Modular, customisable, accomodation-friendly antenna system for satellite avionics: Development, prototyping and validation

In the frame of ESA program AO/1- 6737/11/NL/MH, an innovative X-band antenna system for satellite avionics has been studied, demonstrated and validated at Proof of Concept Model level. The innovative contribution of such an antenna system relies on modularity, customizability and accommodation friendliness. The antenna concept is based on a Plug and Play architecture, where the basic module is a 2.7 cm-cube with a mass of 53 gr, which can be clustered in array configuration. A catalogue of predefined and ready-to-use clusters could be developed with the possibility of adapting the antenna systems to various platform types by tuning just a few control parameters. Different levels of customization are, in fact, easily achievable reducing the qualification effort. The proposed antenna system has been prototyped and has been validated through two measurement campaigns, in standalone configuration and accommodated on a platform demonstrator having the shape of an ESA Proba V satellite. The whole antenna system has been also simulated with the commercial program ADF-EMS and a good agreement with measurements has been achieved, proving that the characteristics of such an antenna system can be very accurately predicted even in the most complex configurations. A comparison between the proposed solution and a more conventional space avionic radiator has been carried out: even though the EM performances are comparable, mass and encumbrance are instead extremely reduced in MCAS.