TheInflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) was aNASA experiment that began on May 19, 1996, consisting of an inflatable antenna made ofmylar which was launched from theSpace ShuttleEndeavour during the 1996STS-77 mission, in cooperation with the satellite Spartan-207.[1][2]
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-enteringEarth'satmosphere 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 byLGarde, Inc., an American aerospace company based in Orange County, CA.[5][6]
