Enabling the Internet of Things With CubeSats: A review of representative beamsteerable antenna concepts

Abstract

The advent of CubeSats has empowered the vision of using a satellite constellation to provide seamless Internet coverage across the globe. This vision, known as the Internet of Space (IoS), is the key enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT). One of the major challenges in making IoS a reality is the development of an antenna system that can sustain a high data-rate link while being amenable to integration with the small CubeSat form factor. This challenge is further magnified by the requirement that the antenna dynamically reconfigures its radiation pattern to illuminate geographical areas that demand more coverage. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of antenna concepts developed by representative researchers that can overcome these challenges. If properly tailored for specific CubeSat applications, these concepts can make CubeSat-based IoS a realizable vision. We also highlight the open challenges and technology gaps that future research must address to make IoT a reality.