This COTS antenna is designed for pico and nano satellite applications to realize satellite-to-ground links. The mechanical dimensions fit a 1U CubeSat as well as larger satellites. Various designs of different frequencies are available and customer specific solutions can be provided.
With circular polarization, the antenna provides a robust solution regarding the steering accuracy to the ground station antenna. The design could be either single patch antennas or dual patch antennas for separate Tx and Rx ports. Thereby the duplex filter requirements are minimized. As RF interface a robust SMA (female) or an UMP connector is used. Four screws provide a proper mounting of the antenna. The antenna backside shall be grounded properly to the satellite chassis. As dielectric, ROGERS™ laminate for space applications is used. Patches and conductors are Cu with NiAu surface finish. With the basic design in S band, TRL 9 has been achieved with various successful LEO missions.
Design variants include either single patch antennas or dual patch antennas for separated Tx and Rx ports (to minimize the duplex filter requirements).
