A Multibeam Antenna for Multi-Orbit LEO Satellites and Terminals with a Very Simple Tracking Technique

Abstract

A foldable/deployable multi-beam antenna has been developed for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and ground stations. It consists of dual parabolic cylindrical reflectors with multiple resonant feeds. It can generate an arbitrary number of beams with arbitrary vertical and horizontal beam-tilt for each beam. It can be remotely controlled to cover any arbitrary area having any shape/size. It has a very wide frequency band-width. It can even, simultaneously, work at multi wide frequency bands such as 5G-sub-6GHz band (3.3-6.0 GHz), Ku-band (10–16 GHz) and Ka-band (18–31 GHz). A very simple beam tracking technique has been developed without using any adaptive methods. For any specific satellite orbit, the orientation of the ground station (terminal) antenna will always be adjusted such that its generated beams are parallel to the satellite's beams and directed toward them. This automatic orientation of the ground station (terminal) antenna, completely, depends on its location, orientation and elevation with no need for any adaptive beam steering/tracking or any adaptive beam-shaping. Furthermore, the terminal antenna can simultaneously communicate with multiple satellites in different orbits. For example, a penta beam terminal antenna can, simultaneously, communicate with five satellites in five different orbits.