A space folding and extending mechanism with five-rod mechanisms as extensible units comprises an octagonal support base, three-degree-of-freedom hinges, pin shafts, bevel-edge rods, L-shaped rods, short rods and straight-edge rods. The octagonal support base is fixedly connected with the three-degree-of-freedom hinges, the bevel-edge rods are connected with the corresponding three-degree-of-freedom hinges through revolute pairs, the bevel-edge rods, the L-shaped rods, the short rods and the straight-edge rods are connected through the pin shafts, and the straight-edge rods are connected withthe corresponding three-degree-of-freedom hinges through revolute pairs. In the space folding and extending mechanism, each rod is composed of two rod bodies, movement pairs are all the revolute pairs, the structure is simple, the space folding and extending mechanism can be driven by motors, and the extending speed can be controlled through motor driving, and each extensible unit is high in stability and synchronism; the space folding and extending mechanism has the advantages of being low in mass, large in folding ratio, high in positioning precision, high in structural strength, high in stability and reliability, simple in structure and low in manufacturing cost, and the space folding process is simple.