Design and realization of flat mobile VSAT antenna for Ku/kaband satellite communications with auto-beam steering capability

This work presents the design and implementation process of a mobile VSAT antenna based on microstrip phased-array for Ku/Ka-band operation which has auto-beam steering capability to meet the needs of mobile broadband on satellite communications. The antenna system is designed to have a 6 cm thickness with two-dimensional scanning capability. The system consists of eight rows of microstrip subarrays, each subarray is a 4×16-patches element microstrip. Each subarray, comprised 64 elements of patch, is fed by 50-ohm line with left-hand circular polarization (LHCP). The total bandwidth is expected to be greater than 500 MHz with 30 dBi of gain in Ku-band, while we expect greater gain of 40 dBi in Ka-band. Auto-beam steering capability is supported by an algorithm designed to determine the direction of the satellite to continuously track satellite position, even if the system is mounted on a moving and maneuvering vehicle.