Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation

An S-band antenna has been designed, developed, measured, space-qualified, and integrated into the INTA ANSER satellite constellation and the future ANSER-AT mission. This antenna will be part of the space-to-ground communication link for the constellation, which consists of one Leader and two Follo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Saray Sánchez-Sevilleja, David Poyatos, José Luis Masa-Campos, Víctor Miguel Aragón, José Antonio Rodríguez, Amaia Santiago
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/4/1237
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850080107218075648
author Saray Sánchez-Sevilleja
David Poyatos
José Luis Masa-Campos
Víctor Miguel Aragón
José Antonio Rodríguez
Amaia Santiago
author_facet Saray Sánchez-Sevilleja
David Poyatos
José Luis Masa-Campos
Víctor Miguel Aragón
José Antonio Rodríguez
Amaia Santiago
author_sort Saray Sánchez-Sevilleja
collection DOAJ
description An S-band antenna has been designed, developed, measured, space-qualified, and integrated into the INTA ANSER satellite constellation and the future ANSER-AT mission. This antenna will be part of the space-to-ground communication link for the constellation, which consists of one Leader and two Followers. The novel antenna, mounted on the Leader, has been designed and manufactured with materials and processes specifically tested for space. It features dual circular polarization over a wide band without requiring a phase-shifting network, making it very compact and straightforward. Additionally, its gain patterns are highly stable within the desired band, improving its link capacity compared to the UHF monopole alternative used in the previous Leader. Currently, the antenna has been qualified and installed on INTA’s Leader-S, set to launch in January 2025, as well as on the future ANSER-AT mission.
format Article
id doaj-art-3873a285657341f4b24e3cf48a9aefa7
institution DOAJ
issn 1424-8220
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Sensors
spelling doaj-art-3873a285657341f4b24e3cf48a9aefa72025-08-20T02:45:02ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-02-01254123710.3390/s25041237Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat ConstellationSaray Sánchez-Sevilleja0David Poyatos1José Luis Masa-Campos2Víctor Miguel Aragón3José Antonio Rodríguez4Amaia Santiago5INTA National Institute of Aerospace Technology, Ajalvir Road, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, SpainINTA National Institute of Aerospace Technology, Ajalvir Road, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, SpainE.T.S.I. Telecommunication, Department of Signals, Systems and Radiocommunications, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), C/Ramiro de Maeztu 7, 28040 Madrid, SpainINTA National Institute of Aerospace Technology, Ajalvir Road, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, SpainINTA National Institute of Aerospace Technology, Ajalvir Road, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, SpainINTA National Institute of Aerospace Technology, Ajalvir Road, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, SpainAn S-band antenna has been designed, developed, measured, space-qualified, and integrated into the INTA ANSER satellite constellation and the future ANSER-AT mission. This antenna will be part of the space-to-ground communication link for the constellation, which consists of one Leader and two Followers. The novel antenna, mounted on the Leader, has been designed and manufactured with materials and processes specifically tested for space. It features dual circular polarization over a wide band without requiring a phase-shifting network, making it very compact and straightforward. Additionally, its gain patterns are highly stable within the desired band, improving its link capacity compared to the UHF monopole alternative used in the previous Leader. Currently, the antenna has been qualified and installed on INTA’s Leader-S, set to launch in January 2025, as well as on the future ANSER-AT mission.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/4/1237constellationclusterCubeSatantennaMPApolarization
spellingShingle Saray Sánchez-Sevilleja
David Poyatos
José Luis Masa-Campos
Víctor Miguel Aragón
José Antonio Rodríguez
Amaia Santiago
Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation
Sensors
constellation
cluster
CubeSat
antenna
MPA
polarization
title Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation
title_full Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation
title_fullStr Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation
title_full_unstemmed Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation
title_short Design, Development, and Qualification of a Broadband Compact S-Band Antenna for a CubeSat Constellation
title_sort design development and qualification of a broadband compact s band antenna for a cubesat constellation
topic constellation
cluster
CubeSat
antenna
MPA
polarization
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/4/1237
work_keys_str_mv AT saraysanchezsevilleja designdevelopmentandqualificationofabroadbandcompactsbandantennaforacubesatconstellation
AT davidpoyatos designdevelopmentandqualificationofabroadbandcompactsbandantennaforacubesatconstellation
AT joseluismasacampos designdevelopmentandqualificationofabroadbandcompactsbandantennaforacubesatconstellation
AT victormiguelaragon designdevelopmentandqualificationofabroadbandcompactsbandantennaforacubesatconstellation
AT joseantoniorodriguez designdevelopmentandqualificationofabroadbandcompactsbandantennaforacubesatconstellation
AT amaiasantiago designdevelopmentandqualificationofabroadbandcompactsbandantennaforacubesatconstellation