Miniature phased array antennas for direct sensor-to-satellite links

Two miniature phased array antenna designs that can be used in small wireless sensor packages to access satellites are presented in this paper. The antennas are designed using an array simulation program. The two models are 19- and 37-element arrays with diameters of 2.35 and 3.35 cm, respectively, operating at the Ka band frequency of 30 GHz. The antennas are well-suited for the small wireless sensors with small batteries that can be charged with a solar cell.