Broadband Circularly Polarized Antenna Array for Mars Rover Direct-to-Earth Communications

Mars rovers and other landers typically use UHF relay to return their science and engineering data to Earth. Direct-To-Earth (DTE) communications are typically used for commanding. If future UHF relay capability becomes diminished, Mars landers may be forced to use DTE communications to meet their data return requirements. An augmented DTE capability with a high-gain antenna and a higher-power transmitter are required to support the relatively high data volume returned in a typical mission. The research for this innovation has developed an antenna architecture that can support such an augmented DTE capability. This antenna architecture comprises an array of microstrip patch subarrays fed by a waveguide corporate feed network, producing a net gain of 30 dBic at the array input.