3D Printed Antenna for a Balloon Test Flight

The 3D Printing Electronics group flew a printed antenna on the Salter Balloon Test Flight mission in August 2024 from Fort Sumner, New Mexico. A TDRSS antenna (2.1 – 2.3 GHz) was quickly designed, printed and iterated using the 3D Printing Electronics Lab facility. Antenna performance was tailored to precise frequency and gain requirements prior to launch. The final design underwent anechoic chamber testing at GSFC before undergoing ground to satellite testing at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas. The printed antenna was tested alongside traditional TDRSS antennas utilized for scientific balloon missions and outperformed the heritage antenna design used by the Balloon Program Office. These balloon missions typically use 10 or more TDRSS antennas as well as antennas in other frequency ranges with various RF circuitry components. The printed antenna flew in open air on the balloon’s gondola, serving as a demonstration of how 3D printed electronics withstand atmospheric conditions experienced by scientific balloon payloads.