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Arrays composed of high-gain reflector antennas are used for radio-astronomical purposes and, more recently, are proposed as ground station for deep space communications. This latter application requires a precise knowledge of the degradation that phase, amplitude and pointing fluctuations impose on the capability of the array to combine coherently the signal received or transmitted from each antenna. In this study, an analytical model for the fluctuation of each parameter (phase, amplitude and pointing) is derived and it is used to predict the efficiency of an array composed of an arbitrary number of high-gain reflector antennas. The analytical models are verified by numerical simulations and applied to an array layout currently proposed as possible future ground stations for the European Space Agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space communications between distant spacecraft and the Earth are mainly based on large reflector antennas, such as the 35-m Deep-Space Antennas of the European Space Agency. These provide the required G T and EIRP to existing missions, such as, for example, Rosetta, Mars Express, and Venus Express. However, future missions to Mars and to outer planets (Jupiter and Saturn) are going to require higher performance for the ground segment that current stations cannot offer. This paper presents the results carried out in the framework of a strategic feasibility study promoted by the European Space Agency to identify the best architecture for future deep-space ground stations. Technical, economic, and operating aspects are described, deriving high-level specifications for future ground stations, and discussing in detail the antenna options and the subsystem devices. As an outcome, two different ground-station architectures, based on arrays of reflector antennas, are proposed and discussed in detail. These indicate the roadmaps that are going to pave the road to the final implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]