This paper presents the background, the vision, and the motivation of the SANTANA project (Smart Antenna Terminal). Recent realizations of electronically steerable receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) antennas for satellite communications at Ka-Band are shown. In detail, the integration and packaging techniques of frontend modules, which combine the antenna, the RF circuitry, and the cooling system within one functional block, are discussed. In addition, a novel digital beam steering concept as well as a hybrid beam steering approach are addressed. It will be shown that these system concepts can be applied to large antenna arrays as needed to fulfill link budget requirements for the intended satellite communications.
