A Systematic Review on Fabry-Perot Antennas for Advanced CubeSat Missions

CubeSats are a developing disruptive technology with a broad range of applications, including moon missions supplied by some international space agencies. They have motivated the scientific community to focus on this sector with various technologies aimed to be more suitable for advanced CubeSat and deep space missions. These CubeSat capabilities can be enhanced by designing a suitable new antenna design, which has the potential to significantly reduce manufacturing costs and energy consumption. This research investigates how to develop Fabry-Perot antenna designs and their use for advanced CubeSat missions. In order to identify the best CubeSat application for each design examined in this work, tens of Fabry-Perot antenna designs put forth by the scientific community are evaluated for their geometrical, mechanical, and electrical appropriateness for an advanced CubeSat mission. This study provides comprehensive data to examine the current status of Fabry-Perot antennas and if they are suitable for CubeSats. Furthermore, we offer a collection of design-based analytical models that could be applied to various upcoming advanced CubeSat projects at academic institutions or in collaboration with private or national space agencies.