An international team of experts from the European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a breakthrough in the development of space communications technology that will create a signal booster smaller than a strawberry seed. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine IEEE Microwave and Wireless Technology Letters (MWTL).
The project’s authors say the 1.8 x 0.9-millimeter device could amplify very weak signals to acceptable levels, which could enable future space missions for radar surveillance and telecommunications.
The design of the circuit took into account the needs of ESA’s proposed mission, called Wivern, which would be a follow-up to EarthCARE’s ongoing radar-based cloud profiling mission. EarthCARE is run jointly by ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Wivern will measure wind speeds in clouds and precipitation, as well as profiles of rain, snow and icy water to improve predictions of hazardous weather conditions and provide new insights into severe storms.
The Wivern mission is expected to use W-band radar signals. This band has the potential for satellite telecommunications with higher frequency and higher capacity in the future.
Previously in the Mediterranean started Build giant underwater telescopes to hunt for neutrino particles.