All-Metal Patch Circular Polarized Fan-Beam Antennas for Potential Europa Lander

All metal patch circularly polarized X-band antennas are under development at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for a potential Europa Lander. The dual-band antenna is proposed to be used as a secondary telecommunication antenna and the single band antenna is proposed to be used as a communication antenna for the Deorbit, Descent, and Landing (DDL) stage. Both the antennas would establish a Direct-to-Earth (DTE) link without relying on an Orbiter. Antenna arrays with fan-beam radiation have been designed for wide beam circular polarization for longer coverage while surviving the harsh environmental conditions at Europa, including, cryogenic temperature, high radiation and electrostatic discharge (ESD) levels.