{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T18:52:01Z","timestamp":1767034321676,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,10]],"date-time":"2022-05-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1652140800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003329","name":"Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, \u201cSensing with Pioneering Opportunistic Techniques\u201d","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RTI2018-099008-B-C21\/AEI\/10.13039\/501100011033","2017 SGR 219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RTI2018-099008-B-C21\/AEI\/10.13039\/501100011033","2017 SGR 219"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003329","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Secretaria d\u2019Universitats i Recerca del Departament d\u2019Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya","award":["RTI2018-099008-B-C21\/AEI\/10.13039\/501100011033","2017 SGR 219"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RTI2018-099008-B-C21\/AEI\/10.13039\/501100011033","2017 SGR 219"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The 3Cat-4 mission aims at demonstrating the capabilities of a CubeSat to perform Earth Observation (EO) by integrating a combined GNSS-R and Microwave Radiometer payload into a 1-Unit CubeSat. One of the greatest challenges is the design of an antenna that respects the 1-Unit CubeSat envelope while operating at the different frequency bands: Global Positioning System (GPS) L1 and Galileo E1 band (1575 MHz), GPS L2 band (1227 MHz), and the microwave radiometry band (1400\u20131427 MHz). Moreover, it requires between 8 and 12 dB of directivity depending on the band whilst providing at least 10 dB of front-to-back lobe ratio in L1 and L2 GPS bands. After a trade-off analysis on the type of antenna that could be used, a helix antenna was found to be the most suitable option to comply with the requirements, since it can be stowed during launch and deployed once in orbit. This article presents the antenna design from a radiation performance point of view starting with a theoretical analysis, then presenting the numerical simulations, the measurements in an Engineering Model (EM), and finally the final design and performance of the Flight Model (FM).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s22103633","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,10]],"date-time":"2022-05-10T21:52:11Z","timestamp":1652219531000},"page":"3633","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Design of a Deployable Helix Antenna at L-Band for a 1-Unit CubeSat: From Theoretical Analysis to Flight Model Results"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1223-6892","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lara","family":"Fernandez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CommSensLab, Department of Signal Theory and Communications, UPC BarcelonaTech, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Network Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTech, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), Space Science and Technology Research Group, CTE\/UPC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Sobrino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CommSensLab, Department of Signal Theory and Communications, UPC BarcelonaTech, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5892-3404","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joan Adria","family":"Ruiz-de-Azua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"i2Cat Foundation Space Communications Research Group, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6371-8595","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Calveras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Network Engineering, UPC BarcelonaTech, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9514-4992","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adriano","family":"Camps","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CommSensLab, Department of Signal Theory and Communications, UPC BarcelonaTech, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), Space Science and Technology Research Group, CTE\/UPC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Nasa Scienc (2022, March 30). 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