Design of a Space-Based HF Vector Sensor Antenna Array for the AERO-VISTA Mission

The Auroral Emissions Radio Observer (AERO) and Vector Interferometery Space Technology using AERO (VISTA) missions are small-satellite programs funded by NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) for Heliophysics. These missions will use identical spacecraft to observe radio emissions in Earth's ionosphere at low earth orbit. The primary instrument onboard each spacecraft is a Low Frequency (LF) to High Frequency (HF) radio receiver utilizing a vector sensor array antenna, which is comprised of 3 orthogonal dipole antennas and 3 orthogonal loop antennas. The vector sensor array provides both spatial and polarimetric resolution of radio sources, and these observations are expected to offer new insights into the complex dynamic processes of Earths ionosphere at high latitudes. This paper describes the design, modeling, and prototyping for the vector sensor antenna array. Simulation models and preliminary testing show that the design achieves good performance in a deployable nanosatellite form factor.