Overview of Cube Sats: From concept to orbit

CubeSat Antennas— from Link Budget Analysis to Orbits

CubeSats are modular and standardized modern small satellites. They have been gaining steady popularity as educational projects, low-cost space exploration vehicles for technology demonstrations, multi-point observations of space environment, and monitoring/reporting proper deployment of expensive deep space instruments.

Antennas are critical components for CubeSat missions and provide some or all of the following functions: telemetry, tracking, command (TT&C), high speed downlink for payload data, receiving positioning data, and inter-satellite cross links. To provide reliable and effective antenna solutions, it is important to understand basics of CubeSat development cycle and link budget analysis.

The objective of this presentation is to offer a tour of several recent CubeSat missions and antenna designs for spacecraft, ground station, and radio beacon. The designs are guided by the link budget analysis, material selection, and form factors specific to each application.

Bio

Dr. Reyhan Baktur is an associate professor at the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Utah State University (USU). Her research interests include antennas and microwave engineering with a focus on antenna design for CubeSats; optically transparent antennas; multifunctional integrated antennas, sensors, and microwave circuits.

She is affiliated with the Center for Space Engineering at USU, the Space Dynamics Laboratory (the university affiliated research center), and collaborates with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Dr. Baktur is an an IEEE Antennas and Propagation (APS) Distinguished Lecturer of 2022-2024, AdCom member of IEEE APS, and is active in US National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science, serving as the vice chair for commission B, and the inaugural chair for the Women in Radio Science.

Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/358488