Satellite/​Spacecraft Communications

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

From DC to Daylight — How Innovations in Microwave Absorbers Shield the Warfighter

While the flashiest military innovations like new fighter jets attract the most attention, advancements in RF/microwave absorbers are crucial enablers of these larger innovations.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Radiation-Tolerant FPGAs Solve Spacecraft Design Challenges

Learn about the different FPGA technologies that are available for space applications, and the process for developing the components.

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

Cryogenic-Capable Isolators Improve the Performance of Millimeter-Wave Systems by Lowering Noise Levels

Find isolators that operate optimally under cryogenic conditions.

Articles: Software

Reverse Engineering the Boeing E-3 Sentry's Secondary Flight Controls

Learn about the challenges that arise when you try to reverse-engineer the console configuration for a NATO E-3 AWACS.

Articles: Propulsion

Thrust in Space - The Nuances of Thruster Valve Design

More and more companies are designing rockets, satellites, and reusable space vehicles that require thruster valves to position, maintain, or change vehicle orbit in space.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Covariance and Uncertainty Realism in Space Surveillance and Tracking

Characterizing uncertainty in estimating the state of a resident space object is one of the fundamentals of many space surveillance tasks.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Quantifying Autonomous Soaring on a Surveillance and Communications Relay Mission

Research demonstrates that a surveillance mission is still achievable by unmanned vehicles while performing autonomous soaring.

Products: RF & Microwave Electronics

New Products: May 2020 Aerospace & Defense Technology

RTK/GNSS Receiver

ACEINNA (Andover, MA) announced the availability of the new ACEINNA OpenRTK330L, a low-cost, state-of-the-art, high-performance triple-band RTK/GNSS receiver with...

Articles: Photonics/Optics

NASA Prepares for the Moon and Mars with Expanded Deep Space Network

NASA is adding a new antenna for communicating with the agency’s farthest-flung robotic spacecraft.

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

Implementing an Aerospace Factory of the Future

Companies are introducing "Industry 4.0" technology at a rapid pace, turning the next-generation vision of manufacturing into reality.

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

RAD-HARD Microelectronics for Space Applications

Learn how to protect electronics from the extreme environment of space.

Articles: Defense

Cognitive Radio: The New Architecture of Space Communications

NASA spacecraft typically rely on human-controlled radio systems to communicate with Earth. As collection of space data increases, NASA looks to alternative radio technologies to...

Articles: Software

Communicating from Space: The Front End of Multiscale Modeling

As satellites and astronauts travel further out in space, the more communication challenges they face. NASA launched the InSight Mission on May 5, 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force...

Articles: Materials

First Air-Worthy Metal-Printed RF Filter Ready for Takeoff

Within the aerospace industry, 2016 and onwards could be looked upon as the tipping point for direct metal printing (DMP), as the technology increasingly made the jump beyond...

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Communications in Space: A Deep Subject

Transmitting and receiving radio signals between spacecraft in deep space is a snap compared with getting those signals back to Earth, especially when the spacecraft is 120 billion miles away.

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

NASA CubeSats: Pushing the Boundaries of Technology

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology Program is on the countdown clock to advance communications and proximity maneuvering capabilities for CubeSats with the Integrated Solar Array and...

Articles: Aerospace

On-Orbit Satellite Refueling Flow Measurement

Over 7000 satellites have been placed in Earth-orbit since the beginning of the space age. 3000 are currently in orbit, of which 1000 are active, making our near space neighborhood a...

Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics

Curled RF MEMS Switches For On-Chip Design

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches are active components in most electronic equipment. Radio frequency (RF) MEMS are used in wireless personal communication devices, satellite...

NASA Spinoff: Test & Measurement

Radio Relays Improve Wireless Products

In order to transmit communications through Earth’s atmosphere, satellites and space vehicles need radio equipment that can operate at higher frequencies than on Earth. These higher frequencies, until...