A High Gain Deployable L/S Band Conical Helix Antenna Integrated With Optical System for Earth Observation CubeSats

Abstract

In this study, a new spiral dual-band antenna integrated with an optical system for a small CubeSat spacecraft was proposed. It is challenging to design an antenna with a limited space on a CubeSat platform. To improve the space utilization, an antenna was designed based on the concept of not occupying the sides of the CubeSat. A feature of the proposed antenna system is its compactness, dual-band operation in the L- and S-bands, and possibility of integration with spacecraft cameras. As a result of the study, reflection coefficients of −18 dB and −23 dB and gain of 6.8 dBi and 7.4 dBi, respectively, were achieved at resonant frequencies of 1.7 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The conical shape of the spiral antenna allows the optical system to increase the coverage area, and a simple deployment system with feedback ensures the mission safety. These properties make the proposed antenna suitable for CubeSat systems.

Keywords

• CubeSat antenna
• dual-band antenna
• earth observation
• helix antenna