High-Gain Compact Circularly Polarized X-Band Superstrate Antenna for CubeSat Applications

Abstract

In this letter, a concept of a high-gain circularly polarized X-band antenna employing a partially reflecting surface (PRS) has been presented. In the initial antenna analysis, the influence of parasitic element size in the PRS structure on antenna radiation pattern parameters has been investigated and the optimal arrangement of the elements has been identified. The proposed antenna provides a wide bandwidth of return loss above 10 dB of 20% (8-9.8 GHz) and circular polarization (CP) in a frequency range 8.35-8.95 GHz. The final design is compact (62 × 62 × 22.2 mm) and lightweight (29.7 g), which makes it suitable for use not only in CubeSat X-band communication systems but also in drones and high-altitude pseudosatellite applications.