Patch Feeder Design for 3U Cubesat Deployable Reflectarray Antenna

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a 4×4 patch antenna array to serve as the feeder for a reflectarray antenna on a 3U CubeSat. The reflectarray is intended for high-gain, space-constrained applications in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond such as earth observation, data relay communication, and deep space missions. The proposed feed patch antenna array uses a square patch elements with truncate tips to achieve circular polarization. The 4×4 patch antenna array operates in the X-band (7.8-9 GHz) and is designed for an operating frequency of 8.22 GHz, providing an optimal radiation pattern for illuminating the reflectarray. The antenna array is designed by using computer simulation technology (CST) software and achieves a return loss of less than -10 dB, with a maximum gain of 19.6 dBi.