PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
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Address the market needs of K/Ka-band user terminal antennas by simplifying the tracking hardware for mobile applications.
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Produce a K/Ka-band self-steered antenna demonstrator breadboard using hybrid analogue/digital retrodirective antenna techniques
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The system consists of retrodirective IF circuits developed by QUB and a K/Ka-band frontend developed by IMST
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The retrodirective methods used draw on the experience of QUB producing similar antennas at L band frequencies
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The retrodirective antenna offers real-time tracking capacity with minimum DSP usage
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The K/Ka-band frontend is based on COTS MMIC GaAs components. An additional development plan outlines how further integration can achieve a higher TRL.
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This has produced the first practical demonstration of a 2×4 element K/Ka-band retrodirective breadboard prototype employing a hybrid analogue/digital delay locked loop (DLL) phase conjugator.
Challenges
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Produce a K/Ka-band retrodirective antenna breadboard with sufficient simplicity, low cost and power consumption to have the potential to be scaled up for applications such as ground user terminals
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The ability to operate at K/Ka-band with closely spaced satellites using the same frequency spectrum, and solving some of the related control aspects.
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Providing potential for K/Ka-band and retrodirective circuits to be simple enough to be combined onto a custom chip that can be integrated with a K/Ka-band antenna array
System Architecture
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The retrodirective circuit utilises a hybrid analogue/digital phase conjugating architecture drawing on the experience of producing such systems at L-band
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In order to deal with some of the more challenging aspects of operating at K/Ka-band, such as the ability to select a particular satellite in a range of closely spaced satellites using the same frequency spectrum, the retrodirective circuits will make use of low powered microcontrollers to provide some “intelligence” to the beam steering
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The K/Ka-band frontend consists of up/down conversion chain to an IF frequency compatible with the retrodirective circuits.
Plan
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Define specification for K/Ka-band retrodirective antenna
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Define specific critical breadboards to be designed – Milestone 1: Consolidated requirements & critical breadboards definition
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Critical breadboard design
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Critical breadboard Manufacture
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Critical breadboard test – Milestone 2: Breadboard Test Report
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Baseline design for final breadboard – Milestone 3: Baseline Design Review
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Detailed design for final breadboard – Milestone 4: Detailed Design Review
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Final breadboard test of – Milestone 5: Test Readiness Review, Milestone 6: Test Review Board
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Final review – Milestone 7: Final Review
Current Status
Project now completed from Feasibility Study to Final Demonstration.
Companies
