The folds on the surface of a satellite have a significant effect on optical scattering properties of the satellite, thereby affect the detection of the satellite by using optical devices. As far as the optical scattering characteristics of the satellite fold surface are concerned, most previous studies treat the folds as diffuse reflection materials, which results in large approximation errors and lack of basis. Taking the silver coated polyimide film of the satellite as the research object, we adopt the three-dimensional (3D) modeling technology to simulate the space target fold surface. The effect of folds with different degrees on optical scattering characteristics of the target is quantitatively investigated by calculating the optical cross section (OCS) of the target with different incidence angles and observation angles. The results show that the folds make the scattering peak of the target lower, but make the observation range of the detector extended, which is from specular reflection angle of 5° of the flat surface to the observable reflection angle of about 42° of the fold surface. Thus a huge impact on the scattering characteristics is produced. In the study of optical properties of the satellite, the corresponding surface fold treatment of the space target should be implemented by considering processing situations of the satellite to improve the accuracy of the analysis.