Microwave Power Harvesting for Satellite Health Monitoring

This paper addresses the microwave energy harvesting on board of geostationary satellites for health satellite monitoring. To prove the feasibility of such a concept, we investigated the electromagnetic environment existing on antenna panels. Based on established cartographic maps, three designs of rectennas are proposed. Measured dc powers ranging from 0.256 to 1.28 mW can be harvested for electric field levels ranging from 91 to 121 V/m and by using very simple and compact designs. The harvesting structures consist of only one Schottky diode per rectenna and present a total surface of 2.4 cm ². They are suitable for powering the new generation of ultra-low power transceivers, thus enabling autonomous wireless power networks for satellite health monitoring.