Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications

Abstract One of the most ambitious projects in communications in recent years is the development of the so-called satellite mega-constellations. Comprised of hundreds or thousands of small and low-cost satellites, they aim to provide internet services in places without existing broadband access. For...

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Autores principales:	Borja Imaz-Lueje, Daniel R. Prado, Manuel Arrebola, Marcos R. Pino
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2020
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/e24492be0449404eb23be4b3f1fc31d0
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:e24492be0449404eb23be4b3f1fc31d02021-12-02T12:33:04ZReflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications10.1038/s41598-020-78501-02045-2322https://doaj.org/article/e24492be0449404eb23be4b3f1fc31d02020-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78501-0https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract One of the most ambitious projects in communications in recent years is the development of the so-called satellite mega-constellations. Comprised of hundreds or thousands of small and low-cost satellites, they aim to provide internet services in places without existing broadband access. For the antenna subsystem, reflectarrays have been proposed as a cheap solution due to their low profile and manufacturing costs, while still providing good performance. This paper presents a full design of a reflectarray antenna for mega-constellation satellites with a shaped-beam isoflux pattern for constant power flux in the surface of the Earth. A unit cell consisting of two stacked rectangular microstrip patches backed by a ground plane is employed, providing more than 360° of phase-shift. The generalized intersection approach optimization algorithm is employed to synthesize the required isoflux pattern in a 2 GHz bandwidth in Ku-band. To that purpose, a full-wave electromagnetic analysis is employed for the wideband design. The optimized reflectarray layout complies with the specifications of the isoflux pattern in the frequency band 16 GHz–18 GHz, demonstrating the capabilities of this type of antenna to provide a low-cost, low-profile solution for the user beam segment, including different types of shaped beams.Borja Imaz-LuejeDaniel R. PradoManuel ArrebolaMarcos R. PinoNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Borja Imaz-Lueje Daniel R. Prado Manuel Arrebola Marcos R. Pino Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
description	Abstract One of the most ambitious projects in communications in recent years is the development of the so-called satellite mega-constellations. Comprised of hundreds or thousands of small and low-cost satellites, they aim to provide internet services in places without existing broadband access. For the antenna subsystem, reflectarrays have been proposed as a cheap solution due to their low profile and manufacturing costs, while still providing good performance. This paper presents a full design of a reflectarray antenna for mega-constellation satellites with a shaped-beam isoflux pattern for constant power flux in the surface of the Earth. A unit cell consisting of two stacked rectangular microstrip patches backed by a ground plane is employed, providing more than 360° of phase-shift. The generalized intersection approach optimization algorithm is employed to synthesize the required isoflux pattern in a 2 GHz bandwidth in Ku-band. To that purpose, a full-wave electromagnetic analysis is employed for the wideband design. The optimized reflectarray layout complies with the specifications of the isoflux pattern in the frequency band 16 GHz–18 GHz, demonstrating the capabilities of this type of antenna to provide a low-cost, low-profile solution for the user beam segment, including different types of shaped beams.
format	article
author	Borja Imaz-Lueje Daniel R. Prado Manuel Arrebola Marcos R. Pino
author_facet	Borja Imaz-Lueje Daniel R. Prado Manuel Arrebola Marcos R. Pino
author_sort	Borja Imaz-Lueje
title	Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
title_short	Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
title_full	Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
title_fullStr	Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
title_full_unstemmed	Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
title_sort	reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/e24492be0449404eb23be4b3f1fc31d0
work_keys_str_mv	AT borjaimazlueje reflectarrayantennasasmartsolutionfornewgenerationsatellitemegaconstellationsinspacecommunications AT danielrprado reflectarrayantennasasmartsolutionfornewgenerationsatellitemegaconstellationsinspacecommunications AT manuelarrebola reflectarrayantennasasmartsolutionfornewgenerationsatellitemegaconstellationsinspacecommunications AT marcosrpino reflectarrayantennasasmartsolutionfornewgenerationsatellitemegaconstellationsinspacecommunications
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Reflectarray antennas: a smart solution for new generation satellite mega-constellations in space communications

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