New Microwave Reflectarrary Technology to Enable Hyperspectral Microwave Sounding

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is currently developing a Configurable Reflectarray for Electronic Wideband Scanning Radiometry (CREWSR) instrument prototype (PT-CREWSR) as part of the NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program (IIP). CREWSR is a high-resolution, lightweight, low-power multiband (23, 31, and 50–58 GHz) radiometer with a deployable scanning reflectarray. It is envisioned to be fielded on an ESPA-class small satellite platform, whose stowed volume fits within 0.6m x 0.7m x 1.0m envelope. Once in orbit, the platform will deploy a large Reconfigurable Reflective Surface (RRS), as well as a multi-feed antenna connected to a multiband radiometer. These components allow for an electronically-scanned beam for radiometric Earth observation. CREWSR would operate with a single, linear polarization, but fully polarimetric operation is also possible in principle. The reflectarray is also compatible with radar use, thus enabling wide-swath radar from a small satellite.