Receiving Patch Antenna of a Phased Array Satellite Communication System

Nowadays, the key to success for modules is to increase their integration level on the next step. The phased array antenna within the project, "Very Low Latency Satellite Communication System" jumps up onto the step to enhance its performance with low resource requirements at the same time. It is not just a simple antenna, it is actually a complete communication system for digital data, which is assembled on a single printed circuit board. The two antennas for receiving and transmitting belong to the central elements within the module design as well as a digital part for beamforming and signal processing. In this paper, this system is presented with focus on a receiving patch antenna, an element of the 6 x 8 phased array that receives a circular polarized wave in a frequency band of about 100 MHz, with a center frequency of 29.7 GHz. As the payload module, the communication system, with its antennas, stands up to the challenges resulting from the spacecraft, a 3U+ CubeSat deployed in the Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). A primary target of the mission is to transmit data with low latency and to achieve up to 100 Mbit/s in downlink and 10 Mbit/s in uplink between a ground station and the VLEO satellite system.