A team of researchers from the UPNA’s Smart Cities Institute and the Anteral spin-off have designed the three flat antennas for the Miura 1 rocket, the first Spanish satellite launcher, whose maiden flight is scheduled for the second half of 2022. The Elche-based company PLD Space, which is in charge of the Miura 1 project, turned to the manufacturer GMV to develop the avionics of the rocket, and GMV, in turn, commissioned the Navarrese company Anteral to design the antennas. These antennas need to ensure constant communication between the rocket and ground control.

The researchers Iñigo Ederra Urzainqui, Jorge Teniente Vallinas and Juan Carlos Iriarte Galarregui from the UPNA’s Antenna Group and members of the Smart Cities Institute (ISC) have taken part in the design and prototyping of the three antennas for the rocket. Miura 1 is designed to reach a maximum altitude of 150 kilometres, and its main mission will be to transport small satellites, a boom sector thanks to the constant development of new applications, into space.

From left to right, the researchers Iñigo Ederra, Jorge Teniente and Juan Carlos Iriarte on the UPNA campus

One of the antennas will perform remote control and monitoring functions, transmitting information on the launch situation and allowing ground control to modify parameters as required; another will be responsible for monitoring the position of the rocket by GPS tracking, and the third is intended for emergency situations.

The result of the project will materialise in the second half of 2022, when the test flight of the launcher is scheduled.

Challenges of the project

According to the researcher Iñigo Ederra, ‘the construction of these antennas involves a complex and demanding process which requires working on different prototypes to introduce modifications and make the necessary adjustments on the initial design.’ The antennas are designed taking into account the dimensions and volume of the Miura 1 rocket, and the surface area available on it. At the same time, they must cover all the frequency bands and guarantee the connectivity of the launcher at all times.

‘In launcher flights,’ Ederra explains, ‘the position with respect to the tracking station is extremely variable. Our goal is to maintain uninterrupted communication with the ground station regardless of the position, direction or orientation of the rocket, and so it’s essential that these antennas emit in all directions.’ They must also ensure correct operation over a wide range of temperatures and be reliable working under vacuum.