Metamaterial S-band Patch Antenna Design and Modeling for Nanosatellite Communications

In this work, a patch antenna operating in the S-band (2–4 GHz) was designed and modeled for the nanosatellite communication system or ISM band, adjusting the design according to application. Metamaterials can be incorporated into the design either as a reflective surface placed at a precise distance from the antenna or by etching unit cells onto the patch or ground plane. Given the constraints of nanosatellite applications, maintaining a gap between the metamaterial and the antenna was deemed impractical, as space debris could accumulate, potentially altering performance or causing damage. To mitigate this risk, the metamaterial unit cell was etched into the ground plane, eliminating the need for separation support and reducing the antenna's overall volume. Both a conventional patch antenna and a metamaterial-based patch antenna with similar performance were designed and modeled to evaluate the benefits of metamaterial integration. The metamaterial antenna achieved a 21% size reduction. Right-hand circular polarization was obtained by truncating two diagonal corners of the patch. A prototype was fabricated and tested in the laboratory, revealing a resonance frequency shift to 2.458 GHz with a return loss of -35.2 dB and an increased bandwidth of 71 MHz. The final antenna design has compact dimensions of 40 × 40 mm² with a thickness of 0.76 mm, making it well-suited for nanosatellite applications.