Innovative Deployable Reflector Antenna for RF Communications on Small Satellites
Abstract
We propose to design, build, and test a deployable ~1 meter spherical reflector antenna suitable for high data rate communications on a CubeSat. The proposed effort will culminate in the deployment and performance verification of the reflector at X or Ku Band from a stratospheric balloon. The reflector is itself a balloon, made from thin dielectric material that when inflated takes on a spherical shape. One hemisphere of the sphere is fully or partly metallized. Acting as a receiving antenna, electromagnetic waves pass through the non-metallized hemisphere of the sphere and reflect off the metallized hemisphere. The reflected waves come to a focal line approximately ? the way back towards the sphereÕs center. A spherical corrector, formed from a line feed, collapses the focal line to a focal point for processing. The spherical reflector has a far greater field of view than a classic parabolic reflector, permitting the emergent beam to be redirected in many instances without adjusting the attitude of the spacecraft. The reflector works equally well for transmitting electromagnetic radiation. Such a spherical balloon reflector can be stowed in a relatively small volume for launch and be inflated to diameters of one or more meters. Space-based reflectors of >10 meters are possible. Inflatable spherical balloon reflectors are a powerful, breakthrough technology which will enable a wide variety of new orbital and deep space applications. Example applications include high bandwidth, low-power, low-cost communication links and powerful radars. This proposal directly addresses Focus Area 1 of ONR-BAA-15- 0009FY16: Nanosat optical and RF communications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612163
Entities
People
- Christopher Walker
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Arizona