Low-Cost S-Band Reconfigurable Monopole/Patch Antenna for CubeSats

Abstract

The development of reconfigurable antennas compatible with a CubeSat form factor can aid several space missions. Often, satellite missions require multiple wireless links with the same radio, but the design of such antennas is challenging due to the mechanical constraints and the limited power aboard a CubeSat. In this article, we present a unique reconfigurable antenna concept enabled by adhesive polyimide tapes. The presented antenna can switch from a conventional patch to a monopole-like antenna with minimal actuation complexity. This reconfiguration provides choices for polarization, pattern, and gain without use of active components for size, cost and power consumption reductions. The frequency of operation is S-band (2.4 GHz), and the antenna achieves S_{11} < -10 dB for both reconfiguration states. Measurements compare well with simulations in both states.