Reconfigurable and Foldable Monolithic Reflectarray

In this paper, we propose a novel reconfigurable ReflectArray (RA) with multiple apertures for Cubesat applications. The design consists of a central RA with two or more folding panels connected using a surrogate hinge. Depending on the folding direction of these panels (forward or backward), a new RA aperture is formed. The proposed RA with the folding panels and corresponding hinges are printed on a single PCB board. A design of such an RA with two foldable panels is presented. This RA has two different single pencil beams pointing at $(\theta=30^{o},\phi=0^{o})$ and $(\theta=-30^{o},\ \phi=0^{o})$, as well as a dual-beam pattern with beam peaks at $(\theta=\pm 30^{o},\ \phi=0^{o})$ operating in the Ku-band at 16 GHz. Key advantages of this RA for CubeSat applications include small stowed volume, low fabrication cost, and reduced complexity.