Design and analysis of microstrip antenna arrays for meteorological nano-satellites for UHF uplink

Abstract

This paper presents the study of microstrip antenna arrays for meteorological nano-satellites that are under development in the frame of UNIESPAÇO programme, which is supported by the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). The main goal of such satellites is to serve as data relay for transmission of meteorological data collected by stations deployed in remote areas, such as in the rain forest, whereby no wired communication is possible. Arrays composed of linearly and circularly polarized microstrip antennas are investigated. The performance of such arrays is assessed including parameter variations, especially for the case of dielectric constant of the antenna substrate and misalignment in the orientation of the array elements. Such imperfections can occur due to mechanical stress and large temperature variations that are typical to the space environment. The antennas were modeled with the electromagnetic simulator Ansys HFSS. Good results have been observed in terms of the axial ratio, impedance bandwidth and gain for both of the proposed models.