I read the article: these antennas are radio telescopes (or perhaps just do the same job). So they're using the moon to block interfering radio signals from Earth.
They're listening to a doppler shifted version of the hydrogen alpha spectral line (~450 THz doppler shifted down to ~30 MHz) down to about the VHF television band (hence the almost "rabbit ears" style antennas). Being on the other side of the Moon shields them from powerful terrestrial transmitters. The massive doppler shift means they're listening (observing) to bubbling atoms of hydrogen closer in time to the Big Bang than what was observed by COBE or WMAP.
> We have the opportunity to perform our observations during the fourteen-day-long night behind the moon, which is much longer than was originally the idea.
It's like an extreme version of metal tape measures. Which are ~flat when rolled up, and then curve enough when unrolled to become ~rigid. But in this case, they seem to become almost cylindrical when unrolled.
I know that it's likely an old design. It's just that I know nothing about satellite design.
Many university-grade cubesats use tape measure antennas today. They can be easily stored during launch by wrapping them around the satellite body, secured with nylon fishing wire and then released by burning through the nylon with a NiChrome heating element.
Aside- I was talking to a friend who works at a satellite company. He mentioned that one of the forthcoming missions, they are sending up a space-based 3D printer that prints trusses since it's more compact to send up the printer and feedstock than long structural elements. I wonder if you could print your antenna in space to get a larger one (but folding is probably more parsimonious).
Dutch universities have funding outside of ESA or Europe. A lot of it is determined at the national level. there have been more academic collaborations recently between the two countries. The article doesn't mention ESA so i think it's just a chinese mission accepting a contribution from radbout and others.
I read the article: these antennas are radio telescopes (or perhaps just do the same job). So they're using the moon to block interfering radio signals from Earth.