Ka-band Technologies for Small Spacecraft Communications via Relays and Direct Data Downlink

As the scientific capabilities and number of small spacecraft missions in the near Earth region increase, standard yet configurable user spacecraft terminals operating in Ka-band are needed to lower mission cost and risk and enable significantly higher data return than current UHF or S-band terminals. These compact Ka-band terminals are intended to operate with both the current and next generation of Kaband relay satellites and via direct data communications with near Earth tracking terminals. This presentation provides an overview of emerging NASA-sponsored and commercially provided technologies in software defined radios (SDRs) and transceivers and electronically steered antennas that will expand the use of NASA\u27s common Ka-band frequencies: 22.55-23.15 GHz for forward data or uplink; and 25.5-27.0 GHz for return data or downlink. Data rates as high as 100s Mbps are possible via relays and over 1 Gbps via direct data downlink. Reductions in mass, power and volume come from integration and software definition of multiple radio functions, operations in Ka-band, high efficiency amplifiers and receivers, and compact, flat and vibration free electronically steered narrow beam antennas that cover up to 120 degrees field of regard. One of the technologies described in the presentation, the software defined near Earth space transceiver (SD-NEST) is intended to be compliant with NASA\u27s space telecommunications radio system (STRS) standard for communications waveforms and hardware interoperability