INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
aircraft, creating a more aerodynamic and reliable communication solution for drones and other future air transportation options.Developed
by NASA, this ultra-lightweight aerogel antenna is designed to enable satellite communications where power and space are limited
The aerogel is made up of flexible, high-performance plastics known as polymers
The design features high air content (95%) and offers a combination of light weight and strength
Research Center in Cleveland
aerogel between a small circuit board and an array of thin, circular copper cells, then topped the design off with a type of film known for
its electrical insulation properties
This innovation is known at NASA and in the aviation community as an active phased array aerogel antenna.Researchers use a flat aerogel
Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-HannaIn addition to decreasing drag by conforming to the shape of aircraft, aerogel antennas save weight and
space and come with the ability to adjust their individual array elements to reduce signal interference
They are also less visually intrusive compared to other types of antennas, such as spikes and blades
of the antenna on a Britten-Norman Defender aircraft during an in-flight demonstration with the United States Navy at Naval Air Station
Patuxent River in Maryland.A Britten-Norman Defender aircraft outfitted with an advanced phased array antenna prototype for a flight test in
The aircraft was used to verify data transmission quality and communications link resiliency with a low Earth orbit satellite
Credit: United States NavyThen, last October, researchers at NASA Glenn and the satellite communications firm Eutelsat America Corp., of
Houston, began ground testing a version of the antenna mounted to a platform
The team successfully connected with a Eutelsat satellite in geostationary orbit, which bounced a signal back down to a satellite dish on a
Other demonstrations of the system at Glenn connected with a constellation of communications satellites operated in low Earth orbit by the
data relay company Kepler
potential real-world applications
When modern aircraft communicate with stations on the ground, those signals are often transmitted through satellite relays, which can come
with delays and loss of communication
concentrated flow of radio waves that can be electronically steered with precision to maintain the connection.A sample of aerogel is folded
The activity aims to develop technologies that reduce the risk of radio frequency interference from air taxis, drones, commercial passenger
engineers, command an active phased array antenna to point toward a geostationary satellite
They used a flat version of an aerogel antenna during tests in October 2024
