RainCube: The First Spaceborne Precipitation Radar in a 6U CubeSat: From Concept to Mission
UNKNOWN
Sacco, Gian Franco↗
Engineering topics
Chahat, Nacer
Publications and source records attributed to Chahat, Nacer.
X/Ka-band one-meter deployable mesh reflector for Deep Space Network telecommunication
A deployable one meter mesh reflector compatible with 12U-class CubeSat is introduced for telecommunication. It is compatible with NASA’s deep-space network (DSN) at X-band (i.e., uplink: 7.145-7.19 GHz; downlink: 8.4-8.45 GHz) and Ka-band frequencies (i.e., uplink: 34.2–34.7 GHz; downlink: 31.8–32.3 GHz). Three right-handed circularly polarized (RHCP) antennas, both transmit and receive, are introduced here: X-band only, Ka-band only, and X/Ka-band.
Freebury, Gregg↗
All-metal dual frequency RHCP high gain antenna for the extreme environments of a potential Europa Lander
A new all-metal dual-frequency RHCP high gain antenna is under development at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for a potential Europa Lander. The antenna is mainly made of metal so it could survive the harsh environment conditions of Europa (i.e. very low temperature and high radiation and ESD levels). The antenna is flat to meet drastic volume constraints and has efficiencies higher than 80% at both the uplink and downlink X-band Deep Space frequency bands. This antenna is a key component for the potential mission enabling Direct Link to Earth (DTE) without any relying on an Orbiter to relay the data.
Chahat, Nacer↗
Deployment mechanisms for high packing efficiency One-MEter Reflectarray Antenna (OMERA)
While the capabilities of CubeSats have greatly increased in the past years, large, deployable high frequency apertures remain a limitation. The goal of this work is to develop a large 1 meter antenna operating at 35.75 GHz for RADAR applications. A reflectarray design was selected, as the flat panels are compatible with the CubeSat form factor. A center-fed, Cassegrain configuration was selected for the feed, to minimize deployed height. The flat panel configuration and Cassegrain feed allowed the entire 1 meter antenna to be compatible with a 6U bus, leaving a little under 4U of volume for remaining instrument and spacecraft components. Several iterations of the design have been built and tested, with an RF test of a fully deployed assembly being completed most recently. Prior to constructing the flight model, another iteration will need to be built and tested. The goal is to have the antenna flight ready before 2020.
Cwik, Tom↗
Deployment Mechanisms for High Packing Efficiency OneMeter Reflectarray Antenna (OMERA)
While the capabilities of CubeSats have greatly increased in the past years, large, deployable high frequency apertures remain a limitation. The goal of this work was to develop a large 1 meter antenna operating at 35.75 Ghz for RADAR applications. A reflectarray design was selected, as the flat panels were compatible with the CubeSat form factor. A center-fed, Cassegrain configuration was selected for the feed, to minimize deployed height. The flat panel configuration and Cassegrain feed allowed the entire 1 meter antenna to be compatible with a 6U bus, leaving a little under 4U of volume for remaining instrument and spacecraft components. Several iterations of the design have been built and tested, with an RF test of a fully deployed assembly being completed most recently. The goal is to have the antenna flight ready before 2020.
Cwik, Tom↗
RainCube: The First Spaceborne Precipitation Radar in a 6U CubeSat: From Concept to Mission
UNKNOWN
Williams, Austin↗
Lessons Learned from a Deployment Mechanism for a Ka-band Deployable Antenna for CubeSats
The Ka-band parabolic deployable antenna (KaPDA) is a 0.5 meter diameter antenna which fits in a tiny, CubeSat compatible 10 cm by 10 cm by 16 cm volume. The design evolved from a rough concept in an R&D proposal to a fully flight qualified design, scheduled for launch in May of 2018, in a timeframe of just 4 years. This paper focuses on key lessons learned on maintaining precision through structural depth, use of fixtures and additive manufacturing for fabrication, the design of robust, deterministic mechanisms, and the dangers of friction and press fits
Thomson, Mark↗
Antennas for Space Instruments from GHz to THz
In this paper we present an overview of different antenna technologies for space-based instruments. We show that some of the designs that work well at gigahertz frequencies are difficult to implement at terahertz frequencies due to tight tolerance and rms surface finish requirements. We also show that antenna designs are dictated not only by the frequency of operations but also by the space platform of choice. In this paper, we also present ideas for low-profile terahertz antennas for implementation on SmallSat and CubeSat platforms.
Chattopadhyay, Goutam↗
All-Metal Dual Frequency RHCP High Gain Antenna for the Extreme Environments of a Potential Europa Lander
A new all-metal dual-frequency RHCP high gain antenna is under development at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for a potential Europa Lander. The antenna is mainly made of metal so it could survive the harsh environment conditions (i.e. very low temperature and high radiation and ESD levels). The antenna is also flat to meet drastic volume constraints and has efficiencies higher than 80% at both the uplink and downlink X-band Deep Space frequency bands. This antenna is a key component for the potential mission enabling Direct Link to Earth (DTE) from and Direct-from-Earth (DFE) to the lander without any relay.
Estabrook, Polly↗
RainCube, a Ka-band Precipitation Radar in a 6U CubeSat
RainCube (Radar in a CubeSat) is a 6U CubeSat mission between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems (Tyvak). The objective of the mission is to develop, launch, and operate a 35.75 GHz nadirpointing precipitation profiling radar payload to validate a new architecture for Ka-band radars and an ultra-compact deployable Ka-band antenna design in the space environment. RainCube will also demonstrate the feasibility of a radar payload on a CubeSat platform. The radar payload is the evolution of two previous JPL research and development technologies – the miniaturized Ka-band atmospheric radar (miniKaAR) and the 0.5m diameter Ka-band parabolic deployable antenna (KaPDA). JPL has contracted Tyvak to develop the spacecraft bus, integrate the payload, and operate the spacecraft. RainCube is currently in integration and test with an expected ready-for-delivery in September 2017.
Williams, Austin↗