SPADA

User terminals (Ground)

Status

Ongoing
Status date

2024-10-10
Activity Code

7B.046

Objectives

The SPADA antenna focuses on a hybrid approach combining simple manual adjustment and phased array technology. The whole concept targets cost-effectiveness in combination with increased functionality (dual-beam), ease-of-operation and low-profile. By electronically scanning in one plane and manually adjusting the antenna in the perpendicular plane, the SPADA antenna offers the possibility of receiving independently two GEO satellite signals freely to be selected by the user as long as both satellites are in the field of view of the SPADA antenna. Furthermore, the antenna is extremely flat and extrudes only little when mounted making it quite invisible to the untrained eye. The hybrid beam steering concept is highly cost-effective by significantly reducing the number of active components.

Challenges

To realise a low profile cost-effective antenna frontend capable of generating two independent beams for a wide scan range.

Benefits

The SPADA terminal has an extremely low profile when compared to a dish and is therefore far more aesthetically pleasing and easier to mount. The SPADA electronic beam pointing and skew correction enable two simultaneous satellite connections free to be selected by the user. This type of flexibility is not available from any other competitor system. Also, the agile beam pointing enables a very easy installation of the terminal without any additional installation cost.

Features

The SPADA antenna features a low profile flat antenna aperture with two independent beams for dual simultaneous DTH reception. The beams are electronically reconfigurable and freely selectable. The antenna is easy-to-install because any fine adjustment of the beam pointing/skew angle can be performed electronically.

System Architecture

The architecture of the SPADA antenna is based on a classical phase array topology using corechips that possess LNA, amplitude and phase shifters. The antenna aperture consists of 80 column arrays; each composed of 8 slot fed stacked patches with a 8-to-1 feeding network. The output of each column array is fed into a corechip where the correct amplitudes and phases are applied for generating the desired beam pointing and skew angle.

Plan

The project is broken down in the following work packages:

WP1 Antenna technical requirements
WP2 Antenna technology selection
WP3 Antenna detailed design and prototype definition
WP4 Manufactured antenna prototype
WP5 Antenna prototype verification
WP6 Technology development plan

The most important milestones are:

Preliminary design review where important decisions about the baseline topology have to be made.
Critical design review where the details of the baseline design have to be discussed and test results of first breadboards are reviewed.
Test review where the measurement results of the submodule far fields are discussed and analysed.

Current status

The project has been completed.