Integrated Solar Array and Reflectarray Antenna

The ISARA mission will demonstrate a high bandwidth Ka-band CubeSat communications capability that is ready for immediate infusion into commercial, government and military systems. For a modest increase in mass, volume and cost, this technology will increase downlink data rates from a baseline of 9.6 kbps for existing UHF systems to over 100 Mbps - a 105 fold increase in data capacity. The key to this technical advance is a high gain antenna that will be integrated into a commercially available 3U CubeSat solar array with minimal modification of the existing solar panel design. ISARA will fly a nominal 5 month SFV mission that demonstrates the 100 Mbps data rate and elevates the antenna technology from TRL 5 to TRL 7.