X‐band dual‐band horn antenna with isoflux pattern for deep‐space applications

Abstract

In this paper, an X‐band dual‐band dual‐polarized medium‐gain antenna (MGA) is designed for deep‐space satellite applications. The MGA has isoflux radiation patterns in the 7.145–7.19 and 8.40–8.45 GHz frequency bands. The concentric ring horn qualification model named MGA is developed for TIAN WEN‐2 (TW‐2) mission. MGA is fabricated and the measurements are conducted on it and its installation on the deck of the TW‐2 Radiation Mockup (RM). The performance evaluation of MGA and its corresponding RM measurements indicate an axial ratio lower than 4.0 dB and a gain higher than 5.8 dBic on the operational bandwidth at the coverage limit of 40° for all azimuth angles (φ). The calculated and measured data align exceedingly well, confirming that MGA satisfactorily meets the requirements for the forthcoming TW‐2 deep‐space spacecraft.