CSA-EU · Highly Disruptive and Compact Antenna Systems for Small Satellites with Application to Surveillance, Environmental and Crop-Growth Analysis, Enabling European Union Dominance in the Space Industry

Highly Disruptive and Compact Antenna Systems for Small Satellites with Application to Surveillance, Environmental and Crop-Growth Analysis, Enabling European Union Dominance in the Space Industry

The main technical scope of CSA-EU was to develop innovative antenna designs and solutions which can contribute to the advancement of the state-of-the-art for microsatellite antennas or Cubesats. For example, deployable antennas have classically been implemented in the design of microsatellites which are typically wrapped around the satellite prior to launch and held in place with mechanical/electrical systems and then released and positioned away from the satellite structure post launch. These systems can increase satellite cost, development time, and can be prone to failure and normally redundancy or backup systems are incorporated into the space craft bus. The completed CSA-EU research advanced these types of deployable microsatellite antennas into a more planar, simple, and low-cost PCB form. This came about by continued collaborations between PocketQube Shop (Alba Orbital) in Glasgow, Scotland, throughout the project by the individual fellow. As a result of these interactions, for example, increased communications and observations of airplanes by a constellation of Cubesats by Alab Orbital was put into practice. These interactions also allowed for the host institution; i.e. HWU to work with Alab Orbital which allowed for new antennas to be placed on solar panels for space-ready demonstration. This can increase the efficiency of the solar panel bus in that they represent a dual-function (antenna for communications and solar power energy harvesting) to improve the durability of the satellite and its lifespan. The work also allowed for the design of new millimeter-wave antenna system which used guided-wave concepts for beam steering and has applications to communications between satellites. These activities are important in that improved data links can be achieved between satellites to improve earth observation and communications and improve the accuracy and knowledge location of airplanes when traveling across the Atlantic ocean for example.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз