RF Systems for Aerospace – Evolving Methods, Techniques and Applications

This paper traces the evolution of RF systems for aerospace applications. It discusses the new techniques and implementation methods for systems meant for conventional applications like launch vehicle and satellite telemetry and how they are enabled by advancements in other technology areas like Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Integrated Circuits (ICs) and Embedded Systems. Further, some exciting new application areas are explained which are relevant in the context of new generation missions like inter-planetary spacecrafts, Re-usable Launch Vehicles (RL V) and ‘fly-by-wireless' drones and aircrafts. A few case studies of actual systems realized and demonstrated in piggy-back flight mode are presented to illustrate how these systems exhibit versatility, efficiency and high performance while preserving the important attributes for the aerospace application domain like reliability and ruggedness.