Small Satellite Applications Research Articles

On-Chip-Antennas: Next Milestone in the Big World of Small Satellites—A Survey of Potentials, Challenges, and Future Directions

Small satellites have revolutionized the space industry because of their variety of benefits over large satellites. Antennas are one of the key components of the small satellites, whose performance is very crucial for the overall performance of the satellite-based wireless systems. The stringent requirements of modern small satellites, such as the small size and mass, low-power, low-loss, and low-cost dictate the need for the alternative antenna technologies, as the traditionally employed off-chip antenna technology faces a number of severe constraints to meet this set of requirements. On-chip-antennas (OCAs) are one of such promising choices, which are more favorable than off-chip antennas in this respect. This article, therefore, presents a comprehensive survey of OCA capabilities for modern small satellite (micro-satellite, mini-satellite, nano-satellite, pico-satellite, femto-satellite, cubsat) applications for the first time. A number of key challenges posed by OCAs for small satellite applications are investigated and discussed analytically. The article also delineates a few future perspectives in this regard. This article will not only highlight a number of novel research opportunities for the relevant researchers but also urge them to propose innovative solutions for OCA design challenges for these applications.

Deployable Rigid-Flexible Tightly Coupled Dipole Array (RF-TCDA)

An origami-based Tightly Coupled Dipole Array (TCDA) is proposed for small satellite applications. The array is formed by a two-layered structure using rigid and flexible substrates to enable accordion-like folding. The proposed TCDA operates across 0.4-2.4 GHz with VSWR < 3 at broadside and across 0.6-2.4 GHz with VSWR < 3 when scanning down to 45∘ in the E-, D-, and H-plane. An 8 × 8 prototype was fabricated using Kapton Polyimide and FR4 and tested to verify the bandwidth and gain of the origami array. The fabricated prototype was demonstrated to be packable, low-profile, and lightweight (only 1.1kg). Notably, when packed, the array has a one-dimensional size reduction of 75%. As will be discussed, the packing compression is made possible by eliminating vertical PCB boards and incorporating the balun feeds within the dipole layer. To our knowledge, this is one of the first foldable, low profile, and low-scanning ultra-wideband arrays in the literature.

A Foldable Reflectarray on a Hexagonal Twist Origami Structure

In this paper, a novel deployable flat panel reflectarray antenna (RA) is designed on an origami folding pattern for Small Satellite applications. The RA aperture deploys into a hexagonal geometry that achieves an aperture efficiency of a least 60%, 10-20% higher than current rectangular apertures. The modified hexagonal twist folding structure can achieve high volume packing efficiency, which is 75%, and simple deployment with one degree of freedom. The mechanical and electromagnetic design considerations for two variations of our proposed structure, flat and offset panels, are presented. The aperture surface area of both structures is 58λ2. Both structures are designed to operate at 16 GHz and exhibit a realized gain that is greater than 26.4 dBi. Prototypes are fabricated for the two structures and measured. Measurements show good correlation with the simulations.

Small Satellites Applications, Classification and Technologies

Small Satellites Applications, Classification and Technologies

Suspended plate antenna with circular polarization and configurable sense of rotation

Introduction: Circular polarization antennas (CPA) are able to reduce the “Faraday rotation” effect due to the ionosphere, which causes a significant power losses compared to the case of using linear polarization antennas (LPA) [1]-[2]. Therefore, these antennas are widely used for space telemetry applications of satellites, space probes and ballistic missiles among others [2]. Furthermore, suspended plate antennas (SPA) offer the possibility to obtain largest levels of maximum gain and impedance bandwidth compared to those obtained with conventional technologies. Likewise, it is useful to be able to select the most appropriate sense of rotation, depending on the propagation conditions in the up/down links. Objective: To design a CPA with configurable sense of rotation for small satellite applications, using SPA technology, such that it has gain and bandwidth levels higher than those obtained with conventional technologies.&#x0D; Method: The antenna design is based on models proposed in the literature, through which an initial geometry consisting of a suspended patch with an L-shaped feeder and a hybrid coupler is designed. Subsequently, geometry optimization by parametric analysis is carried out with appropriate electromagnetic simulators. &#x0D; Results: The proposed design has an impedance bandwidth of 34.39% and a maximum gain of 8.75 dBi at a frequency of 2.35GHz.&#x0D; Conclusions: The L-shaped feeder technique for suspended patches improves the behavior of the antenna in axial ratio, impedance and maximal gain.

Low-Profile Aperture-Coupled Patch Antenna Array for CubeSat Applications

This paper presents the design, simulation, and measurement results of a dual aperture-coupled microstripline-fed antenna array with circular polarization at the C-band for small satellites applications. The antenna array was designed at a center frequency of 5.5 GHz, and it has a two-port isolation bandwidth of 25 MHz above 20 dB while the axial ratio is below 1 dB. The main objective is to produce a four-patch antenna array to be mounted on CubeSat deployable wings along with a layer of solar panels, maximizing the usable space and obtaining a better link budget for a standardized Cubesat of 10 cm $\times10$ cm $\times10$ cm. The orthogonal feedlines’ isolation between Tx/Rx signals and a minimization of the multi-layer design provide a lower profile approach considering the state-of-the-art. The significant thickness reduction combined with a new perspective of having both deployable wings transmitting and receiving signals lead to a notable improvement of the overall system. This work is relevant due to the demand for high-performance antenna systems that may expand the capabilities of CubeSats, considering the importance of using an antenna array instead of a single element approach.

Design and Fabrication of a Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA) for LEO Satellite Application

The paper is mainly emphasizes on the microstrip patch antenna design for satellite applications. The specific objective of this study is to solve the research problem on finding the simple and compact design for small satellite application in real world. A new design of a Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA) with the two height of 12mm and 10mm are proposed for low Earth orbit (LEO) applications in S band. The antenna is a single form antenna with the coaxial probe fed is used. CST Microwave Studio student version was used for the simulation of the antenna and matching design parameters. The antennas are obtained an efficient high return loss -18.426dB and -18.169dB at S11, the return loss bandwidth of 471MHz and 466MHz. The radiation pattern results are analyzed beam width angle 85.1° and 95.1°. Moreover, the peak directivity gain results 4.7dBi and 4.79dBi, the absolute E-filed radiation effect are also presented. The actual measurement results for S11 parameter of return loss -13.54dB and -14.2dB, return loss bandwidth of 510MHz and 425MHz are also fabricated with the comparison of simulation and fabrication process of PIFA antenna characteristics. The measurement of the return loss (S11) and return loss bandwidth were almost identical with the simulation.

Dual-layer and dual-polarized metamaterial inspired antenna using circular-complementary split ring resonator mushroom and metasurface for wireless applications

A compact triple-band and dual-polarized metamaterial inspired antenna loaded with a reactive impedance surface (RIS) based metasurface is presented in this work. The dual-band circular polarization (CP) characteristics are obtained by the combination of the conventional slotted patch loaded with circular-complementary split-ring resonator based mushroom stacked with RIS. The CP radiation is generated due to the introduction of asymmetry in the antenna structure results in the splitting of fundamental mode into two orthogonally polarized modes with 90° phase difference at the resonating frequency. The antenna obtains an overall electrical size of 0.27λ0 × 0.27 λ0 × 0.027λ0 with radiating element size of 0.16λ0 × 0.16 λ0 at 1.7 GHz with ka = 0.72. The final antenna prototype is fabricated and measured which covers bandwidths of (1.66–1.72 GHz) 3.52%, (1.94–2.20 GHz) 13% and (3.68–3.87 GHz) 5.02% for the three bands. The antenna exhibits CP radiation at 2.10 GHz and 3.78 GHz with an axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) of 2.85% and 1.85% are obtained for the two bands, respectively. Due to the loading of RIS, the antenna gain enhanced to 1.6 dBi, 4.74 dBic, and 3.28 dBic at the three respective frequencies with an overall area reduction of 52.32% is achieved. The antenna provides a wider AR beamwidth for CP radiation (ARBW < 3) with positive gain values for theta = ±58° and for all phi values at 2.1 GHz. Hence, the proposed antenna can be used for working in 1.7 GHz LTE (1.66–1.72 GHz), 2.2 GHz UMTS (1.94–2.20 GHz), 3.8 GHz WiMAX (3.68–3.87 GHz), and small satellite application systems at 2.1 GHz applications.

Planar circularly polarized X‐band array antenna with low sidelobe and high aperture efficiency for small satellites

A planar broadband circularly polarized (CP) X-band array antenna with low sidelobe and high aperture efficiency is presented for small satellite applications. The array design is composed of 4 × 4 broadband CP stacked patch elements, which are fed by a feeding network consisted of unequal series-parallel power dividers to achieve the low sidelobe and high aperture efficiency. The final prototype with overall size of 100 mm × 100 mm × 3 mm (2.73λ0 × 2.73λ0 × 0.082λ0 at 8.2 GHz) was fabricated and measured. The antenna has a broadband characteristic with |S11| < −10 dB bandwidth of 15.9% (7.52-8.82 GHz) and 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth of 11.95% (7.63-8.60 GHz). Also, it achieves an excellent broadside CP radiation with a gain of 17.2-20.03 dBic, a sidelobe level of <−20 dB, and aperture efficiency of 65% to 97.5%. With these features, the proposed antenna is a good candidate for high-speed data downlink onboard small satellites (MiniSat, MicroSat, NanoSat, and CubeSat).

Wideband circularly‐polarised high‐gain diversity antenna loaded with metasurface reflector for small satellite applications

This Letter demonstrates the design of a two-element polarisation diversity antenna, applicable for modern small satellite application systems. The intended antenna mainly consists of two monopole radiators loaded with metasurface reflector as a ground plane. The dimensions of the radiator antenna are 40 × 22 × 1.6 mm 3 . The antenna measured results offers a wider S 11 bandwidth of (2.23-2.91 GHz) and wider axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) of (2.16-2.92 GHz) with a common S 11 and ARBW of 26.45% is obtained. A maximum gain of 7.02 dBic and isolation better than 14.5 dB is observed along with the operating frequency range. The antenna provides an ARBW( 2.38 dBic) for theta = ± 45°, for all phi values along with the complete operating frequency range. Also, the antenna port-1 provides left-handed circular polarisation and port-2 provides right-handed circular polarisation radiation with directional radiation characteristics.

A Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Antennas System for Small-Satellite Applications

Circularly polarized (CP) antennas are used in space applications for telemetry tracking and command (TT&amp;C). In this paper, we present an antenna for a TT&amp;C system that can employ only four antennas to achieve a wide quasi-isotropic coverage. The proposed single-feed circular polarized annular patch antenna is low profile and compact. It exhibits a wide impedance bandwidth of 19.7%, wide-angle circular polarization with an on-axis maximum gain higher than 6 dBi and an axial ratio below 4 dB in the frequency band 2.0–2.3 GHz. The developed low-cost antenna can be used for small-satellite data downlink where only two right hand circular polarized (RHCP) antennas and two left hand circular polarized (LHCP) antennas would be required since each antenna has an adequate CP gain on a wide angle. A prototype antenna has been fabricated and measured. The experimental validation shows a good agreement of the measured impedance bandwidth, axial ratio, and far-field pattern with the ones predicted by numerical full-wave study.

Metamaterial‐based wideband circularly polarised antenna with rotated V‐shaped metasurface for small satellite applications

This Letter explains the design and development of a wideband circularly polarised (CP) antenna based on composite metamaterial (MTM) structures which are applicable for use in small satellite applications. The presented antenna is based on a modified co-planar waveguide feeding technique. The proposed antenna unit cell offers compact size due to its MTM property with dimensions of 0.088λ 0 × 0.19λ 0 at 2.4 GHz. The CP radiation is obtained by placing two composite right/left-handed transmission line unit cells orthogonally and exciting two orthogonally-polarised modes simultaneously. A new 4 × 4 unit cell artificial magnetic conductor metasurface is designed with a compact size at the same operating frequency of MTM-based CP antenna as a ground plane for the proposed antenna, which is found to be increased bandwidth, improved gain, and wider axial ratio bandwidth without altering the antenna compactness. The final antenna obtains an overall dimension of 0.37λ 0 × 0.37λ 0 × 0.18λ 0 at 2.5 GHz. The measured result shows a wider impedance bandwidth of 860 MHz (33.07%), improved axial ratio bandwidth of 410 MHz (15.92%), and a good gain of 5.76 dBic is obtained which are adequate for the use in modern small satellite applications.

In brief

PAGE 372 A front-end adaptive folder with a filter is used to instantaneously push jammers to higher frequencies while preserving small signal integrity. Presented by a team of researchers from the USA, combinatorial intrinsic device characteristics are exploited to tune folding points and achieve maximum programmability. PAGE 396 A researcher from Japan has investigated the transmission characteristics of an optical signal which has been converted using detection, modulation and filtering from a high-speed terahertz-wave signal. The converted signal shaped with root Nyquist filters can be transmitted down a 9 km-long fiber without compensation. Received signals with jammer moved to gradually higher frequencies. PAGE 374 Digital signal processing cores are common in consumer electronics and require protection from the hardware threats posed by reverse engineering. A pair of researchers from India present a novel anti-removal logic unit which protects against attacks on functional obfuscation logic. The approach has significant security enhancements over current standards. Measured optical signal spectrum. PAGE 402 The energy storage battery in a microgrid can perform demand side management which requires a bidirectional power transmission control function with constant power. A group of Chinese researchers have designed a boost converter circuit topology followed by a timing trigger mechanism control system, with simulation demonstrating it achieves accurate power reference value tracking. Designer selected AND-OR network. PAGE 365 A pair of researchers from India propose a wideband circularly polarised antenna based on composite metamaterial structures applicable for small satellite applications. A new unit cell artificial magnetic conductor metasurface is used as a ground plane for the antenna which has increased bandwidth, gain and a wider axial ratio bandwidth despite its compact size. An operating mode of the proposed converter. Proposed metamaterial antenna front view.

A Circularly Polarized Spaceborne Antenna With Shaped Beam for Earth Coverage Applications

Since the earth is spherical in shape, the paths from the satellite to various points on the earth are different in both the distance and atmospheric attenuation. In order to maintain approximately uniform effective signal strength on the surface of the earth, the radiation pattern of the antenna should be formed according to the shape of the earth. Former antennas for earth coverage purpose are either bulky or hard to realize the desired beam pattern within a wide angle range, making them unsuitable for small satellite applications. To solve this problem, this paper presents a novel circularly polarized earth coverage antenna for spaceborne applications. The proposed antenna consists of a specially designed dielectric cylinder, in which a cavity backed patch antenna is embedded. With the help of the concave structure at the top of the dielectric cylinder, the refraction of electromagnetic wave can be controlled, and then the radiation pattern is shaped. A sequentially feeding network is designed to drive the antenna. To verify our concept, a prototype is fabricated and experiments are carried out. The simulation agrees well with the measurement. The earth coverage radiation pattern is obtained within the beamwidth of $\theta $ in the range of ±50° with the measured space axial ratio is better than 3 dB from 4.9 to 5.2 GHz. The measured peak gain is about 3.45 dBic at the elevation angle of ±50°.

Cost analysis of solar thermal propulsion systems for microsatellite applications

In recent years, satellite design has extended towards miniaturisation to reduce associated cost with launching and conducting space missions. Small satellites provide low-cost platforms for space missions. However, this lower cost comes at the expense of the removal of key sub-systems, such as the propulsion system, due to the small available onboard volume and mass restrictions. For this reason, small, lightweight, high-performing and affordable propulsion systems are necessary. However, there is limited research available on the comparison of propulsion technologies with regards to cost. Motivated by the above challenges the objective of this paper is to provide a comparison of propulsion technologies that are compatible with small satellites with respect to cost and application. The different propulsion systems are investigated for three mission scenarios, a small on-orbit manoeuvre, a station-keeping, and a lunar orbit transfer mission. Each system is evaluated in terms of a total figure of merit which incorporates nine variables such as propellant mass, safety, and hardware price, that affect the total cost of a propulsion system. This figure of merit is used to quantitatively compare the propulsion systems to identify cost-effective solutions as a function of various mission scenarios. Solar thermal propulsion has been proposed for small satellite applications, but information regarding the concepts are not available in a single report. Therefore, a secondary objective of this paper is to provide the reader with a review of the current status of solar thermal propulsion. An important finding of this research is the classification of propulsion systems in terms of thrust, specific impulse, cost, and application.

Hyper hemispheric lens applications in small and micro satellites

As well known, micro and nanosatellites are being proposed for a variety of space missions, due to the advantages offered in terms of flexibility, cost and development time-scales. They also allow the development of space missions based on distributed architectures, composed of a number of small platforms in coordinated flight. However, technological advancements are still needed to make micro and nanosatellite competitive with respect to larger platforms. In this paper, we explore the potentiality offered by hyper hemispheric lens for the development of miniaturized and multi-function sensors for use on board of micro satellites. Hyper hemispheric lens belong to the ultra-wide field-of-view optical objectives. Here a novel optics of this category is presented. Its field of view is 360° in azimuth (panoramic capabilities) and 135° for the off-boresight angle (hyper-hemispheric field). With such capabilities the lens may be exploited as a very-large field-of-view optics where moving parts can be avoided. This is of interest to space applications, in which devices with any moving part, representing a possible point of failure, shall be avoided or reduced to the minimum. A hyper hemispheric lens may, then, be adopted for electro optical devices in space satellite subsystems, such as star-, Sun- and Earth-sensors, or for monitoring the environment surrounding the satellite in the case of on-orbit servicing or active debris removal operations. Weight and cost budgets for small and micro satellites are also important parameters to determine their success. Hyper hemispheric lens may be kept quite compact in dimension and the need of a single imaging detector, for a so large field of view, strongly reduces costs. In this paper, we explore possible applications of a multi-purpose space device based on a hyper hemispheric lens on board of micro and nanosatellites.

Energy Storage Technologies for Small Satellite Applications

Rapid advances in small satellite (often referred to as CubeSats) technology are providing opportunities for space exploration to a wide range of users (in particular universities) at substantially reduced costs. Many of the capabilities provided by larger satellites and spacecraft (>2000 kg) are now available through small satellite technologies. Ongoing improvements in attitude control, propulsion, advanced communications, and scientific instrumentation continue to enhance their benefits, even within such strict volume and mass constraints. With such advances in CubeSat technologies, the power and energy demands have also increased dramatically, necessitating the need for larger deployable solar arrays, lower power electronics, efficient energy storage systems, and even energy transfer/harvesting systems. In terms of energy storage, more advanced battery chemistries with higher energy densities and higher power capabilities over a wider operating temperature range are also a fundamental need. There already exist today numerous commercially available energy storage options suitable for CubeSat applications, although many missions rely on custom designs. Similar to standard satellite design, the selection of an appropriate energy storage system is driven by mission requirements related to power, energy, and lifetime. This paper will provide a general review of performance capabilities of state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery technologies, as well as other advanced energy storage systems for small satellite applications.

Advanced Antennas for Small Satellites

Antenna is one of the key components onboard small satellites as its design determines the performance of all the wireless systems including telemetry, tracking and control, high-speed data downlink, navigation, intersatellite communications, intrasatellite communications, wireless power transfer, radars and sensors, etc. This paper presents a review of recent development in advanced antennas for small satellites (MiniSat, MicroSat, NanoSat, CubeSat, etc.). A number of recent examples of antennas for small satellite applications are shown and discussed. A conclusion and future development in antennas for small satellites are given in the end.

A Dual Mode Propulsion System for Small Satellite Applications‡.

This study focused on the development of a chemical micropropulsion system suitable for primary propulsion and/or attitude control for a nanosatellite. Due to the limitations and expense of current micropropulsion technologies, few nanosatellites with propulsion have been launched to date; however, the availability of such a propulsion system would allow for new nanosatellite mission concepts, such as deep space exploration, maneuvering in low gravity environments and formation flying. This work describes the design of “dual mode” monopropellant/bipropellant microthruster prototype that employs a novel homogeneous catalysis scheme. Results from prototype testing are reported that validate the concept. The micropropulsion system is designed to be fabricated using a combination of additively-manufactured and commercial off the shelf (COTS) parts along with non-toxic fuels, thus making it a low-cost and environmentally-friendly option for future nanosatellite missions.

Development and Flight Operation of a Miniature Ion Propulsion System

This report presents ground tests and flight operation results for a miniature ion propulsion system for microsatellites to show the feasibility of ion thruster applications in small satellites. The propulsion system incorporated a 10-W-class microwave discharge ion thruster and consumer-product-based subcomponents. The low-power ion thruster realized a total power consumption of less than 30 W, which was compatible with 50-kg-class small satellites. A key part of the subcomponents was a xenon feed system including a high-pressure tank that complied with the High Pressure Gas Safety Act, had high safety, and had good handling ability. The total mass and volume of the flight model were 8.10 kg and with 0.89 kg of xenon propellant. The thruster performance determined by the ground tests was a thrust of , a specific impulse of 786–699 s at a mass flow rate of , and total power consumption of 28.1–29.8 W. The miniature ion propulsion system was installed on a Hodoyoshi-4 microsatellite (66 kg mass), which was launched to low Earth orbit. The ion thruster operation was conducted in orbit, and the measured ion beam current agreed well with the values obtained from ground tests.