Steering satellites: smarter CubeSat communications

CubeSats have revolutionised space exploration with their cost-effective 10×10×10 cm modular design, but their communication capabilities face significant challenges. Limited power supplies require low-power circuits, whilst their proximity to Earth results in relatively small communication coverage areas. A team at Silicon Austria Labs is addressing these constraints with ESA Discovery funding, developing beam steering antenna systems that could transform how CubeSats communicate.

The project investigates three primary beam steering approaches: analogue beam steering, digital beam steering, and hybrid beam steering. Each offers different advantages for the size and power constraints inherent to CubeSats.

Find out more here.