About the Facility
Scientists and engineers use APL's two antenna measurement ranges to develop antennas for a variety of space applications or missions.
The outdoor far-field antenna range is used primarily to characterize the radiation patterns of antennas operating from 100 MHz to 2 GHz, but it can be configured to operate upward of 8 GHz. The facility is more than 200 feet long, with a built-in diffraction fence.
The compact antenna range is used primarily for measuring antennas operating from 2 GHz to over 40 GHz. Full volumetric antenna radiation patterns and radar cross-section measurements are typically performed in this facility.
Both facilities have been used to support the development and final space qualification of antennas for several programs, such as MESSENGER, New Horizons, Van Allen Probes, Parker Solar Probe, DART, Europa Clipper, IMAP and Dragonfly.