A Wideband Circularly-Polarized Spiral Antenna for CubeSat Application

Authors

  • A. M. Ahmad Mustafa Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • S. Mohamad Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • N. F. Abdul Malek Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • F. N. Mohd. Isa Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • I. M. Rafiqul Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Keywords:

Circular Polarization, CubeSat, FrequencyIndependent Antennas, Spiral Antennas, Wideband Antennas,

Abstract

In this paper, a wideband circularly-polarized spiral antenna is proposed to be used for CubeSat application. The antenna covers two of CubeSat frequencies; the S-band (2.2 GHz) and X-band (8 GHz). The proposed antenna belongs to the wideband and frequency-independent antenna category, which are known to provide a constant radiation pattern, impedance and polarization throughout the whole bandwidth. The performance of the spiral is compared in two different conditions; in free space and above a ground plane with a separation distance of λ/4 at the operating frequency of 2.2 GHz and 8 GHz. The spiral above the ground plane exhibits a unidirectional radiation and higher gain with an increase of 26.6% (2.2 GHz) to 34.6% (8 GHz) than the free space spiral. Moreover, the return loss also managed to stay within the ideal limit of S11<-10dB (-19.528 dB at 2.2 GHz, and -21.92 dB at 8 GHz) and exhibits circularly-polarized radiation with low axial ratio<3 dB (0.78 dB at 2.2 GHz, and 0.89 dB at 8 GHz).

References

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Published

2018-02-15

How to Cite

Ahmad Mustafa, A. M., Mohamad, S., Abdul Malek, N. F., Mohd. Isa, F. N., & Rafiqul, I. M. (2018). A Wideband Circularly-Polarized Spiral Antenna for CubeSat Application. Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering (JTEC), 10(1-8), 17–20. Retrieved from https://jtec.utem.edu.my/jtec/article/view/3727

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1-8: Breakthrough To Excellence in Communication and Computer Engineering IV

Section

Articles

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