Electromagnetic analysis of high frequency radomes for ground stations in polar regions

Abstract

At lower frequencies, e.g., at S-band, the radome design for ground stations can be considered consolidated, and the microwave transparency can be often obtained with minimal compromises on the structure stiffness. Conversely, at K-band frequencies and above the two domains, electromagnetics and mechanics, require a joint design to achieve best performance, especially when installations at environmentally extreme locations are required. Notably, next-generation satellites for Earth Observation, aimed to provide large amount of data exploiting high frequencies, require ground stations at Polar latitudes, where the combination of high-speed winds and low temperature is particularly severe. This paper provides a comparison between two possible solutions for the radome, discussing the two most common radome technologies (Metal Space Frame and Multilayer) suitable for this kind of installation, on the grounds of preliminary electromagnetic analyses. In particular, both the transparency of radome walls and the Induced Field Ration of radome interconnections are evaluated using analytical equations and full-wave solvers. As a test case, a radome to be installed in Svalbard for a European Space Agency ground station is discussed.