Antenna Design and Prelaunch Performance of a Low-Cost 118.75 GHz Temperature Sounding CubeSat Radiometer With 3-D-Printed Corrugated Feed and Offset Reflector Optics

Abstract

This article describes the design and prelaunch performance of the antenna subsystem of the low-cost 118.75 GHz temperature sounding radiometer payload used in the PolarCube and GEMS-IOD 3U CubeSat missions. Radiometric sounding measurements used for providing data for weather prediction are strongly affected by the main beam, ohmic, and spillover efficiencies of the optics, as well as by inhomogeneities in the scene and background radiation fields. The interpretation of radiometric data is affected by the accuracy with which these antenna efficiencies can be determined, particularly for radiometers that do not permit full main beam external calibration. To this end, an HE11 mode full wave Fourier–Bessel electromagnetic field analysis was developed for determination of an optimal feed horn and reflector geometry such that the main beam and spillover efficiencies of the system are maximized, and these and the antenna phase center location that maximizes phase efficiency are precisely known. The efficacy of employing a sub-millimeter wave 3-D-printed corrugated conical horn operable between 110 and 127 GHz as the feed for an offset paraboloidal reflector due to its very low cost and rapid manufacturability is also addressed. Horn measurements indicate a reflection coefficient below −15 dB and far-field radiation patterns that compare closely to simulation. Although there is some asymmetry in the horn pattern, the average main beam efficiency is 89% for a main reflector subtending a 16° half-angle. Initial performance obtained from airborne measurements over Antarctica on the NASA DC-8 during Operation IceBridge in Oct–Nov 2016 suggests a well-focused scanning antenna subsystem. After final payload assembly, the antenna’s 3 dB beamwidth extracted from a bridge-scan field experiment was broader by ~ 0.1° compared with the idealized simulated pattern.