🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the challenge of multi-constraint coupling in the design of distributed aperture antennas for electromagnetic formation flying. The authors propose a system-level design framework that unifies phased array performance requirements with constraints on satellite mass, power consumption, coil geometry, and formation-keeping dynamics into a single modeling framework. Notably, for the first time, formation-keeping metrics derived from distributed control simulations are incorporated into the aperture maximization problem, yielding a joint optimization model that accounts for aperture size, power allocation, coil parameters, and sidelobe envelope specifications. Leveraging a static mesh reference structure, the framework efficiently computes feasible apertures under fixed system mass. Case studies demonstrate that at a 0.15 m inter-satellite spacing, power generation and coil geometry dominate the design constraints, whereas at 0.60 m, coil loading tends to exceed limits—validating the framework’s capability to effectively evaluate and optimize aperture configurations under complex, coupled constraints.
📝 Abstract
Distributed space antennas using electromagnetic formation flight (EMFF) are a promising architecture for large-aperture, long-life space communication systems. Their feasible aperture, however, is governed by coupled constraints on antenna performance, satellite mass, power generation, coil geometry, and formation-keeping power. This paper proposes a system-level design framework for EMFF-based distributed space antennas. It links phased-array requirements with satellite-level sizing constraints and provides a static grid-based reference for designing feasible apertures under a fixed system mass. Unlike our previous bucket-brigade disturbance-compensation model, the formation-maintenance requirement is incorporated through a control index derived from distributed-control simulations. This index is integrated into an antenna-aperture maximization problem with sizing, power, coil, and sidelobe-envelope constraints. Parametric case studies examine margin magnetic moment, prescribed transmit power, and large inter-satellite spacing. Results show that increasing system mass improves footprint reduction or effective isotropic radiated power only while satellite-level design headroom remains. In direct-to-device cases with 0.15 m spacing, generated-power and coil-geometry constraints dominate the feasible aperture. In the 0.60 m large-spacing case, the required coil burden can exceed satellite-level mass, size, and power capacities, making the design infeasible despite favorable communication performance. The proposed framework enables the design and evaluation of feasible static grid-based EMFF distributed antennas under coupled antenna, satellite, and control constraints.