Design of a Small Size, Low Profile L-Band Antenna, Optimized for Space-Based ADS-B Signal Reception

Air traffic services, like the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), already became a fundamental part in the civil and military aviation by the provision of aircraft tracking on ground and from space, in controlled and noncontrolled airspaces. In particular, the surveillance of aircraft from space has been identified as a trend-setting service and demand. In this paper, we present the design of a small size, low profile patch antenna, optimized for aircraft signal detection in spacecraft applications. The proposed antenna design is circularly polarized, using a single-feed configuration and it is tailored to small dimensions and the operation in a space environment.