DEFINITION:

Covering antenna systems and architectures, design tools, technologies and measurement techniques for various applications for space systems and ground users, up to THz frequencies, such as communications, navigation or sensing, spacecraft pointing, TT&C, etc. (Note: Ground TT&C antennas are covered in 1-L).

(Source: ESA TD 7A)

SUBDOMAINS:

1. Antenna Design Tools: Covering modelling, synthesis and optimisation techniques and tool development for new types of antennas and their feed networks, arrays, reflector and small antennas, both isolated and in the spacecraft environment.
2. Reflector and Lens Antennas: Covering single and multiple beam reflector antenna architectures, reflector design, multiple reflectors, reconfigurable reflector antennas, shaped, unfurlable and foldable reflectors, frequency- and polarisation-selective surfaces, active and passive lenses, feed elements and feed arrays with their feed networks, reflect-arrays.
3. Array Antennas and Standalone Radiators: Covering planar and conformal arrays, multi-frequency arrays, dual polarization arrays, active, semi-active and passive arrays. Small arrays and standalone radiators for medium and low gain applications for spacecraft and for user terminals. Array feed networks. Electronic scanning arrays. Fixed and steerable beam arrays for fixed and mobile user terminals. Satellite TT&C standalone and multi-element antennas.
4. Millimetre-Wave and Sub-Millimetre-Wave Antenna Front-Ends: Covering antennas, instruments, new architectures and technologies for THz passive and active remote sensing instruments such as radiometers, imagers, limb sounders. Also reflectors and quasi-optic assemblies, focal plane arrays and front-ends.
5. Measurement, Characterisation and Calibration Techniques for Radiative Payloads and Antennas: Covering new antenna and payload measurement techniques (e.g. for multi-beam payloads), validation of modelling software, techniques for measurement of antennas in the spacecraft environment, interactions between antennas, millimetre-wave and THz antennas. RF characterisation of reflective and transparent materials.