With the advent of 5G and 6G, future space communications will need more flexibility, frequency re-use and power efficiency at space and ground levels. The antenna challenges are: to avoid gain and power efficiency losses due to array amplitude tapers, beam cross-overs, and to greatly reduce the sidelobe interference accumulation at each user, occurring in current systems. The proposed solution is Adaptive Array Antenna Butler-like Multiple Beam Forming. It can be shown, as evidenced by simulations by the authors, that lossless Butler-like beams can be generated even towards non equi-spaced co-channel users. These must de selected using an interference-aware user scheduling algorithm, which also eliminates the gain degradations for users with insufficient angular separations, currently observed in zero forcing systems. The proposed concept resolves the above problems. It also removes the combining losses of current analogue multibeam active array solutions, while optimising EIRP, S/ΣI and power efficiency. This is also potentially applicable for gateways and user terminals to track satellites individually in large LEO (OneWeb, Starlink…) or MEO (O3b) constellations and can be implemented using low cost IC technology. The concept can also apply to RADAR, in particular to suppress multipath and interferer signals. In cooperation with ESA, it is proposed: 1) To further consolidate the proposed user selection and beam forming concepts and algorithms 2) To conduct simulations and to compare results with agreed benchmarks for space applications 3) To study analogue, hybrid or digital implementations of agile orthogonal beam forming 4) In a later phase, to validate the concept by critical component and antenna breadboarding Note: One or more beam former patents might be applied for, in line with the contract IP conditions.
