Description
The objective of this activity is to develop and test a Ka-band sparse active transmit antenna breadboard and associated beamforming network for ground terminals to be connected with satellites in orbits ranging from geostationary orbits to low earth orbit orbits. Targeted Improvements: - 25% reduction in the number of active controls.- 5% increase in the DC-to-RF power efficiency at antenna level, due to the reduced exploitation of amplitude tapering.- 15% reduction in the overall mass for the entire antenna.Description: Sparse arrays research and development has matured in the past years and some first non-European solutions are emerging on the market. Sparse arrays are attractive for active antenna with a large number of elements as the number of active controls can be reduced, DC-to-RF power efficiency can be improved, and overall mass can be lowered, with limited impact on the beamwidth. In addition, grating lobes and mutual coupling are reduced. Finally, irregular layouts may also be beneficial in order to accommodate, within thesame aperture, antennas with different target requirements. This activity will develop an active antenna breadboard including a beamforming network for a ground terminal that is able to operate with satellites in orbits ranging from geostationary to low earth orbits. Active phased-array antenna concepts exploiting sparse radiating elements layouts and sparse topologies for beamforming networks will be studied as well as suitable thermal management concepts. Key building blocks will be manufactured and tested, and a breadboard of a transmit sparse active antenna, including the most representative passive and active components, will be assembled and tested. The breadboard shall have switchable circular polarisation capability.