Design of an Extended Phased Antenna Array for Beam Steering Applications on a CubeSat

Phased array antennas offer several advantages when used on a CubeSat. These include, amongst others, the ability to electronically, and precisely, steer the main beam towards the ground station on Earth. This reduces the need for mechanical attitude control and establishes a more reliable connection. This paper presents the design of an extended planar array antenna for a CubeSat which includes deployable auxiliary panels. The additional panels increase the number of radiating elements in the array which results in a larger maximum scan angle and an increased antenna gain. Simulations done in CST Studio Suite 2023 reveal that the design achieves a maximum scan angle from boresight of 107° for a maximum side lobe level (SLL) of −10 dB and a minimum gain of 11.4 dBi using a uniform amplitude excitation. The range can be further extended to 125° using a Binomial amplitude distribution at the expense of a 3 dB scan loss and a lower gain. The technology can be adapted for use in radar applications.