20 GHz phased array antenna for GEO satellite communications

A phased array antenna is under development by Harris Government Communication Systems Division (GCSD), to provide geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) spacecraft the capability to transfer large volumes of data via a space-to-ground link in the 20.20 to 21.20 GHz band. Phased array antennas provide certain advantages over reflector antennas, and may therefore be considered a desirable option for a GEO spacecraft. Because the beam can be steered electronically, no gimballing is required, permitting agile beam repositioning at extremely high rates. This permits a single antenna to communicate with multiple spatially distributed ground stations by agilely repositioning (hopping) the antenna beam from user to user. A phased array antenna can be positioned on a spacecraft to avoid the need for deployment. The distributed amplifiers constituting the active array provide a failure tolerant architecture. The key components of the antenna are also described.