Antenna Measurement and Design for the CanX-7 Nanosatellite and the Development of a Global Navigation Satellite System Based Attitude Determination System

This thesis describes and presents solutions to various challenges small satellites may encounter during design and operation, particularly in the areas of communications and attitude determination. The first section of this thesis presents simulation and measurement of communications antennas on a nanosatellite to verify that the antennas have sufficient gain and polarization to enable near-omnidirectional operation. Near-omnidirectional antennas are essential to ensure reliable communication with the spacecraft regardless of its attitude, especially when fine pointing ability is unavailable or inadequate. Next, the following section covers the design of a circularly polarized patch antenna for use on an aircraft tracking payload. Lastly, the final section of this thesis presents the development and analysis of a technique for augmenting a single GPS antenna on a spacecraft to estimate attitude. It is possible for GPS measurements to partially supplement an existing attitude sensor that has been denied operation.