Technology Trends and Challenges of Antennas for Satellite Communication Systems

Communication is one of the most essential activities of mankind and there is no doubt that satellite communications have made a tremendous stride in this matter. The goal has been to create uninterrupted, seamless, high throughput connectivity no matter where. The fact that this is all possible is because of the existence of electromagnetic waves: Antennas play a pivotal role in advanced functionality, efficient usage of the bandwidth, and cost effective deployment of this technology. The trends of the technological development of antennas for a wide range of commercial satellite communication services and the challenges faced in their development are chronologically reviewed. Various antenna concepts are summarized and future challenges are projected. A rather comprehensive list of references is included to assist the reader with further reading beyond this paper.