This book focuses on engineering design approaches for spacecraft antennas. Based on their functions in spacecraft, it discusses practical antenna design, measurement and testing. Most of the antennas covered originated at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), which has launched almost 300 satellites into orbit. The book presents antenna systems for seven existing spacecraft designs, while also introducing readers to new antenna technologies for spacecraft. This book is intended for researchers, graduate students, and engineers in various fields of aerospace technology and astronautics, especially spacecraft design, communication engineering and related areas.

This book focuses on engineering design approaches for spacecraft antennas. Based on their functions in spacecraft, it discusses practical antenna design, measurement and testing. Most of the antennas covered originated at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), which has launched almost 300 satellites into orbit. The book presents antenna systems for seven existing spacecraft designs, while also introducing readers to new antenna technologies for spacecraft. This book is intended for researchers, graduate students, and engineers in various fields of aerospace technology and astronautics, especially spacecraft design, communication engineering and related areas.

This book addresses a broad range of topics on antennas for space applications. First, it introduces the fundamental methodologies of space antenna design, modelling and analysis as well as the state-of-the-art and anticipated future technological developments. Each of the topics discussed are specialized and contextualized to the space sector. Furthermore, case studies are also provided to demonstrate the design and implementation of antennas in actual applications. Second, the authors present a detailed review of antenna designs for some popular applications such as satellite communications, space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers, science instruments, radio astronomy, small satellites, and deep-space applications. Finally it presents the reader with a comprehensive path from space antenna development basics to specific individual applications. Key Features: Presents a detailed review of antenna designs for applications such as satellite communications, space-borne SAR, GNSS receivers, science instruments, small satellites, radio astronomy, deep-space applications Addresses the space antenna development from different angles, including electromagnetic, thermal and mechanical design strategies required for space qualification Includes numerous case studies to demonstrate how to design and implement antennas in practical scenarios Offers both an introduction for students in the field and an in-depth reference for antenna engineers who develop space antennas This book serves as an excellent reference for researchers, professionals and graduate students in the fields of antennas and propagation, electromagnetics, RF/microwave/millimetrewave systems, satellite communications, radars, satellite remote sensing, satellite navigation and spacecraft system engineering, It also aids engineers technical managers and professionals working on antenna and RF designs. Marketing and business people in satellites, wireless, and electronics area who want to acquire a basic understanding of the technology will also find this book of interest.

Presents an overview of CubeSat antennas designed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) CubeSats—nanosatellites built to standard dimensions of 10cm x 10 cm x cm—are making space-based Earth science observation and interplanetary space science affordable, accessible, and rapidly deployable for institutions such as universities and smaller space agencies around the world. CubeSat Antenna Design is an up-to-date overview of CubeSat antennas designed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), covering the systems engineering knowledge required to design these antennas from a radio frequency and mechanical perspective. This authoritative volume features contributions by leading experts in the field, providing insights on mission-critical design requirements for state-of-the-art CubeSat antennas and discussing their development, capabilities, and applications. The text begins with a brief introduction to CubeSats, followed by a detailed survey of low-gain, medium-gain, and high-gain antennas. Subsequent chapters cover topics including the telecommunication subsystem of Mars Cube One (MarCO), the enabling technology of Radar in a CubeSat (RainCube), the development of a one-meter mesh reflector for telecommunication at X- and Ka-band for deep space missions, and the design of multiple metasurface antennas. Written to help antenna engineers to enable new CubeSate NASA missions, this volume: Describes the selection of high-gain CubeSat antennas to address specific mission requirements and constraints for instruments or telecommunication Helps readers learn how to develop antennas for future CubeSat missions Provides key information on the effect of space environment on antennas to inform design steps Covers patch and patch array antennas, deployable reflectarray antennas, deployable mesh reflector, inflatable antennas, and metasurface antennas CubeSat Antenna Design is an important resource for antenna/microwave engineers, aerospace systems engineers, and advanced graduate and postdoctoral students wanting to learn how to design and fabricate their own antennas to address clear mission requirements.

The challenge of communication in planetary exploration has been unusual. The guidance and control of spacecraft depend on reliable communication. Scientific data returned to earth are irreplaceable, or replaceable only at the cost of another mission. In deep space, communications propagation is good, relative to terrestrial communications, and there is an opportunity to press toward the mathematical limit of microwave communication. Yet the limits must be approached warily, with reliability as well as channel capacity in mind. Further, the effects of small changes in the earth's atmosphere and the interplanetary plasma have small but important effects on propagation time and hence on the measurement of distance. Advances are almost incredible. Communication capability measured in 18 bits per second at a given range rose by a factor of 10 in the 19 years from Explorer I of 1958 to Voyager of 1977. This improvement was attained through ingenious design based on the sort of penetrating analysis set forth in this book by engineers who took part in a highly detailed and amazingly successful pro gram. Careful observation and analysis have told us much about limitations on the accurate measurement of distance. It is not easy to get busy people to tell others clearly and in detail how they have solved important problems. Joseph H. Yuen and the other contribu tors to this book are to be commended for the time and care they have devoted to explicating one vital aspect of a great adventure of mankind.

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

This book addresses the fundamentals and practical implementations of antennas for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) In this book, the authors discuss the various aspects of GNSS antennas, including fundamentals of GNSS, design approaches for the GNSS terminal and satellite antennas, performance enhancement techniques and effects of user’s presence and surrounding environment on these antennas. In addition, the book will provide the reader with an insight into the most important aspects of the GNSS antenna technology and lay the foundations for future advancements. It also includes a number of real case studies describing the ways in which antenna design can be adapted to conform to the design constraints of practical user devices, and also the management of potential adverse interactions between the antenna and its platform. Key Features: Covers the fundamentals and practical implementations of antennas for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Describes technological advancements for GPS, Glonass, Galileo and Compass Aims to address future issues such as multipath interference, in building operation, RF interference in mobile Includes a number of real case studies to illustrate practical implementation of GNSS This book will be an invaluable guide for antenna designers, system engineers, researchers for GNSS systems and postgraduate students (antennas, satellite communication technology). R&D engineers in mobile handset manufacturers, spectrum engineers will also find this book of interest.