A Ka-Band 64-Element Deployable Active Phased-Array TX on a Flexible Hetero Segmented Liquid Crystal Polymer for Small Satellites

A $Ka$ -band 64-element deployable active phased-array transmitter (TX) on a hetero segment liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate for small satellites is proposed. The proposed phased-array TX achieved a large array size implementation and a small form factor with integrated six-layer and two-layer LCP substrates. Antenna and transmission line designs considering hetero layer structure are presented in detail. Achieving 46.7 dBm electronically isotropically radiated power (EIRP), the proposed phased-array TX can support 256-APSK DVB-S2X. As a result, the proposed deployable active phased-array TX successfully realizes low-launch cost with a 9.65 g lightweight and large antenna aperture size with superior EVM performance.

I. Introduction

As the low earth orbit (LEO) small-satellites have been proven as a key solution in the low-cost and low-latency new-space era, their low form factor and large antenna aperture requirements are being further emphasized. The high output power from a power amplifier (PA) and high antenna gain are obviously critical to construct the long-distance link to the ground station from the satellite. However, the big size and heavy weight of the antenna result in an increase in the satellite launch cost. The deployable phased array is one of the most prominent solutions in the SATCOM applications for a smaller size yet with a large aperture area as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1.

Deployable active phased array with flex hetero segment LCP board.