Updated Wideband Array and Analog Beamformers for the Lunar Farside Technosignatures and Transients Telescope

Orem, UT

The Lunar Farside Technosignatures and Transients Telescope (LFT3) requires a wideband, low-power beamforming network for a UHF phased array operating in the radio-quiet environment of the lunar farside. This paper examines two analog beamforming approaches for the proposed 300–900 MHz midband array: the Rotman lens and a modified Blass matrix. We report the design and fabrication of a 1.8 GHz Rotman lens prototype and an 8×5 parallel-fed Blass matrix prototype, along with preliminary laboratory and drone-based measurements. The Rotman lens is intended to preserve the true-time-delay behavior needed for wideband operation, but its physical size becomes impractical when scaled to the target UHF band. The modified Blass matrix offers a more compact and modular alternative while still supporting the required delay behavior. These early results clarify the tradeoff between electrical performance and implementation constraints for a lunar analog beamformer.