Miniaturized dual polarized VHF array element for AIS space application

An important satellite based application at VHF band is the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The system is devised to receive messages sent by vessels for maritime safety and security purposes. The intended platform is a mini-satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Due to the in-orbit deployment of the array and overall mass requirements for the satellite, the array element minimization and mass reduction are considered performance drivers. The important size reduction properties of Artificial Magnetic Materials (AMM) / Meta Materials (MM) made this approach a natural choice as baseline array element technology. This paper presents the preliminary study of the array element including the manufacturing of an elegant bread-board and verification by measurement.