Koch snowflake fractal antenna design in the deep space bands for a constellation of CubeSat explorers

This paper presents the design and simulation of a Koch curve fractal antenna, developed according to the second iteration of the Koch snowflake fractal for S-band, C-band, X-band and Ku-band. The simulated antenna shows good performance for the operating frequencies and desirable gain, bandwidth and VSWR parameters. Being a compact antenna, it has a size, geometry and characteristics that go in accord with the CubeSat's structure standards. The antenna was fabricated on a 1.5 mm thick FR-4 substrate. The VSWR achieved values are lower than 1.4 for the frequencies used (2.1 GHz to 2.4 GHz and 7.4 GHz to 8.9 GHz) with a simulated omnidirectional radiation pattern. A maximum gain of 6.8 dBi was achieved. As this antenna works optimally in the S, C and X bands, it is adequate for deep space applications, especially in low-power consumption systems. This approach would be ideal for constellations of Cubesat explorers.