Deployable Microwave Antennas for CubeSats, NanoSats, and SmallSats

A small deployable antenna is proposed with an offset-fed paraboloidal reflector for use between 8 and 100 GHz in CubeSat, NanoSat, and SmallSat applications. Apertures vary from 0.5 to 2 meters. For a 0.5 m aperture, the approximate dimensions of the stowed reflector are 6 cm in diameter and 8.86 cm in length, with an approximate mass of 0.25 kg. For a 1.2 m aperture, the approximate dimensions of the stowed reflector are 14.4 cm in diameter and 21.26 cm in length, with an approximate mass of 0.6 kg. For a 2 m aperture, the approximate dimensions of the stowed reflector are 24 cm in diameter and 35.4 cm in length, with an approximate mass of 1 kg. This antenna design builds off the proven mission success of similar designs while remaining competitive in performance with smaller deployable antennas. The stowed volume of this antenna is comparable to the volume of the KaDPA antenna developed by JPL, while providing a potential increase in the antenna efficiency due to the advantages of an offset-fed design compared to its center-fed counterpart. During Phase I, a preliminary design of this antenna system will be developed, as well as its deployment and testing procedures will proposed.