High-Gain Antenna of the Perseverance Mars Rover communicates directly with the Deep Space Network on Earth. Its signal is focused as a beam so as to allow higher data rates and therefore, the antenna should point its radio beam toward Earth. Its 2 degrees of freedom mechanical steering system (two-axis gimbal) grants a low energy-cost way to change the antenna’s pose rather than change the direction and position of the entire Perseverance Mars Rover. One motor of the steering system rotates the antenna horizontally and the other one rotates it up or down.

The X-Band High-Gain Antenna of the Perseverance Mars Rover is mounted mid-aft portside of the rover’s deck.

The X-Band High-Gain Antenna of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica has the exact same mechanical structure as that of the Perseverance Mars Rover on the Red Planet. The gimbal structure of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica can point and even track a simulating target (e.g. an Earth photo). I will explain more about it in my future posts.

Here are two screenshots of the X-Band High-Gain Antenna of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica.

The position of the X-Band High-Gain Antenna of the Perseverance Mars Rover is in the mid-aft portside of the deck.

A close view of the hexagonally shaped X-Band High-Gain Antenna of our 1:2 Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica. The red arrow highlights the lock point of the steering structure which is used to keep the antenna in a folded pose when the Perseverance Mars Rover is in the spacecraft on its way from Earth to Mars.

For the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna, different from the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ultra-High Frequency antenna, it communicates directly with Earth. The shape of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna is hexagonal. The diameter of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna is around 30 cm (11.81 inches), and the total weight is around 8 kg (17.64 lbs). For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, the shape of the X-band High-Gain Antenna is also hexagonal, but the diameter will be around 15 cm (5.9 inches).

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna consists of 2 components: the high gain antenna subassembly and the Gimbal mechanism subassembly. The purpose of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band High-Gain Antenna is to send information of the rover’s health condition and the data recorded by the scientific instruments to Earth. Also, Earth can send instructions of daily missions for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. The Gimbal mechanism allows the antenna to be steerable which saves energy compared with having to rotate its whole body for the antenna to point at Earth. Our Mars Rover replica will perfectly replicate the Gimbal mechanism so it will work exactly the same as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna’s primary purpose is to receive data from Earth’s Deep Space Network antennas. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna’s feature is that it can send and receive data 360°, so it does not need to point in a certain direction to receive data, nor does it need the Gimble mechanism to work more efficiently. This advantage allows the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to communicate with Earth at all times. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the structure appearance of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna, but our Mars Rover Replica will not have the actual function like the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s X-band Low Gain antenna.