A Nondeployable, Folded-Dipole, UHF Antenna With Dual Circular Polarization for Nanosatellite Telemetry Applications

The modern nanosatellite paradigm calls for innovative UHF antenna solutions that address the challenges of size, mass, and in-orbit deployment, especially for reliable telemetry and telecommand links. In this paper, we introduce a compact UHF folded dipole antenna that employs a novel three-element sequential rotation technique to achieve simultaneous dual circular polarization. Notable features of the design include its lightweight construction, low directivity for extensive Earth coverage from orbit, and a deployment-free configuration enabled by <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda _{0}/10$</tex-math></inline-formula> miniaturization. The paper also details the antenna's structure, including its polylactic acid (PLA) support and the microstrip feeding network.