Design of a High-Gain X-Band Electromagnetic Band Gap Microstrip Patch Antenna for CubeSat Applications

Microstrip patch antennas (MPAs) are widely used in satellite communication due to their low profile, compact size, and ease of fabrication. This paper presents a design of an X-band microstrip patch antenna using an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure for CubeSat applications. The X-band is preferred for CubeSat missions in high-speed communication, long distance or deep space because it allows communication at higher data rates, and the antenna is smaller than those used for lower frequency bands. In our study, the EBG elements are analyzed, modified and optimized so that the antenna can fit a 10 cm × 10 cm surface area of a standard 3U CubeSat structure while providing a significant high gain and circular polarization (CP). A noticeable point of this research is that the simplicity of the antenna and the EBG structure are being maintained by just using a simple single-probe feed to achieve a total antenna efficiency exceeding 90%, and the measured gain of around 11.7 dBi at the desired frequency of 8.483 GHz. Furthermore, the measured axial ratio (AR) is around 1.4 dB at 8.483 GHz, which satisfied the lower-than-3 dB requirement for CP antennas in general. The simulation, analysis and measured results are discussed in detail.