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Can the solar panels on deep space satellites (specifically Juno) rotate? Do the antennae on deep space satellites (specifically New Horizons) rotate? Or is everything static and the entire satellite must rotate?

Asking because I am doing an animation of the satellites and need to know if certain pieces can move.

Erin
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Several companies manufacture gimbals to allow solar arrays and antennas on deep space craft to rotate, either in one axis or two. Some examples include Honeybee Robotics, Moog, SNC and RUAG to name a few. Each of these companies puts out brochures of their products, here's a link to one: Moog Solar Array Drive Catalog. Not every mission carries these devices because anything that moves, especially in the harsh environment of deep space, has more chances to fail than something that stays in one place all the time. We only employ these devices if the mission requires the spacecraft to orient more than one part at a particular point at a time. If you can figure out how to "take turns" in your concept of operations, you can avoid having to fly these parts. If you do need to look at two things at once (say point at earth for communication while your solar panel is pointed directly at the sun for power), then we have to include a device like these. Often, for missions that are intended to fly for a long time or encounter harsher than normal environments, the chance of mechanical failure becomes so great that it's best to make compromises in taking turns pointing at things instead of flying gimbals. That's why most missions to the outer planets including Jupiter and beyond, don't fly gimbals if they can avoid it. The Juno solar panels do not gimbal for this reason. Similarly, New Horizons contains no mechanisms or scanning platforms per the John's Hopkins Website.

Terrance Yee
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    Very interesting that Juno doesn't have SADAs considering the reduced insolation at those distances. It makes more sense for New Horizons though since it has an RTG; in fact I don't think there are solar panels on New Horizons as far as I can tell.

    I second your discussion about the reliability aspect, in my experience with small satellites, designers are always trying to avoid the SADA at all costs.

     – aranedain Jun 12 '20 at 15:14
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    Yeah, Juno's mission profile is a highly elliptical orbit to avoid spending a lot of time in the harshest radiation zones. This resulted in relatively short transits close to Jupiter when the instruments are picking up their most interesting science. The instruments scan as the whole spacecraft spins so they don't have to realign the spin axis often since at that distance from the sun, the Earth isn't far off the sun direction. Thus they can communicate to Earth while still pointed mostly at the sun. – Terrance Yee Jun 12 '20 at 17:16
  • @aranedain what exactly is "SADA"? solar array direction adjustment? – uhoh Jun 12 '20 at 23:05
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    @TerranceYee you keep coming up with well-informed answers! I'm still puzzled by Why is TESS' high gain antenna made of undulating BLACK fabric rather than metal? and have found no reliable information yet. Any thoughts? – uhoh Jun 12 '20 at 23:07
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    @uhoh solar array drive assembly – Organic Marble Jun 13 '20 at 18:08
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    @uhoh I'll look at the TESS question but that is an odd one. I may try an asymmetric solution and look for the designer rather than speculate. – Terrance Yee Jun 18 '20 at 20:59
  • @TerranceYee yes that sounds like a wise approach at this point, thanks! – uhoh Jun 18 '20 at 21:47