Electronically Steerable Inflatable Antennas

Abstract

In today’s technologically driven world, antennas play an essential role in enabling wireless communications over long distances and allow communities to interact on a global scale. Typically, this is done using large networks of antenna systems on the ground and in space to ensure signals reliably arrive at their destinations, which can be very expensive in terms of replacement cost and maintenance as the number of nodes increase. We shall be discussing a new method for deploying space-borne antennas via CubeSats that will enable high speed communications with the ground and other satellites at a fraction of the cost and complexity of traditional communication systems. Specifically, the focus will be on the design of a phased array line feed and the backend systems for a CubeSat deployable inflatable spherical reflector that is electronically steerable to any direction in azimuth and elevation.