Beam Control: How a Phased Array Points Itself
How does a space solar transmitter aim a beam precisely at a receiver 36,000 km away, and keep it safe?
Chapter summary
by listening.
Key takeaways
- 1
In a retrodirective phased array, the receiver on the ground sends a weak pilot signal upward.
- 2
Each element of the transmitting array measures the phase at which the pilot arrives and transmits its power with the conjugate phase, so that all elements' emissions add up exactly at the place the pilot came from.
- 3
The array does not need to know its own shape precisely or be mechanically pointed: the electronics compensate.
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