Within that activity, a significant reduction in diameter of the polarizer elements was achieved. Usage of new manufacturing methods makes pitch-to-pitch distances of about 25mm possible. That enables the use of the feed cluster for combined Tx/Rx MFB solutions with one single reflector while providing simultaneously a high throughput density. Compared to the conventional solutions, which require at least 2 reflectors for multi-spot scenarios, the number of reflectors on satellites can be reduced to one reflector with the new idea.

Array Fed Reflector (AFR) antennas provide a favourable trade-off between performance (e.g. gain) and complexity (e.g. number of antenna ports) for emerging broadband satellites in geostationary orbit. In light of emerging digital AFR payloads, satellite integrators and operators are in need of a) efficient optimization processes to define the antenna configuration (Optics, Focal Array) that is the most flexible and best suited for user distribution, and b) practical techniques for the dynamic reconfiguration of the payload during operation in a reduced timescale.

In this project, a feasibility study for the PULSARS geostationary CubeSat system has been carried out. This involves the definition of a public protection and disaster relief use case using the satellite C-band, evaluation of a 16U CubeSat platform, and investigation into the spacecraft and ground segment technology required for coherent beamforming using a swarm of 20 independent spacecrafts. PULSARS mission design and system architecture are proposed, as well as a programme of technology development, enabling the spacecraft to operate for a minimum of three years.

In December 2019, the 3GPP standardization group approved a dedicated work-item for the implementation of a new set of 5G New Radio (NR) specifications allowing the integration with mobile broadband satellite networks. This is the first time ever that the space industry has this challenging opportunity of a full integration with terrestrial cellular systems, and to benefit from very large economies of scale.

The millimeter wave domain is also known as the extremely high-frequency (EHF) spectrum ranges from 30 to 300 GHz. Early works on atmospheric propagation in EHF evidenced encouraging future usage for satellite communications. The allocated W-band for satellite services (71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz) seems to provide a favourable attenuation window related to oxygen absorption. The exploitation of W-band may offer many advantages for wireless communications, which make it suitable for satellite links, such as: broad bandwidths for high data rate information transfer (e.g.

ESA Patent 756 presents a compact dual-polarization four-way power divider, enabling the design of passive waveguide arrays with small element spacing (below one wavelength). That invention was originated as a mean to reduce the length of radiating elements in space-segment feed systems for GEO satellite communication applications, including passive multiple beam reflector antennas and active arrays. This requires compact power dividers, preferably operating in dual-polarization.

The Doherty concept has proven to be a very effective technique for designing amplifiers, which maintain a high efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions. This technique is extensively used in terrestrial applications like base stations where power efficiency is getting more and more attention. Power efficiency is also of concern for space and the Doherty concept could certainly help in designing more efficient PAs. Ka-band is now being considered for mobile services that could offer very high capacity as compared to the existing ones at L-band.

Electroless plating technique has been extensively used for many decades not only in the space domain, but also in other high end industrial sectors. The existing electroless techniques works very well in case of regular and flat geometries but in case of complex shapes the thickness uniformity of the deposition layer can be an issue. The current research activities related to this topic are mainly focused on the optimization of the electronic bath using ionic liquid.