Ka-Band PAA for Satellite Telemetry System for RLVs & Aircraft

The development and implementation of passive phased array antennas (PAAs) offers significant performance benefits over the current active arrays. The keys to successful development are the low-loss phase shifters and the integration of these phase shifters into a modular and scaleable antenna architecture for broad utilization for high data rate communications. The Phase 1 effort demonstrated a 3.0 dB 360-degree finline phase shifter at 25.25 to 27.5 GHz. The proposed effort will build on this Phase I phase shifter development and include the design, simulation, testing and integration of the rest of the antenna design and packaging for ease of manufacturing and scalability such that 15dBi gain antenna is built and delivered to NASA for evaluation.