Low-Loss Ultra-Wideband Feeding Network for Foldable Spaceborne Multifunctional Antenna Arrays

There is a growing interest for multifunctional spaceborne apertures that simultaneously perform tasks such as remote sensing, communications, and meteorology. To this end, ultra-wideband antenna arrays have been designed to provide for large bandwidths of over 46: 1, operating from VHF to millimeter wave frequencies (A. D. Johnson, J. Zhong, S. B. Venkatakrishnan, E. A. Alwan and J. L. Volakis, “Phased Array with Low-Angle Scanning and 46: 1 Bandwidth,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 68, no. 12, pp. 7833–7841, Dec. 2020). However, for small satellites, there is also a requirement for folding/packing. For the latter, the feed must also be foldable and packable. As such, for an array of several elements, individual coaxial feeding may not be attractive as they cause congestion, add weight, and limit deployability.