A New Wideband and Passive Tx & Rx SatCom Antenna Module for Beam Steering in the K- and Ka-Band

Abstract

A new Tx&Rx antenna module on satellite is presented for multiple beam steering in the K- and Ka-band. The antenna module consists of two antenna arrays with 240 radiators in total and with their normals tilted by ± 30° to nadir, respectively. Both antenna arrays consist of 16 layers, each having 15 radiators that are fed by a distribution network made up of a Rotman Lens realized in hollow waveguide technology. The two arrays cover a one-dimensional angular steering range of ± 30°, and thus a total steering range of ± 60° around nadir. Simulation results of the realized gain patterns of the antenna module are presented for all steering angles at 20 GHz and 30 GHz. The simulation results are verified by a first realized version of one antenna layer, where measured and simulated results show good agreement.