Systems and methods for reconfigurable faceted reflector antennas

An apparatus, comprising:

• a communications satellite having a transmitter to transmit radiation and a reconfigurable reflector to reflect the radiation towards Earth the reconfigurable reflector comprising:
• a backing structure;
• multiple adjusting mechanisms mounted to the backing structure, each adjusting mechanism having a actuator;
• and
• multiple flat reflector facets, each reflector facet having a greatest dimension of several inches, wherein each of the multiple flat reflector facets is coupled to a respective one of the multiple adjusting mechanisms for adjusting the position of the reflector facet with which it is coupled;
• wherein
• the reflector facets are adjusted to produce a first antenna pattern of the plurality of antenna patterns, the first antenna pattern contoured to a desired coverage area of a landmass so that radiation transmitted by the transmitter is reflected towards Earth with a beam shape optimized for the desired coverage area;
• and
• by adjusting the plurality of adjusting mechanisms, the position of each of the reflector facets coupled to the respective one of the plurality of adjusting mechanisms is adjusted so that the reflector facets are arranged to produce a second antenna pattern of the plurality of antenna patterns;
• the second antenna pattern contoured to a second desired coverage area so that radiation transmitted by the transmitter is reflected towards Earth with a second beam shape optimized for the second desired coverage area.

A method for antenna pattern shaping to conform to earth landmasses of a geostationary communications satellite to be put into orbit, the satellite having a transmitter to transmit radiation and a reconfigurable reflector to reflect the radiation towards Earth, the method comprising:

• identifying a desired coverage area contoured to a land mass;
• determining, based on an intended orbital position of the satellite and the desired coverage area contoured to the land mass, and the positioning of the transmitter with respect to the optimal positions for multiple flat reflector facets for radiating the desired coverage area contoured to a land mass when the satellite is in the intended orbital position, wherein the plurality of multiple facets are coupled to multiple adjusting mechanisms for adjusting the positions of the multiple reflector facets, the plurality of adjusting mechanisms are mounted to satellite structure;
• and
• adjusting, before the satellite is in orbit, using the multiple adjusting mechanisms, the positions of the multiple reflector facets to the determined optimal positions for the multiple reflector facets;
• transmitting radiation with the transmitter and reflecting the radiation towards Earth with a beam shape optimized to the desired coverage area.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a communications satellite having a transmitter to transmit radiation and a reconfigurable reflector to reflect the radiation towards Earth, the reconfigurable reflector comprising:
• a backing structure;
• multiple adjusting mechanisms mounted to the backing structure;
• multiple actuators for adjusting the multiple adjusting mechanisms;
• and
• multiple flat reflector facets, each reflector facet having a greatest dimension of several inches, wherein each of the multiple flat reflector facets is coupled to a respective one of the multiple adjusting mechanisms for adjusting the position of the reflector facet with which it is coupled;
• wherein
• the reflector facets are adjusted to produce a first antenna pattern of the plurality of antenna patterns, the first antenna pattern contoured to a desired coverage area of a landmass so that radiation transmitted by the transmitter is reflected towards Earth with a beam shape optimized for the desired coverage area.