Optimal missile guidance and flight performance require accurate and continuously updated in-flight coordinate data. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for this positional awareness. However, due to missile rotation and orientation variations during flight, GPS signal reception using traditional antennas may be intermittent. To remain cost competitive, Stellar Exploration Inc. is developing a low-cost omnidirectional GPS antenna for guided missile prototypes.
In this thesis, existing products and design techniques are examined, design constraints for supersonic missile applications are investigated, and corresponding performance goals are established. A conformal microstrip patch antenna is developed and simulated in Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS). The resulting antenna is constructed and characterized. Prototype testing verifies that the antenna maintains GPS signal lock regardless of orientation. The final cost is significantly lower than existing conformal products.
A second revision investigates enhanced modeling, dimensional reductions (via increased dielectric constant), and radome construction. Performance is compared to first revision antenna results and differences are examined. Suggestions for further revisions are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p> Optimal missile guidance and flight performance require accurate and continuously updated in-flight coordinate data. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for this positional awareness. However, due to missile rotation and orientation variations during flight, GPS signal reception using traditional antennas may be intermittent. To remain cost competitive, Stellar Exploration Inc. is developing a low-cost omnidirectional GPS antenna for guided missile prototypes.</p> <p> In this thesis, existing products and design techniques are examined, design constraints for supersonic missile applications are investigated, and corresponding performance goals are established. A conformal microstrip patch antenna is developed and simulated in Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS). The resulting antenna is constructed and characterized. Prototype testing verifies that the antenna maintains GPS signal lock regardless of orientation. The final cost is significantly lower than existing conformal products.</p> <p> A second revision investigates enhanced modeling, dimensional reductions (via increased dielectric constant), and radome construction. Performance is compared to first revision antenna results and differences are examined. Suggestions for further revisions are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fischer, Andrew Cassidy"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Electrical Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Electrical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dean Arakaki"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:11Z","subjects":["conformal antenna","GPS"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2011.70"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2011.70","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2011.70","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/510","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dean Arakaki"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fischer, Andrew Cassidy"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2011-06-03T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Electrical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Electrical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["conformal antenna","GPS"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/510","10.15368/theses.2011.70"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Optimal missile guidance and flight performance require accurate and continuously updated in-flight coordinate data. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for this positional awareness. However, due to missile rotation and orientation variations during flight, GPS signal reception using traditional antennas may be intermittent. To remain cost competitive, Stellar Exploration Inc. is developing a low-cost omnidirectional GPS antenna for guided missile prototypes.
In this thesis, existing products and design techniques are examined, design constraints for supersonic missile applications are investigated, and corresponding performance goals are established. A conformal microstrip patch antenna is developed and simulated in Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS). The resulting antenna is constructed and characterized. Prototype testing verifies that the antenna maintains GPS signal lock regardless of orientation. The final cost is significantly lower than existing conformal products.
A second revision investigates enhanced modeling, dimensional reductions (via increased dielectric constant), and radome construction. Performance is compared to first revision antenna results and differences are examined. Suggestions for further revisions are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Conformal Microstrip GPS Antenna for Missile Application"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dean Arakaki"],"dc:creator":["Fischer, Andrew Cassidy"],"dc:date.available":["2011-06-03T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Optimal missile guidance and flight performance require accurate and continuously updated in-flight coordinate data. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for this positional awareness. However, due to missile rotation and orientation variations during flight, GPS signal reception using traditional antennas may be intermittent. To remain cost competitive, Stellar Exploration Inc. is developing a low-cost omnidirectional GPS antenna for guided missile prototypes.
In this thesis, existing products and design techniques are examined, design constraints for supersonic missile applications are investigated, and corresponding performance goals are established. A conformal microstrip patch antenna is developed and simulated in Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS). The resulting antenna is constructed and characterized. Prototype testing verifies that the antenna maintains GPS signal lock regardless of orientation. The final cost is significantly lower than existing conformal products.
A second revision investigates enhanced modeling, dimensional reductions (via increased dielectric constant), and radome construction. Performance is compared to first revision antenna results and differences are examined. Suggestions for further revisions are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/510","10.15368/theses.2011.70"],"dc:subject":["conformal antenna","GPS"],"dc:title":["Conformal Microstrip GPS Antenna for Missile Application"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Electrical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Electrical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:11Z"}