Design of an Adaptive Antenna Array Test-Bed based on Software Radio for Tracking LEO Satellites

Earth stations for downloading data from LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites use large reflector antennas, usually with diameters over 12 m for telemetry link. These antennas pose a number of impairments regarding their mechanical complexity, flexibility, network efficiency (only one satellite can be tracked at a time) and cost. In order to improve the performance of traditional earth stations, the feasibility of other antenna technologies must be evaluated. In this paper we present a test-bed prototype for an antenna array receiver based on software radio applied to satellite communications. The aim of the prototype is to prove the concept of antenna array processing applied to the tracking of LEO satellites.