A radio-frequency (RF) antenna and method for using the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, an antenna includes an array of RF radiating antenna elements, a plurality of RF antenna element driving circuits coupled to the array of RF radiating antenna elements to supply tuning voltages to the RF radiating antenna elements, and one or more metal power planes, each of the one or more metal power planes coupled to supply a common voltage to two or more of the plurality of RF antenna driving circuits.

A satellite receiver includes: demultiplexing units each demultiplexing, into subchannel signals of a predetermined band, a digital reception signal obtained by converting a calibration signal received by a corresponding one of receiving antenna elements into a digital signal; excitation coefficient multiplication units multiplying the subchannel signals by an excitation coefficient; a complex adder adding the subchannel signals multiplied by the excitation coefficient together for each subchannel signal of the same band; a correlation detection unit calculating, with the use of one demultiplexing unit as a reference demultiplexing unit, a cross-correlation value for each subchannel signal output from each demultiplexing unit different from the reference demultiplexing unit with respect to a subchannel signal of a same band output from the reference demultiplexing unit; and an excitation coefficient generation unit generating a corrected excitation coefficient based on a cross-correlation value and an excitation coefficient created in advance.

An electromagnetic phased array (100) is disclosed comprising a plurality of antenna elements (102), each antenna element (102) comprising at least three constituent antennae (104). A drive circuit (106) generates about an axis of each element (102) a radiation pattern that has a defined minima at or close to a null in at least one direction. The drive circuit (106) effects electronic steering of this minima through a range of angles around the axis of each antenna element (102) of the array (100) by appropriate setting of the vector currents associated with its constituent antennae (104). The axes of each of the antenna elements (102) are aligned in parallel with a central axis of the array (100) and at least a sub-set of the elements (102) lie substantially on a common helical surface. The elements (102) are spaced on this surface such that the array (100) has a substantially constant aperture.

A device for orienting a load about a main axis X and a secondary axis Y is disclosed having a first shaft, called transmission shaft, intended to support the load and configured to be rotated about the main axis and the secondary axis, a second shaft configured to be rotated about the main axis X, a third shaft configured to be rotated about a third axis of rotation, in the same direction as the main axis, a first connection component between the transmission shaft and the second shaft, configured to prevent relative movements between the transmission shaft and the second shaft in, on the one hand, a degree of rotational freedom about the main axis X and, on the other hand, three degrees of translational freedom.

An example apparatus includes a planar five bar linkage having a ground link and an endpoint. A feed horn is attached at or near the endpoint of the planar five bar linkage. A first motor is attached to a first side of the ground link to move the endpoint and a second motor attached to the second side of the ground link to move the endpoint.

The described features generally relate to adjusting a native antenna pattern of a satellite to adapt communications via the satellite. For example, a communications satellite may include an antenna having a feed array assembly, a reflector, and a linear actuator coupled between the feed array assembly and the reflector. The feed array assembly may have a plurality of feeds for communicating signals associated with a communications service, and the reflector may be configured to reflect the signals transmitted between the feed array assembly and one or more target devices. The linear actuator may have an adjustable length, or otherwise provide an adjustable position between the feed array assembly and the reflector. By adjusting the position of the feed array assembly relative to the reflector, the communications satellite may provide a communications service according to a plurality of native antenna patterns.

A radiofrequency antenna is adapted to be mounted on a spacecraft. The radiofrequency antenna includes four helical strands of a super elastic shape memory alloy and is configured to move from a deployed configuration to a constrained stacking configuration and to return autonomously to the deployed configuration.

Broadband satellite communications systems using optical feeder links are disclosed. Various optical modulation schemes are disclosed that can provide improved capacity for fixed spot beam, on board beamforming, and ground-based beamforming broadband satellite systems.

Examples disclosed herein relate to a phased array antenna system for use with a Low Earth Orbit (“LEO”) satellite constellation. The phased array antenna system has a plurality of antenna panels positioned in a dome and an antenna controller to control the plurality of antenna panels, the controller directing a first antenna panel to transmit a first signal and a second antenna panel to transmit a second signal to a LEO satellite, the first signal having a first phase and the second signal having a second phase different from the first phase.

In an exemplary embodiment, a phased array antenna comprises multiple subcircuits in communication with multiple radiating elements. The radio frequency signals are independently adjusted for both polarization control and beam steering. In a receive embodiment, multiple RF signals of various polarizations are received and combined into at least one receive beam output. In a transmit embodiment, at least one transmit beam input is divided and transmitted through multiple radiating elements, with the transmitted beams having various polarizations. In an exemplary embodiment, the phased array antenna provides multi-beam formation over multiple operating frequency bands. The wideband nature of the active components allows for operation over multiple frequency bands simultaneously.