PHOAM

Status

Completed
Status date

2025-08-05
Activity Code

6C.030

Objectives

This project aims to de-risk technologies for the development of a multi-beam electronically-steered phased array antenna using hybrid beamforming. The envisaged antenna aims to establish broadband connections with future low Earth orbit (LEO) / medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellations, as well as with existing geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites.

Challenges

To develop a beamformer suitable for Ka-band.
To optimise the complete radio frequency (RF) chain in terms of performance and power consumption.
To develop a photonic integrated circuit for flexible and power efficient photonic beamforming.

Benefits

With our hybrid approach, we will tackle the typical energy consumption and heat generation from digital beamforming antennas, allowing us to achieve higher data rates, multi-beam, multi-orbit.

The modular and scalable approach allow us to customise the product for different market needs.

Features

The technology is based on electronically steerable multibeam with hybrid beamforming with separate reception (Rx) and transmission (Tx) array elements (Rx from 17.7 GHz to 20.2 GHz and Tx from 27.5 GHz to 30 GHz – Ka-band).

The antenna will be able to independently switch each transmit and receive beam between Right-Hand Circular Polarisation (RHCP) and Left-Hand Circular Polarisation (LHCP) polarisation.

The antenna will be scalable to provide adequate Gain-to-Noise Temperature Ratio (G/T) and Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) and presents an instantaneous Rx bandwidth up to 500 MHz. It can work with more than one beam.

System Architecture

There are 256 radiating elements with circular polarisation and hybrid beamforming.

Plan

The project will take 21 months and it will focus on 2 main activities: a preliminary design of the antenna system and a hybrid beamforming.

Current status

The activity has been completed.