Design of a multibeam metasurface antenna for LEO satellite communications payload

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we propose a novel method for synthesizing a multibeam metasurface antenna (MSA) for use in a space application - a payload component of a small satellite as part of a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication constellation. MSA is synthesized using the holographic technique with a divergent phase distribution. Using this method, a low-cost multi-beam Ku-band antenna with seven flattened beams is developed. The results of the numerical simulation and experimental study of the proposed seven-beam MSA were presented. The gain of each beam is about 25 dBi, the aperture efficiency of the MSA is ∼40%. Each individual beam had a separate feed point and its own inclination angle (0°, ±3.5°, ±7°, ±10.5°). This paper shows that the presented MSA is not inferior in its characteristics to similar solutions, but is more compact and lighter, and also allows the formation of complex radiation patterns.