Development of VHF (240 270 MHz) antennas for SoOp (signal of opportunity) receiver for 6U Cubesat platforms
The main goal of this research is to design, fabricate, and test deployable VHF antennas for 6U Cubesat platforms to enable validation of root zone soil moisture (RZSM) estimation algorithms for signal of opportunity (SoOp) remote sensing over the 240 270MHz frequency band. The proposed work provides a strong foundation for establishing a technology development path for maturing a truly global direct surface soil moisture (SM) and RZSM measurement system (Figure 1) over a variety of land covers with limited density restrictions. In SoOp methodology, signals transmitted by already existing transmitters (known as transmitters of opportunity, in this case the Military Satellite Communication (MilSatCom) System's UHF Follow On program) are utilized to measure properties of reflecting targets by recording reflected signals using a simple passive microwave receiver.
2016 Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium (PIERS)