Design of the Iridium phased array antennas

In order to achieve the 48 cell coverage in the Iridium program, as well as the desired high-quality data links between the users and the satellite, a high-efficiency, linear, lightweight, space-qualified phased array panel must be designed that can simultaneously transmit or receive 16 beams. The aperture illuminations of the Main Mission Antenna (MMA) panels have been synthesized so as to be consistent with a Butler-matrix-type beamformer that simultaneously generates the 16 required shaped beams with minimal losses. In the unified array design that is considered, the RF T/R (transmit/receive) module, mechanical, thermal, and control systems are synergistically optimized so as to allow the antenna to meet its requirement in a space environment.<>