Beam-Steering Antenna Technologies for Space-Related Applications

The dramatic growth in the satellite terminal market up to a cumulative total of billions of US dollars by 2030 has been predicted by market analysts. Motivated by these predictions and based on customer feedback, established geostationary-orbit (GEO) satellite operators are investing in new high-throughput technologies. And new satellite operators have committed billions of dollars to low-earth-orbit (LEO) and medium-earth-orbit (MEO) satellite constellations. The beam-steering antenna is the most challenging and expensive subsystem in the ground segment of a modern satellite communication (SATCOM) terminal. New innovative beam- steering methods are required to meet the demands of the many new high-volume markets, such as low cost, low power consumption and aesthetically appealing shape.Both industry and academia have recognized these challenges and are developing and inventing innovative antenna beam-steering technologies that disrupt the way beam-steering antennas are designed. This paper outlines the challenges and briefly reviews some disruptive antenna beam- steering technologies for the next generation of SATCOM terminals.