Lightweight and Cost Efficient Space Qualified Patch Antenna

In order to achieve lightweight yet low cost antennas for use in a geostationary space environment, the GeReLEO-SMART project develops a substrate-based, multilayer antenna structure which can replace traditional horn antennas as feeds for reflector antennas. To verify a design, an example mission is developed, consisting of a 2x2 patch antenna array with an integrated stripline bandpass filter. The operation frequency is 25.935 GHz. This multilayer antenna will be tested on board of the German technology demonstration mission “Heinrich-Hertz” (H2SAT). The design passed all tests for space qualification without decrease in performance.