CubeSat & SmallSat UHF Antenna System
UHF turnstile antenna system for CubeSat and SmallSat, covering 400–500 MHz with circular polarization and near-omnidirectional radiation pattern.
Technical specifications
- Antenna type
- Turnstile / Quad-Monopole
- Polarization
- Circular
- Frequency range
- 400 MHz to 500 MHz
- RF Impedance
- 50 Ohm
- RF input connector
- MCX (50 Ohm)
- Max RF Power
- 10 W
- Configurations
- CubeSat (integrated splitter + 4 monopoles), SmallSat (separate splitter + 4 monopoles), standalone monopole (90° deployment)
- Minimum order quantity
- 4 pieces
About
NanoAvionics offers three types of UHF Antenna Systems designed for CubeSat and SmallSat applications. The CubeSat version consists of an RF Splitter and 4 monopole antennas integrated into a single sub-assembly. The microsatellite version provides 4 monopole antennas and a supporting splitter with greater flexibility in footprint and antenna placement. A third standalone monopole antenna assembly deploys at 90 degrees and supports various mission configurations.
The RF Splitter is a key element in the turnstile antenna system. It performs impedance matching and splits a single RF signal into a phasing network that forms a single circularly polarized antenna, resulting in an almost omnidirectional radiation pattern with no blind spots. This prevents signal fading due to satellite tumbling — critical for early orbit operations. An aperture can be provided inside the splitter board for hardware integration purposes.
Operating across 400–500 MHz with a 50-ohm RF input MCX connector, the system supports up to 10 W of RF input power. The antenna is starting from €5,300 and available with a minimum order of 4 pieces.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
