Design and testing of a cube-corner array for laser ranging

A Laser Retroreflector Unit, consisting of an array of cube corners, has been designed and made for the satellite Aussat B. The design involved the study of cube corners with small angle offsets, the diffraction pattern they produce, the effects of surface coatings, and their transmittance at high angles of incidence. Interferometric tests were developed to measure during manufacture the angle offsets of the cube from which the retroreflectors were cut, and radiometric tests confirmed the final performance.