Calibration of a SuperDARN radar antenna by means of a satellite beacon on a CubeSat

This paper presents the context and potential outcomes of the HF Beacon payload on the ZACUBE-1 CubeSat jointly developed by the Satellite Engineering Program of F´SATI at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Bellville and the Space Science Directorate of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA Space Science) in Hermanus. The primary objective of the HF Beacon on ZACUBE-1 is to provide a continuous radio signal to determine the elevation resolving algorithm of the SuperDARN HF Radar antenna at SANAE in Antarctica. The signal will also be used to characterize the beam pattern of this and other HF Radar antennas in the SuperDARN network, and to characterize the ionosphere over the polar regions.