Study on Beam Forming for Phased Array Antenna of Panel-structured Solar Power Satellite

摘要

A solar power satellite (SPS) is a huge satellite designed as an electric power plant in a geostationary Earth orbit. The SPS generates electricity using solar cells in outer space and transmits the generated electricity to a receiving site on the Earth through microwave power transmission. A panel-structured SPS corresponds to the main structure of a tethered SPS. The transmission antenna of the panel-structured SPS is a phased array antenna, consisting of many antenna elements. The radiation pattern of the phased array antenna can be manipulated by controlling the output phases and the power of microwaves radiated from each antenna element. The panel modules are connected exibly, and the shape of the panel-structured SPS is easily deformed (Fig. 1). When the shape of the panel-structured SPS is deformed, the beam shape of the power transmission microwave is deformed due to errors caused by the change in the positions of the antenna elements. Hence, this deformation must be corrected for electricity to be transmitted with high efficiency.