Applications in orbit

To be deployed in the field, the antenna would need to be paired with a transceiver to send and receive signals, a ground plane to reflect radio waves, and other electronics, but the whole package would still only weigh about 2 pounds, Sakovsky said. And the antenna’s unique dual functionality means that it could replace multiple heavier antennas in areas where deployment is a challenge.

That includes uses in disaster-struck and underdeveloped areas, but also, potentially, in space. Sakovsky and her colleagues are considering adapting their design for satellite communications, allowing satellites to use the same antenna to talk to each other and to talk to the ground.

“We don’t have a lot of spare operating power, volume, or mass on our spacecraft either,” Sakovsky said. “This holds a lot of potential for replacing multiple antennas on a satellite with a single one.”

Sakovsky is affiliated with the Stanford SystemX Alliance. Other co-authors are from American University of Beirut.

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