US Patent 7598922 Deployable booms

An articulated boom comprises a support arm with a plurality of hingedly-connected joints. The arm is adapted and arranged to carry an antenna reflector so that in use, the reflector can move between a first stowed position in which the reflector is in folded condition and a second deployed position in which the reflector is in deployed condition. A spacecraft incorporates into one or more of its sides a plurality of such articulated booms. The support arms of the booms can be advantageously positioned at the circumference of the associated reflectors when in a stowed position, so as to allow the reflectors to be neatly stacked together within a space defined by the launch vehicle fairing.