S-band koch snowflake fractal antenna for cubesats

This paper presents the design, simulation and implementation of a novel Koch curve fractal antenna, developed according to the second iteration of the Koch snowflake fractal for 2.3 GHz, 2.4 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The measurements of the simulated and fabricated antenna show good agreement for the operating frequencies and desirable performance in gain, bandwidth and VSWR parameters. Being a compact antenna, it has a size, geometry and characteristics that go in accord to CubeSat's structure standards. The antenna was fabricated on a 1.5 mm thick FR-4 substrate. The VSWR achieved values are lower than 1.4 for the frequencies used. Additionally, the simulated radiation pattern is omnidirectional and shows good gain and directivity. A maximum gain of 4.39 dBi was achieved.