Software for analysing coupling between antennas on a satellite or other platforms

The important characteristics of any multiinstrument satellite design in respect of electromagnetic compatibility are the relative size and proximity of antennas, their operating frequencies, the harmonic frequencies at which they may respond, and the type of antenna configuration. This is particularly important when a relatively large number of antennas are in close vicinity of each other. Earth observation satellites such as the European Space Agency´s Earth Resources Satellite (ERS-1) and Polar Earth Observation Mission (POEM-1) are good examples. The frequency range of the antennas is large and can extend from 100 MHz to 200 GHz. ERA has developed computer software which enables consideration of electromagnetic coupling between various antennas mounted on a complex platform. The authors describe the scope and capabilities of the software and give some comparison with measured results which have been carried out on mock-up of a satellite representing ERS-1. Some results of computation performed recently for POEM 1 are given