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Ku-band tracking, command and ranging antenna design for small satellites communications applications

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to design a Ku-band tracking, command, and ranging (TCR) antenna for small satellite communications applications. The proposed design combines the conical log spiral antenna (CLSA) with the discone antenna, which is an omnidirectional antenna suitable for installation in next-generation small communication satellites. The novelty of this TCR antenna lies in the selection of parameters to enhance its structure. Consequently, the radiating element and feeding system are optimized to reduce the antenna's size. As a result, the proposed antenna achieves a gain exceeding 6 dBi for uplink frequencies in the Ku-band and it reaches up to 7 dBi for the downlink range which is responsive to the system requirement's to achieve mission objectives.

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Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript. No funding was received for conducting this study. No funds, grants, or other support was received.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Satellite Development Center, Algerian Space Agency, Oran, Algeria

    Zakarya Kourdi, Mohammed Amin Rabah, Ahmed-Ali Kanoun, Faiza Merad & Youcef Benabdellah

Authors
  1. Zakarya Kourdi
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  2. Mohammed Amin Rabah
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  3. Ahmed-Ali Kanoun
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  4. Faiza Merad
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  5. Youcef Benabdellah
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Contributions

Conceptualization: ZK; Methodology: MAR; Formal analysis and investigation: A-AK; Writing—original draft preparation: FM; Writing—review and editing: YB.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohammed Amin Rabah.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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Kourdi, Z., Rabah, M.A., Kanoun, AA. et al. Ku-band tracking, command and ranging antenna design for small satellites communications applications. AS (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42401-023-00261-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42401-023-00261-2

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