Events

IEEE AP-S and MTT-S Inter-Society Distinguished Lecturer

Title: Advances in Multibeam Antennas and Beamforming Networks

Speaker: Dr. Piero Angeletti
European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) of the European Space Agency (ESA)
Noordwijk (The Netherlands)

Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 4:00-5:15pm PDT

Location: Qualcomm Q Auditorium (6455 Lusk Blvd, San Diego, CA 92121)
In Person only
*Non-Qualcomm Employees*: Please arrive 10-15 minutes earlier to find parking. Proceed to the front lobby of Building Q and sign in at the front desk.

Abstract:
The landscape of satellite communications is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by the rise of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellations like Starlink, OneWeb, mPower and Kuiper. These constellations and their evolutions demand unprecedented flexibility and capacity, moving away from traditional, fixed-beam architectures towards dynamic, software-defined solutions. At the heart of this revolution lies advanced beamforming, encompassing analog, digital, and hybrid techniques, enabling the creation and manipulation of hundreds, even thousands, of simultaneous beams. This lecture will delve into the cutting-edge advancements in analog and digital beamforming for multibeam antennas (MBAs), focusing on its critical role in enabling the agility and high throughput required by modern satellite systems. We will explore how advanced analog and digital beamforming architectures overcome the limitations of traditional approaches. Key topics covered will include: 1. The shift from analog to digital beamforming: Understanding the advantages of digital processing in generating and controlling large numbers of beams. 2. Architectures for high-density beamforming: Exploring analog, digital and hybrid solutions, and their hardware and software implementations enabling the creation of 100-200+ beams on satellite payloads. 3. Advanced signal processing techniques: Discussing algorithms for beam steering, interference mitigation, and dynamic resource allocation in digital beamforming systems. 4. Integration of digital beamforming with active phased arrays: Examining the interplay between antenna elements, digital processing units, and beamforming algorithms. 5. Applications in LEO/MEO constellations: Highlighting the specific challenges and solutions related to digital beamforming in these dynamic environments, including examples from current and future satellite systems. 6. Future trends and research directions: Discussing emerging technologies and potential advancements in digital beamforming for satellite communications. This lecture will provide a comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations and practical implementations of advanced analog and digital beamforming for multibeam applications, catering to both antenna and microwave engineers, as well as those involved in communication systems and signal processing The material draws upon the speaker's extensive experience and is informed by the highly successful course co-instructed with Dr. Giovanni Toso on "Multibeam Antennas and Beamforming Networks," delivered to over a thousand participants at leading IEEE conferences (AP-S, MTT-S, EuCAP, EuMW, etc.) over the past decade.

Speaker biography:
Piero Angeletti received the Laurea degree in Electronics Engineering from the University of Ancona (Italy) in 1996, and the PhD in Electromagnetism from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" (Italy) in 2010. Since 2004 he has been with the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) of the European Space Agency (ESA), in Noordwijk (The Netherlands). He has been recently appointed Head of the Secure Connectivity Space Segment Office, with responsibility of the ESA design, development and deployment activities related to IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) multi-constellations space segment. His 25+ years experience in RF systems engineering and technical management encompasses conceptual/architectural design, trade-offs, detailed design, production, integration and testing of satellite payloads and active antenna systems for commercial/military telecommunications and navigation (spanning all the operating bands and set of applications) as well as for multifunction RADARs and electronic countermeasure systems. This has been acquired through direct industrial experience in several aerospace companies (i.e. Agusta-Westland, Thales Alenia Space, Boeing, Elettronica, Airbus Defence & Space) in different job roles (research and development, innovation, production, procurement, integration) and matured in the privileged position at the ESA, at the cross-road of all major European developments. In particular he oversaw ESA Research and Development activities related to flexible satellite payloads, active antennas, RF front-ends and on-board digital processors. Together with Dr. G. Toso he is the co-organizer of the EurAP-ESoA course on Active Antennas (2021, 2023, 2025) and instructor of the short courses on Multibeam Antennas and Beamforming Networks during international conferences (which have been attended by more than one thousand participants). In 2022 he received the S. A. Schelkunoff was awarded by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society for the best IEEE TAP paper published in 2021, "Traffic Balancing Multibeam Antennas for Communication Satellites". Piero is an IEEE active member contributing to the various events/conferences with tutorials, invited/keynote speeches, papers, special sessions and workshops' organization. He has been appointed 2023 IEEE MTT-S and AP-S Inter-Society Distinguished Lecturer by the Inter-Society Committee of the IEEE MTT and AP societies.