Antenna user terminal with Wide Angle Impedance Matching (WAIM) metamaterial radome (ESA-WAIM)

Themes: Phased Arrays

Development of Satcom antenna for user terminals, with improved performances with respect to available phased array solutions.
The objective of the activity is to analyse, design, manufacture and test a user terminal antenna including a radome with Wide Angle Impedance Matching (WAIM). Significant improvements with respect to the available phased array solutions are expected. The antenna concept shall be verified through the design, manufacture and test of a completely representative breadboard.

The proposed approach is to target planar antenna solutions capable of steering a pencil beam over a very wide scan range, up to +/-60 degrees from broadside in all azimuthal planes. This will be achieved with one of the following concepts:

(a) An electronically steered ultra-wideband phased array with integrated WAIM, that has the advantage of combining in a single shared aperture both Ku- and Ka-bands simultaneously;

(b) A fixed beam phased array with one or two passive rotating metascreens, that has the main advantage of realizing low-cost beam steering;

(c) A hybrid solution combining (a) and (b).

Project data

Researchers: Daniele Cavallo, Andrea Neto, Alexander van Katwijk
Starting date: June 2019
Closing date: June 2021
Funding: 450 kE; related to group 250 kE
Sponsor: ESA
Partners: Wave Up s.r.l, University of Siena
Users: European Space Agency (ESA)
Contact: Daniele Cavallo