Dipole antenna array cluster for CubeSats

Abstract

CubeSats are attracting interest from both the industry and academia because of their affordability. Specifically, they are made from commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) electronic circuit chips, and are thus seen as a cost effective replacement for traditional, expensive satellites. Moreover, they are expected to have higher capabilities to better support demanding missions. To date, most CubeSats rely on a single element antenna that usually has a relatively low gain and are not steerable. Thus, they are not suitable for long-distance communications and for use by missions requiring high-speed links and adjustable radiation patterns. Existing single element antennas also increase the probability of failure when establishing communication links, as the failure of the single element would lead to a disconnection. In this paper, we propose a 3x1 dipole antenna array and a cluster of three 3x1 dipole antenna arrays for CubeSats. Each array can theoretically be used on a separate frequency. Advantageously, all three arrays can be combined to enhance directivity. Our simulation results show that the proposed antenna cluster has a high gain of 5.03dB and wide directivity. Abstract-CubeSats are attracting interest from both the industry and academia because of their affordability. Specifically, they are made from commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) electronic circuit chips, and are thus seen as a cost effective replacement for traditional, expensive satellites. Moreover, they are expected to have higher capabilities to better support demanding missions. To date, most CubeSats rely on a single element antenna that usually has a relatively low gain and are not steerable. Thus, they are not suitable for long-distance communications and for use by missions requiring high-speed links and adjustable radiation patterns. Existing single element antennas also increase the probability of failure when establishing communication links, as the failure of the single element would lead to a disconnection. In this paper, we propose a 3x1 dipole antenna array and a cluster of three 3×1 dipole antenna arrays for CubeSats. Each array can theoretically be used on a separate frequency. Advantageously, all three arrays can be combined to enhance directivity. Our simulation results show that the proposed antenna cluster has a high gain of 5.03dB and wide directivity.

Antenna Designs for CubeSats: A Review

“…The main advantage of the proposed design is its small size and wide bandwidth. In terms of bandwidth, the proposed antenna in [41], has achieved wider bandwidth as compared to the dipole antenna designs presented in [39,40,42]. its main limitation, however, is its low gain.…”

“…Dipole and Monopole antennas are the simplest and well understood designs. In this section, the performance of four dipole and monopole antenna designs, i.e., those in [39][40][41][42], for CubeSats are reviewed in terms of their total gains, size, bandwidth, reflection coefficient and deployment mechanism. As set out in Table 5, these dipole antenna designs operate at the Very High Frequency band (VHF) and S-band.…”

“…They achieve gains ranging from 2.06 to 5.03 dBi. The printed S-band dipole antennas of [40,41], have high gain, wide bandwidth and smaller reflection coefficient as compared to deployable dipole antenna designs in [39,42].…”

“…Dipole antennas can also be implemented as printed elements placed on the surface of the CubeSat. In [40], Liu et al proposed a cluster of three 3×1 printed dipole antenna array for use on 1U CubeSats; see Fig. 31.…”

“…However, its main limitation is its large size which covers a large area on CubeSat, i.e., 80mm × 80mm on each CubeSat's face. Compared to the designs in [39,42], the one in [40] does not require a deployment mechanism and has the ability to steer the beam.…”