Inflatable antennas and arrays for interplanetary communication using CubeSats and smallsats

Abstract

In <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sup> the past, great progress has been made in the development of small satellites and CubeSats, mainly for low Earth orbit. Currently, a new technological trend is the development of technologies and strategies for potential interplanetary applications of small platforms (CubeSats/Satellites). Given the limited size, mass and power capabilities of these small platforms, one of the most interesting problems is how to allow small satellites to communicate from very far distance in the solar system. This paper aims to review and possibly combine two solutions for the problem: the use of inflatable antenna reflectors and the arrays across multiple spacecraft. An overview of the inflatable antenna technology, its development and tests, its applicability in terms of frequencies and sizes, and the advantages with respect to other technologies is described. An overview of cooperative communication techniques across small platforms is presented and the main challenges of arraying antennas on different spacecraft are underlined. Finally, the two solutions are combined to provide a first order quantification of the advantages in terms of EIRP, data rate and range.