Beam waveguide antenna with independently steerable antenna beams and method of compensating for planetary aberration in antenna beam tracking of spacecraft

摘要

An antenna assembly for forming and directing a transmit beam, and for controlling receive and transmit beam tracking of a spacecraft in the presence of planetary aberration. The assembly includes a main reflector, a sub-reflector centered along an optical axis of the main reflector, and a moveable transmit feed for directing electromagnetic radiation along a longitudinal axis thereof. The assembly also includes an intermediate beam waveguide assembly arranged between the moveable transmit feed and the main reflector, wherein the intermediate beam waveguide assembly includes fixed and moveable optical components for guiding electromagnetic beam energy between the moveable transmit feed and the main reflector. A beam steering mechanism is coupled with the moveable transmit feed for angularly displacing the transmit beam from the optical axis by displacing the moveable transmit feed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the transmit feed.