Smart Antenna Terminal - SANTANA

The demand for broadband data communication will increase rapidly in the next years. Satellite systems offer unique possibilities to connect professional mobile users to broadband data networks and services. The targeted markets are users on aircraft, ships and cars. High bandwidths must be utilized to realize the projected high data rates. Therefore, the attention of system providers will eventually move to systems operating in the Ka-band. The terminal antennas must meet complex requirements like high antenna gain, fast target acquisition and tracking, interferer cancellation and handling of several satellites at the same time. Here, smart antenna terminals employing digital beamforming are most promising. These antennas are very flexible and can be reconfigured easily to new mission profiles. The goal of the project „Smart Antenna Terminal“ was the development, realization and test of demonstrators of broadband terminal antennas using digital beamforming in the Ka-band. These demonstrators can be used as building blocks for larger terminal antennas.