Integrated Solar Panel Slot Antennas Certified for CubeSat Missions

Abstract

This paper presents three prototypes of cavity-backed slot antennas integrated with solar panels. The antenna design is straightforward and requires minimal alteration on the solar panel’s geometry. The antennas and solar cells are on the same surface and are effectively independent of each other. This eliminates the need for custom designed solar cells required in previous studies. The integrated solar panel antennas were demonstrated using all commercial-off-the-shelf space-qualified components and printed circuit board technology. The presented modular design method is valuable for CubeSats primarily built with standardized commercial components and where the surface area is limited to house solar panels and antennas separately. The integrated solar-antenna panels include a circularly polarized antenna, a linear two-slot antenna, and a dual band antenna. Measurements were performed to validate both antennas’ and solar panels’ functionality and the results are outstanding when compared to the antenna design data and solar cells’ specifications.