Small Spacecraft Technology
Development of Novel Integrated Antennas for CubeSats
Project Introduction
The antenna system on a small satellite is a critical component, as a failure of the antenna can lead to mission failure. Present antenna systems are typically wire “whip” antennas that are fragile, prone to breakage, and are quite protrusive from the cubesat body. The main objective of this research is to replace these off-the-shelf whip antennas with low-profile transparent microstrip antennas that are integrated into the frame of the cubesat body, directly over the solar panels. The low-profile designs will not protrude from the cubesat surface by more than 5 mm, and will be mechanically durable.
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Anticipated Benefits
The antennas resulting from this work will be low profile and integrated direction onto the CubeSat frame, giving much better reliability and compactness in the CubeSat design. This new approach to CubeSat antenna design is expected to result in a major paradigm shift in the way CubeSats are designed. Making the antennas reconfigurable will allow for the same antennas to be used for different frequency bands and different polarizations, making the CubeSats a versatile as possible. This will allow for next-generation communication capabilities that do not yet exist for CubeSats.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Johnson Space Center
(JSC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Houston, TX |
| University of Houston | Supporting Organization | Industry |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Texas
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Responsible Program:
- Small Spacecraft Technology
Project Management
Project Duration
Start: Oct 2013
End: Apr 2016
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 3 |
| Current: | 3 |
| Estimated End: | 5 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TA 5 Communications, Navigation, and Orbital Debris Tracking and Characterization Systems
- TA 5.2 Radio Frequency Communications
- TA 5.2.6 Antennas