Evaluation of large deployable reflectarray antennas in multiple flat and not aligned panels

Abstract

This paper describes two studies about the use of multi-faceted reflectarrays as large and deployable antenna. The former involves a structure of flat panels that follow a cylindrical-parabolic curvature along the largest dimension of the aperture. The latter considers an approach of multiple panels with different shapes, arranged along a paraboloid in several planes. Both reflectarrays operate in Ka-band, generating a single-beam pattern in dual-linear polarization. At design frequency, the proposed multi-faceted structures demonstrate similar performance to their single-facet equivalents. However, they exhibit a significant higher gain bandwidth, while maintains many of the features of conventional reflectarrays, including the low-profile, low-losses, and polarization capabilities.