Novel Isoflux Antenna Alternative for LEO Satellites Downlink

Antennas with a shaped pattern are attractive for Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) Satellites. The use of a strong shaping assists to maintain a nearly constant power density level on the ground during the passage of the satellite over the groundstation. A lightweight but very solid antenna has been developed by RYMSA (Spain) to provide such characteristics. The antenna exploits a balanced combination of a biconical horn antenna and a hybrid mode feed and its performances are a result of dedicated theoretical and experimental investigations. The antenna configuration as such is of interest for various applications. It has been selected as data downlink antenna for the polar orbiting satellites of the METOP program.