A High Cross-Pol Isolation Multi-Frequency Antenna for Cloud and Precipitation Research

Remote Sensing Solutions will evaluate the critical parameters and generate a design approach for a portable, all-weather multi-wavelength antenna system suitable for supporting GPM ground validation and for use in other NASA cloud and precipitation research programs. The antenna system will have a number of unique characteristics including high gain (approximately 1 deg half-power beam width) and matched antenna beam shapes. The antenna will support multiple frequencies used for cloud and precipitation sensing. The basic design will provide Ku-band (14 GHz) and Ka-band (35 GHz) channels that can support a variety of polarization and absorption-based rain retrieval algorithms. An additional 95 GHz channel will be considered to augment the cloud-sensing capabilities of the antenna and to allow particle sizing in clouds. The antenna will have extremely high cross-polarization isolation suitable for identifying ice cloud particle habit.