Engineers at the European Space Agency recently conducted tests on a new antenna concept within an anechoic chamber to assess its capabilities. The chamber’s design ensures that only the antenna’s signals are measured by blocking external signals and absorbing any reflections, creating an environment devoid of echoes.
The new antenna technology, developed and prototyped at ESA’s Microwave Laboratory, focuses on the ability to direct multiple signal beams in different directions using radio beamforming techniques. Unlike traditional high-power, mechanically steerable antennas, this system employs multiple low-power antennas working together to steer radio waves without physically adjusting the antenna itself.
During the tests, engineers successfully showcased how radio signals in the antenna array could be controlled by leveraging the natural symmetry of antennas and radio beams. By adjusting the phase and amplitude of signals for each antenna element in the array, the resulting signal can be steered in the desired direction without the need for physical movement.
The technology builds on ESA’s patented innovations, simplifying the calculation of signals in a digital processor by treating symmetric antenna elements as couples and optimizing the electrical circuitry for antenna couples. These advancements significantly reduce the complexity, mass, and power consumption of the system while maintaining functionality.
Antennas play a crucial role in spacecraft operations, facilitating communication, navigation, and data transmission. To ensure the reliability of such systems in space, prototypes undergo rigorous testing in anechoic chambers like ESA’s Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone (HERTZ) at ESTEC in the Netherlands.
The successful demonstration of the new beamforming concept in the chamber paves the way for its integration into compact, low-power solutions for both space and ground applications. ESA plans to make this technology available to industries in member states for space applications, promoting further research and development in the field.
With end-to-end engineering capabilities, ESA’s team can swiftly prototype and test new concepts, making these facilities accessible to industries and research institutes for their own R&D initiatives. The agency’s commitment to innovation and collaboration underscores its role in advancing technological solutions for the aerospace industry.
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