A dual-polarized microstrip subarray antenna for an inflatable L-band synthetic aperture radar

Inflatable technology has been identified as a potential solution to the problem of achieving small mass, high packaging efficiency, and reliable deployment for future NASA spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) antennas. Presently, there exists a requirement for a dual-polarized L-band SAR antenna with an aperture size of 10 m/spl times/3 m, a center frequency of 1.25 GHz, a bandwidth of 80 MHz, electronic beam scanning, and a mass of less than 100 kg. The work presented is part of the ongoing effort to develop such an inflatable antenna array.