Transparent microstrip antennas for CubeSat applications

Abstract

Simple antennas such as wire whips are commonly used on CubeSats because they do not obstruct the solar panels. These are mechanically deployed and prone to failure. This paper offers several antenna solutions that address the challenges associated with launching standards and the need for solar panels. Each design aims to fit onto a face of a 3-unit (3U) CubeSat. The design frequencies are 2.4 GHz and 434 MHz for ground communication, 1.616 GHz for communication with the Iridium satellite constellation, and 900 MHz for communication between CubeSats. Based on the simulation results, three types of patch antennas were fabricated: silver mesh antennas on quartz substrates, solid patch antennas of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) on glass substrates, and a copper slatted ring resonator antenna on RO4533 substrate.