list of intended invitations to tender 2009 - Emits

Transcription

ESA/IPC(2009)11,Rev.4
Paris, 26/05/2009
(Original: English)
INDUSTRIAL POLICY COMMITTEE
LIST OF INTENDED INVITATIONS
TO TENDER
2009
OPEN AND RESTRICTED COMPETITIVE
TENDERS
Produced by ESRIN/ADM-IMA
Page 2
We draw the attention of the users to the fact that this document
will be updated on a monthly basis on EMITS.
ESA/IPC(2009)11
dated 27-Jan-2009
ESA/IPC(2009)11,REV.1
dated 23-Feb-2009
dated 14-Apr-2009
dated 21-Apr-2009
Potential tenderers are invited to notify their interest in the
intended ITT’s using the Interest Firm Function (IFF) in EMITS.
Page 3
INTRODUCTION
1. The list of ESA intended invitations to tender is issued for the attention of
the Delegations and of Industry. The list refers to the ITT’s to be issued
by ESA. Information on ITT’s to be issued by CNES or by Prime Contractors
is also given.
Money values are expressed in Kilo EUROs. The yearly conversion rates are
shown in para.4 hereafter. Being a planning document, the list is issued
under the reservations normally attached to documents of that nature and
is subject to monthly updatings on EMITS.
2. Additional general information on this list may be obtained from the
Procurement Department, Mrs Deneuwelaere, at ESA Head Office. Particular or
technical information on a given action may be obtained from the Technical
Officers whose functional coordinates, names and place of work are indicated
at the top of the relevant sheets of the attached document. For complete
addresses and references, please see page 3.
3. Before consulting the list, please make sure that you have read and
understood the attached glossary explaining the various terms and codes used
in this document (see page 4, 5 and 6).
4. CONVERSION RATES (2009)
It is to be noted that the conversion rates in relation to the EMU currencies
were irrevocably fixed on 31 December 1998 by the Finance Ministers of the EU,
and their corresponding values are indicated below.
The conversion rates for currencies other than the EMU ones have been calculated
on the basis of the average rates for the last six-month period of 2008.
One EURO is worth : (EURO = European Currency Unit)
1 EURO =
1.65475 Australian Dollar
1.54035 Canadian Dollar
7.45673 Danish Krone
160.56261 Japanese Yen
7.94926 Norwegian Krone
0.77527 Sterling
9.37532 Swedish Krona
1.60590 Swiss Franc
1.53088 Us Dollar
Page 4
NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF ESA ESTABLISHMENTS
ESA, European Space Agency, Head Office
8-10 rue Mario Nikis
F-75738 PARIS CEDEX 15
Tel.:
33-1-53697654
Fax.:
33-1-53697560
ESA/CST, Centre Spatial de Toulouse
18, avenue Edouard belin
F 31401 TOULOUSE CEDEX 4
Tel.:
33-561-273131
Fax.:
33-561-282802
ESOC, European Space Operations Centre
Robert Bosch Strasse 5,
D-64293 DARMSTADT
Tel.:
49-6151-900
Fax.:
49-6151-90495
ESRIN, European Space Research Institute
Via Galileo Galilei
I 00044 FRASCATI
Tel.:
39-06-941801
Fax.:
39-06-94180280
ESTEC, European Space Research and Technology Centre
Keplerlaan 1
NL-2201 AZ NOORDWIJK ZH
Tel.:
31-71-5656565
Fax.:
31-71-5656040
Page 5
GLOSSARY OF THE TERMS USED IN THE LIST OF INTENDED INVITATIONS TO TENDERS
1. ACTION REF.
This reference is constituted by a seven-digit number :
the two first digits indicate the year of the initial announcement
(99 for 1999, 00 for 2000, 01 for 2001,02 for 2002, 03 for 2003,
04 for 2004, 05 for 2005, 06 for 2006, 07 for 2007,08 for 2008,
09 for 2009, etc.)
the third digit indicates the type of tender envisaged :
- 1 for open competitive tenders,
- 2 for restricted competitive tenders,
- 3 for non competitive tenders
(Note : restricted tenders are invitations to tender "restricted to
potential tenderers selected by the Agency" on the ground that "either the
supplies or the services required are of such a special nature that it
limits the capacity to provide them to few potential tenderers or the
Industrial Policy Committee has given a directive or guideline for such a
restriction")
the fourth and the fifth digits, directly associated with the third one,
constitute identification codes allocated to the responsible Technical
Officers. The name and coordinates of each Officer are indicated at the
right-hand top of each sheet.
the sixth and seventh digits constitute the number of the action, in the
natural sequence, for each Technical Officer.
The six digits ACTION REF.number may be followed by the symbol Nn
(N standing for New action introduced in the revision n of the list)
2. SUBJECT OF ACTION
Each action is defined by a title and, whenever
possible, by a short description of the activity under consideration. This
information may be completed by references to the relevant ESA programme
documents such as the Technological Research Programme (TRP), the Advanced
Systems and Technology Programme (ASTP), the General Studies Programme (GS),
the General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), the European Microgravity
Research Programme (EMIR), the Advanced Research in Telecommunications
Systems Programme (ARTES) and the Advanced Systems and Telecommunication
Equipments Programme (ASTE).
3. BUDGET & PROGRAMME REFERENCE
The BUDGET REFERENCE is composed of two terms :
- a two (or three)-digit number which is the code of the Budget Output
to which the contract which will result from the action under consideration
is intended to be directly charged,
- the abbreviated designation of the Budget Output
The PROGRAMME REFERENCE is the reference number of the action under
consideration within the Programme
Page 6
4. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS
This information gives an indication of the restrictions on tendering :
i) for the open competitive tenders, the States whose Industry is allowed to
participate in the tender concerned are indicated. In principle, participation
is limited to potential tenderers in the States participating in the
Programme/Output to which the invitation to tender refers
ii) for the restricted competitive tenders, the potential tenderers are
indicated, followed by the symbol of their nationality
(Note : Competition may be limited to certain countries or restricted to few
firms following decisions of Member States concerning specialisation or
measures to improve selectively industrial returns)
The following symbols are used :
- MS : Member States, i.e. Belgium (B), Denmark (DK), France (F), Germany (D),
Italy (I), the Netherlands (NL), Spain (E), Sweden (S), Switzerland (CH), the
United Kingdom (GB), Ireland (IR), Austria (A), Norway (N), Finland (FIN),
Portugal (POR), Greece (GR), Luxembourg (LUX)and Czech Republic (CZ)
- CN : Canada, Cooperating State
5. TT. TYPE OF TENDER
The message indicated under this heading is one of the following :
- C : for open competitive tenders,
- CR : for restricted competitive tenders,
- DN : for non competitive tenders (direct negotiations)
6. Q. Indicates the Year and the Quarter during which the ITT is
planned to be issued, on two lines.
7. PP. PROCUREMENT PROPOSAL
The message indicated under this heading is one of the following :
- YAC : approval by AC required
- YIPC : approval by IPC required
- NO
: approval by AC / IPC not required
- DAC : approval of AC obtained
- DIPC : approval of IPC obtained
8. PRICE. The limits of the PRICE are given in KEUROs. 1KEURO = 1,000 European
Currency Units, the conversion rate of the EURO into national currencies
is given in page II.
9. STATUS. The meaning and implications of the terms used under that heading
are as follows :
- INTENDED : The action is planned but the internal preparation of the ITT
has not yet started.
- INITIATED : the ITT is under preparation. The reference number of the ITT
is shown
- ISSUED
: the ITT has formally been published.
- COMPLETED : the proposals have been received.
- CANCELLED : the action is withdrawn from the Programme and the ITT which
was already issued is cancelled
- DELETED
: the action is withdrawn from the Programme before any ITT has
been issued
Page 7
- REASSIGNED: a change has occurred in terms of : either responsibility
(responsibility for the action being switched to another service) or
type of tender either at the ESA Management initiative or in execution
of an AC/IPC decision, for cases qualified for procurement proposals
following the submission to these Committees
- POSTPONED : the action is delayed until following programme year(s)
- RE-ISSUED : ESA has decided to re-publish the ITT
- ON HOLD : actions which are intended but where there is a possibility
that they are not issued.
Page 8
Page 9
CHANGED ITEMS
The list that follows shows items, present in this booklet revision,
that have changed the Action Reference number:
05.129.26
08.129.28
05.132.03
05.132.04
05.1EC.06
05.1EE.02
00.1ET.07
07.1QC.05
08.1QC.09
changed
changed
changed
changed
changed
changed
changed
changed
changed
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
09.1EE.20
09.129.11
08.1EE.26
08.1EE.27
05.1ED.05
09.1EE.20
07.1ET.15
07.127.09
08.1ED.11
Page 10
Ref. No.
Title, summary and other information
04.1EC.06 AUTONOMOUS ON-BOARD MOMENTUM MANAGEMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity shall include trade-off between different solar array and
braking flap configurations. The spacecraft cumulated angular momentum could
thus be autonomously compensated by means of such braking flap located on
solar arrays. An investigation will be carried out with braking flaps mounted
at the top and bottom of the solar arrays or perpendicular to the array
plane. Two study cases could be envisaged with rather complementary and
challenging constraints: GALILEO and BEPICOLOMBO. From control engineering
perspective, it should be ensure that solar sailing capacity would sufficient
to compensate the disturbing torques for large range of future missions and
that in particular dihedral configuration does not introduce detrimental
coupling between spacecraft axes. In complement, the scope of proposed
activity shall also include prospective study on thin-film solar arrays. The
feasibility of such concept and propose reference scenario will be in
particular addressed. The study shall then identify constraints induced by
the selected approach both on the spacecraft and its attitude control system
with particular focus on possible control strategies and enabling
technologies for the associated hardware (piezoelectric, shape memory alloys,
springs and cords, etc.) The overall activity shall tackle the problem of
both analytical and numerical simulation representativity as well as
practical implementation. On that matter it is expected that promising
identified concept(s) will be validated through breadboarding activities.
ESTEC
DIRECTORATE OF TECHNICAL & QUALITY MANAG - D/TEC
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT / TEC-E
CONTROL SYSTEMS DIVISION / TEC-EC
Responsible: Mr BENOIT
C
Budget Ref.: 100061 - Techno Res/Core Activities
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+FIN+POR+GR+LUX+C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T603-12ES
Status: DELETED
06 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 11
Ref. No.
04.1EC.07 FORMATION FLYING CONTROL AND AVIONICS
TT Q
PP
Price
Spacecraft formation flying is an evolving technology for distributing the
functionality of a single spacecraft between several closely flying
satellites. Science missions, such as Darwin and XEUS, are the most demanding
ones in terms of relative position accuracy between the controlled
spacecraft. Although the on-going TRP studies "Interferometer Constellation
Control" and "Interferometer Constellation Deployment" are paving the way
through the development of guidance, navigation and control algorithms for
precision formation flying missions, some specific issues need to be
investigated in details. For instance, the complexity of operational aspects,
including fault detection, identification and recovery, linked to the system
distribution shall be investigated and assessed, and the adequate level of
autonomy defined accordingly. In addition, the transition from a
decentralised GNC architecture to a centralised one shall also be
investigated. The main objectives of the proposed activity are therefore: (i)
analysis of autonomous failure detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR)
methods for distributed spacecraft allowing stand-alone operation in case of
inter-spacecraft communication and/or formation sensor/faults and definition
of distributed FDIR system including required software, hardware and
architecture, (ii) investigation of analytical redundancy techniques that
provide graceful degradation of the formation, (iii) simulated investigation
of the transition from de-centralised GNC architecture to a centralised one,
and (iv) real-time performance evaluation of a candidate decentralised /
centralised GNC system, inc. FDIR and formation mission management functions,
with RF / optical metrology subsystem units (elegant breadboard) in-the-loop.
Note: simulation tool and formation real-time simulator developed in the
above on-going TRP studies will be re-used and enhanced. Furthermore, the
development of GNC application software will emphasize reusability,
maintainability and easy reconfiguration according to mission needs. Type of
tender C(2) - activities in open competition, where a significant
participation of non-primes is requested.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: EX ITEM 04.2EC.01 DELETED
06 DIPC 200-500
Q3
Page 12
Ref. No.
05.1EC.02 MICRO STAR TRACKER AND BAFFLE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The contract shall examine designs for low performance, micro autonomous star
trackers and assess the feasibility and performance of the designs. The
target design is an extremely compact star tracker optical head with the
option to transform the optical head into a stand alone ASTR by the addition
of a single PCB. The target applications are advanced future small, micro and
nano-satellites and s/c requiring distributed sensing. Each of the key
aspects of the design concepts will be demonstrated using dedicated
breadboards and test samples. In particular, improvements in the following
areas will be examined in detail: detector (particularly the LCMS APS
detector currently being developed); optical system (including the use of a 3
lens only system and the possibility of plastic lenses); baffle design and
construction (including new materials, paints and coatings, e.g. Deep Sky
Black); mechanical system (including different materials and single piece
construction); electrical system (including ’single chip’ OH solution,
’single chip’ autonomy functionality via next generation FPGAs with embedded
RAM and processing, miniature connectors, wireless data communication). Type
of tender C(1) - activities in open competition limited to non-primes. For
additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures
for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY
IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER
CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS. AT THAT TIME A PLANNED
QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS WILL BE ABLE TO
EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Budget Ref.: 100950 - GSTP Period 4
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G103-07EC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 13
Ref. No.
05.1EC.04 INTEGRATED VEHICLE HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
DEMONSTRATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
An activity to design, develop and test prototype Vehicle Health Management
(VHM) software’s for reusable space transportation system (RSTS) has been
initiated. The main outputs of this activity will be prototype health
management on and off board software’s, and a vehicle health management
testbed, with hardware in the loop capabilities, for real-time performance
assessment of the baseline HMS software prototype(s). At the end of the above
activity there will be a proven concept of an Integrated Vehicle Health
Management System as well as associated on & off board software prototype(s)
for reusable space transportation. However, some necessary development steps
are required to extend the existing approach in various directions:
-Development of a multi-domain object-oriented modelling environment tool for
the development of model-based diagnosis (on and off board), from
requirements analysis to auto code generation, based on modelling standards
such as Modelica;-Definition of a common, software reference architecture for
IVHM system to reduce development and integration costs;-Performance
benchmarking of the multi-domain object-oriented modelling environment
tool-Detailed investigations on safety procedures validation and (semi)
automatic assistance to ground operations in case of contingency or decision
over complex multiple constraints, and maintenance approach for complex and
recurrent vehicle system-Reconfigurable control and fault identification
system demonstrator, i.e. combined IVHM and GN&C systems integrated and
tested in the reusable space transportation software prototyping real-time
testbed with hardware in the loop. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS. AT THAT TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE
WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS WILL BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G410-01ES
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 14
Ref. No.
05.1EC.06 ON BOARD COMPUTER FOR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS USING
SYSTEM ON A CHIP APPROACH
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the activity is to develop an on board computer for critical
applications such as S/C controller using the LEON IP core in a system on a
chip approach that shall include on the same chip additional functions
traditionally implemented on a separate board such as I/O (buses, discrete,
packet wire, ), management functions (timers, reconfiguration handshake..),
system accelerators (dual port RAMs, caches, ). A first phase will include
the design and a first iteration (simulator, FPGA) whilst the second phase
shall consist into the design and development of the System on a chip and its
integration on a flight representative board to be tested in realistic
functional and performance conditions.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: CHANGED TO 05.1ED.05 RE-ASSIGNED
05.1EC.08 DEVELOPMENT OF MEMS ACCELEROMETER FOR SPACE
APPLICATIONS
C
05 DIPC > 500
Q2
This activity aims at producing a specification for a MEMS accelerometer for
use as the accelerometer component of an IMU for s/c applications. It will
include the design of the accelerometer and showing its feasibility by
analysis and test. The following main tasks are foreseen: - Consolidate the
unit specifications implied by identified space applications, including
interface and accommodation requirements, bearing in mind future integration
with the MEMS gyro. - Develop the design of a European accelerometer to meet
these requirements as an alternative to the Honeywell QA3000, which is
perceived to be the current industry standard. - Analyse and evaluate the
design and show feasibility by analysis backed up with test data. - Produce a
costed implementation and qualification plan for final development. The
potential applications of such a MEMS accelerometer include: Microsatellites,
deep space missions, landers, and increased autonomy in GEO telecoms
satellites (from 2010 onwards). NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G609-26EC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 15
Ref. No.
07.1EC.02 ROBUST MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL (MPC) FOR SPACE
CONSTRAINED SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a widely used and well accepted controller
design method in the process industry. The most appealing feature of this
type of control is its ability to cope with constrained systems. Robust
formulation of MPC problems which take into account model uncertainties are
also available, and are subject of intensive current research. Furthermore,
MPC can be combined with other control techniques such as H2/Hinfinity.
Finally, the dramatically increasing available computer power give new
interest in such computer intensive techniques as they can easily take into
account actuator limitations, non-linearities or non-stationarity. The aim of
the proposed activity is to evaluate, benchmark and demonstrate the benefits
of robust Model Predictive Control on critical space mission scenarios, such
as time-bounded manoeuvres, saturated control and terminal guidance that are
difficult to address with classical techniques. In addition, real-time
performance (CPU, memory, etc.) will be assessed, and robust MPC design
procedures and tool(s) that interface with industrial requirements will be
developed.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: COMPLETED 1-5979
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 16
Ref. No.
08.1EC.08 ENHANCED LFT TOOLBOX
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop generic modelling software tools for worst case
analysis in order to improve the Validation & Verification cycle. The tools
allow worst case stabilty and performance robustness analysis for systems in
LFT form (Linear Fractional Transform). LFT forms are special model
representations that allow to iclude uncertainty models. Software modules for
the generation of LFT uncertainty models for space systems dynamics dynamics
reflecting flexible models & sloshing satellites including subsystems such as
actuator, sensor and environmental models. The toolset shall enable the
generation of LFT uncertainty models of variable complexity and granularity
depending on the analysis requirements. The S/W toolset shall contain model
validation tools, model manipulation and reduction tools to enable worst case
efficient and reliable worst case V&V analysis. Description: Develop LFT
libraries for generic space systems that allow to compose and assemble
complex uncertainty models for the purpose of worst case analysis using
Mu-type of analyses. The activity shall include at a minimum the following
tasks: Perform an analysis of existing LFT modeling tools in order to set
up research direction towards efficient LFT modeling approach; Perform a
critical analysis for an industrial LFT framework that enables to be employed
during the entire development cycle of a space systems; Development of S/W
LFT libraries for satellite/rendezvous/Launcher/RLV dynamics including all
necessary models (MCI offset, flexible modes, sloshing, actuators
nonlinearities, sensors models including noises, Digital effects and
distortions, System and component degradation mechanism to faults, etc)
including model validation tools; Benchmarking of LFT models using Worst
Case Analysis using advanced Mu-analysis tools on inustrial appications and
comparision new V&V process with traditional V&V process. Procurement
Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs).
For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001)
"Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA
programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T705-037EC
Status: ISSUED 1-6042
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 17
Ref. No.
08.1EC.09 MATURATION OF ROBUST LPV TECHNIQUES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Extension of the LPV (Linear Parameter Varying) framework
(process methodology, algorithms & tools ) for modeling, analysis and design
for safety critical GNC systems applied to satelllites, Launchers, RLV’s and
rendezvous missions. Enhance and reduce Validation & Verification effort and
increase flexiblity for nonlinear robustness analyses by providing mature
modeling and analysis tools for the validation and verification for nonlinear
control laws. Develop efficient reconfiguarble LPV control strategies for
uncertainties, disturbances and faults including LPV detection as support to
robust autonomous GNC functions. Implementation and numerical issues for on
board GNC implementation of the reconfigurable LPV concept are investigated.
LPV design process enhancements for on board autonomous GNC performance,
robustness and safety. Description: Further process integration is aimed by
demonstrating the implementation aspects of LPV techniques over the entire
design process until implementation of LPV GNC on an onboard computer.
Investigated and demonstrated reconfigurable LPV control in support for
autonomous space GNC systems. Adaptive structure and multi rate LPV control
shall be investigated in the face of variable computational resources,
on-line changing needs, disturbances and uncertainty profiles. The variable
performance and robustness issues will be addressed in a multi objective
fashion to improve the trade-off in the achievement of simultaneously
competing objectives. The validation and verification procedures for the
enhanced version of LPV systems must be refined and improved. In order to
achieve the objectives the activity shall perform: Detailed requirement
analysis and trade-off analysis for enhanced LPV modeling, analysis, design,
validation & verification strategies; Development of LPV S/W tools;
Application of the various LPV technology components to industrial GNC
problems; Implementation of LPV concepts in real-time systems; Validation
and Verification by means of software in the loop experiments; Study
synthesis. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of
quality and quantity) of non- primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional
information please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy
measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 18
Ref. No.
08.1EC.12 ROBUST AUTONOMOUS AEROBRAKING STRATEGIES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The main objectives of the activity are: 1 - To study various
autonomous aerobraking strategies and to identify the associated system
requirements and constraints down to AOCS level, including equipments such as
accelerometer. 2 - To study robust AOCS safe mode (triggered before and
during the atmospheric pass) and aerobraking contingency mode (protection
against excessive Solar Array temperatures). 3 - To develop, assess the
robustness performance and validate the most promising autonomous aerobraking
solutions, including AOCS safe mode and aerobraking contingency mode, on a
validated high-fidelity end-to-end simulator including interactions between
spacecraft and atmosphere through thermal loads. 4 - To assess the benefits
of the proposed solutions from an operational point of view. 5 - To provide
complementary inputs to the the high accuracy European accelerometer
development to be initiated in 2009. Description: This activity shall include
the following main tasks: - Analysis of the mission and the main system
engineering tasks, including requirements and constraints; analysis and
trade-off of candidate autonomous aerobraking strategies, leading to the
selection of the most promising ones and algorithms satisfying functional,
performance and operational requirements. The selected solutions shall allow
a step-wise performance assessment of various automatization levels of the
aerobraking process. The analysis will include, but will not be limited to,
the share between on-board autonomy and ground involvement, the specification
of aerobraking phase operational sequence, such as attitude orientation,
delta-v manoeuvers, the spacecraft pointing requirements, the sensors and
actuators performance characteristics, the required on-board processing
capability, the required contingency modes, etc. - Using a reference mission,
e.g. Mars NEXT, the detailed design of the selected autonomous aerobraking
algorithms will be performed, as well as AOCS safe mode and aerobraking
contingency mode. - The performance and robustness of the most promising
autonomous aerobraking strategies will be assessed using a validated high
fidelity simulation environment. Monte Carlo test campaign will be carried
out to ensure that the spacecraft achieves the mission requirements for
nominal and contingency (i.e. safe mode triggering) scenarios. - A profiling
of the most promising autonomous aerobraking algorithms will be conducted in
order to assess the real-time requirements and onboard processing needs in
view of their implementation on a representative flight processor at a later
stage.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 19
Ref. No.
08.1EC.13 PLANETARY MICRO NAVIGATOR DEFINITION STUDY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The Planetary Micro Navigator is a highly miniaturized autonomous
navigation system that provides the critical spacecraft state information for
the various operational modes of a sample return mission, comprising low mass
/ power computer, MEMS sensors (accelerometers and rate gyros) and
miniaturized optical navigation sensors (also able to meet fine manoeuvering
requirements). The typical target missions will be scientific exploration
missions, so radiation protection, miniaturisation and high integration level
shall be strong drivers of the proposed development. The main objective of
this activity are: 1 - To validate through co-design simulations the
proof-of-concept of the Planetary Micro Navigator. 2 - To identify European
and non European candidate units (micro computing components, rate sensors,
accelerometers, optical navigation camera, ...) off-the-shelf or to be
developed. 3 - To define the development plan for a demonstrator (TRL 4),
this will be developed at a later stage. Description: The proposed activity
will include as a minimum: (1) Planetary Micro Navigator functional,
operational, performance, environment, etc. requirements; (2) analysis and
trade-off of various Planetary Micro Navigator concepts; (3) baseline
electrical and mechanical architecture definition and identification of
candidate units; (4) navigation algorithms trade-off and detailed design,
inc. data fusion, intelligent filtering and auto-calibration techniques; (5)
parametric and covariance analysis of the candidate solutions; (6)
statistical performance validation through co-design simulations of the
candidate Planetary Micro Navigator for selected sample return missions; (7)
development plan for a demonstrator.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 20
Ref. No.
08.1EC.14 EXPLOITATION OF THE DATA COLLECTED DURING THE ATV
RE-ENTRY OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the proposed activity is to exploit the data collected
during the ATV Re-entry Observation Campaign on September 2008, for
technological and scientific purposes. The exploitation will consist in
integrating the collected data, characterize the observed behavior and
phenomena, and use such results for validating and improve/modify
assumptions, mathematical models and software programs used for the ATV
destructive re-entry mission and risk analyses. In particular such
characterization and validation will address the areas of trajectories,
mathematical models, of spacecraft fragmentations and explosions, materials
aero/thermal behavior and demise, flight dynamics, and fuel tanks survival.
Such validation shall lead to the detailed identification of all the
necessary modifications and lessons learned to be introduced in the ESA
relevant methods and software tools. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G609-70EC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 21
Ref. No.
09.1EC.01 AUTONOMOUS GNC TECHNOLOGY FOR NEO PROXIMITY, LANDING
AND SAMPLING OPERATIONS - PHASE 1
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Building upon past and on-going technology development, the main
objectives of the activity are the following: Definition of the envelope of
operational conditions that an autonomous GNC may find in a mission to a
small, irregular (with unknown rotational state) asteroid. In particular,
this envelope will consider orbital dynamics and surface characteristics;
Consolidation of the autonomy approaches elaborated in the system assessment
study and derivation of the associated system requirements and constraints
down to GNC system level, including equipments such as relative terrain
sensors; Enhancement, validation and calibration of existing simulation
and testing environment(s) for validation and verification of the NEO GNC
demonstrator, encompassing as a minimum functional engineering simulator,
avionics test bench, vision-based optical stimulator (ViSOS), and asteroid
scene generation tool (PANGU); Adaptation/maturation of autonomous G-N-C
components including Image Processing (IP) and Hazard Avoidance algorithms,
already developed at functional prototype level in past or on-going
technology activities, for orbit acquisition/insertion, maintenance and
transfer in the vicinity of the asteroid as well as for the controlled
descent to the asteroid surface, the sampling operations and the ascent
phase; Detailed analysis, design and autocoding (production C-code) of all
GNC modes of the selected reference mission (Marco Polo), including
re-targeting, safe and contingency modes. Step-wise performance
verification & validation of the autonomous GNC system demonstrator for the
selected reference mission: Marco Polo. High-fidelity closed-loop
simulations, will verify the GNC robustness performances, autonomy and
survability, and validate the overall adequacy of the demonstrator to the
mission. This first V&V step shall bring the TRL to 3. Hardware-in-the-loop
simulations will verify the navigation performances and validate the
observation models. Note: real-time closed loop testing on a representative
avionics test bench with electrica/optical stimulation of the navigation
sensor(s) is contemplated. This second V&V step shall bring the TRL to 5-6.
The expected results are a thorough verification and validation of an
autonomous GNC system demonstrator (TRL: 5-6) for the selected reference
mission (Marco Polo), the delivery of a library of validated autonomous
Navigation, Guidance and Control components for NEO proximity operations,
landing and sampling operations and the delivery of a complete simulation and
testing environment(s) suite for the development, verification and
validation of GNC systems of future small body missions.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr SAFA
C
Z
Status: INITIATED 1-6080
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 22
Ref. No.
09.1EC.02 ROBUST FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN, VERIFICATION AND
VALIDATION FRAMEWORK
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop an enhanced robust flight control system design
framework, including methodology, algorithms and tools, for uncertain
non-linear time-varying safety critical systems such as Expendable Launch
Vehicle (Ariane, Vega Evolution) or Re-entry vehicles (IXV, CSTS, RLV). The
framework shall reduce significantly the Design, Validation & Verification
(DV&V) effort, shall comply with high level missionization requirements and
shall ensure enhanced dependability by design. The expected result is a DV&V
framework for robust launcher GNC development that makes use of the latest
advances in robust multivariable control technology. The framework will be
developed is such a way that it fits well with the current industrial DV&V
process and common design practices as well as being applicable for re-entry
vehicles.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EC.03 ACCELEROMETER FOR IMU FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATOR
09 NO
Q4
200-500
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objectives: The objective is to develop a accelerometer demonstrator for a
low cost IMU. Description: The purpose of the activity is to develop an
accelerometer demonstrator to be implemented as the accelerometer component
of a low-cost IMU for vehicle applications. This development will rely on the
the conclusions from ’Definition of accelerometer needs for an IMU’, which
aims at defining the technical specification and a preliminary design for the
accelerometer, covering a wide scope of space applications including, but not
limited to, landers, rovers, re-entry vehicles, interplanetary probes,
launchers. MEMS technology is expected to be a relevant technology for this
development. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news
(dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D
entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 23
Ref. No.
09.1EC.04 AOCS UNIT SIMULATION MODELS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Framework definition and prototyping for the coordinated
development and validation of AOCS units simulation models by AOCS unit
suppliers. The generic development of such Building Blocks has been
recommended by the ESA avionics workshop ADCSS in 2007 and the associated
bilaterals with industry. Description: An experienced AOCS contractor shall
develop the generic requirements and framework for AOCS units modelling and
together with some unit supplier(s) develop a first set of simulation models.
The initiative will consider both functional models of adequate fidelity
needed for AOCS system design, and interface-representative models for
avionics verification on Virtual Test Bench. This contract should be followed
by dedicated model developments with each unit supplier to produce and
validate, against real unit tests, the models for their units. These models
shall be made available to all European companies as part of unit
procurement.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EC.05 PRECISE GRAVITATIONAL MODELLING OF PLANETARY MOONS AND
NEO (NEAR EARTH OBJECTS) ASTEROIDS
N4
ESTEC
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objective: develop precise gravitational models of planetary moons and
asteroids target of the subject missions: i.e. the asteroid 2001 SG286,
Enceladus, Titan, Jupiter, and Europa. The models will be threefold: Models
for mission analysis tools and techniques. These models are accurate and
medium size computational intensive and will provide gravity field data for
ESA and Industry astrodynamics tools. Models for operations and ground
control. These models are very accurate and high size computational
intensive. They will provide gravity field data for spacecraft maneuvering
capability. They will be typically installed in an operational ground segment
control center. Models for on-board autonomous orbit and attitude
propagation. These models are realively accurate and low size computational
intensive. They will provide gravity field data for on-board autonomous
spacecraft maneuvering capability. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 24
Ref. No.
09.1EC.06 MODERN ATTITUDE CONTROL OF EO SATELLITES WITH LARGE
FLEXIBLE ELEMENTS
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To review state- of-the-art methods to achieve robust optimal
control of satellites with large flexible elementa such as BIOMASS and
CoreH2O , with inputs from phase A activities, setup of simulation framework,
model definition, analyses. Description: Based on the following inputs:
models of the dynamics (of increasing detail, along the Phase A) of the
BIOMASS and COREH20 satellites, including flexible appendages (e.g. stiffness
and damping matrices, with associated statistics), the following tasks shall
be performed: review of state-of-the-art (attitude) control methods to
achieve the robust optimal control of the spacecraft, set-up of simulation
framework, of reasonably wide applicability for LEO flexible satellites
carrying large antennas and large solar arrays, definition of relevant models
for sensors (incl. possibly sensors on flexible elements) and actuators,
analyses of dynamics models available, identification of possible
generalizations, application of selected design methods to specific cases of
interest (particularly with reference to BIOMASS), simulations to analyse
performance, envelope and margins, to assess robustness with respect to
dynamic parameters, derivation of conclusions and (detailed) recommendations.
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
Page 25
Ref. No.
09.1EC.07 SECOND GENERATION APS FOR AOCS PROTOTYPE (PHASE 1) AND
DETAILED EVALUATION (PHASE 2)
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Design, manufacture demonstration and detailed evaluation of the next
generation of APS for AOCS units. This activity covers the second generation
of the HAS development, in contrast to the LCMS2 which is the second
generation of the LCMS development. Since the early STAR 250/1000
developments, the APS detector development has taken two separate paths, a
high performance HAS, aiming for the best performance, and the LCMS, aiming
for a highly integrated detector allowing for miniature and low cost
applications. These detector developments are critical for several sensor
applications such as star trackers and optical navigation sensors as well as
sun sensors and often end up being also used in payloads and ground
applications. Currently the HAS and LCMS are the world leading radiation hard
APS detectors for space platform use, this development will maintain and
protect that position as well as lead to improvements in a number of AOCS
equipment types. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT
WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM
DELEGATIONS. AT THAT TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE
CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS WILL BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITY.
Budget Ref.: 100851 - GSTP Period 5 Element 2
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 26
Ref. No.
05.1ED.05 ON BOARD COMPUTER FOR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS USING
SYSTEM ON A CHIP APPROACH
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the activity is to develop an on board computer for critical
applications such as S/C controller using the LEON IP core in a system on a
chip approach that shall include on the same chip additional functions
traditionally implemented on a separate board such as I/O (buses, discrete,
packet wire, ), management functions (timers, reconfiguration handshake..),
system accelerators (dual port RAMs, caches, ). A first phase will include
the design and a first iteration (simulator, FPGA) whilst the second phase
shall consist into the design and development of the System on a chip and its
integration on a flight representative board to be tested in realistic
functional and performance conditions. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS. AT THAT TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER
ISSUE WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS WILL BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
DATA SYSTEMS DIVISION / TEC-ED
Responsible: Mr ARMBRUSTER
Spec. Prov.:
Status: EX ITEM 05.1EC.06 INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q1
Page 27
Ref. No.
06.1ED.06 NETWORK ON CHIP ARCHITECTURE FOR SYSTEMS ON A CHIP
DESIGN
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity aims at investigating and validating new on chip architecture
concepts in order to solve the problem of conventional bus based
architectures. The activity shall demonstrate the advantages of using an on
chip asynchronous network based architecture, over a classical parallel and
synchronous bus architecture (e.g. multilayer AMBA). The ever increasing
complexity offered by digital CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
technologies calls for a different approach in the way of designing systems
on chip ASICs (SoC). The tremendous amount of transistors (200 Millions)
available on recent deep sub micron technologies (90nm) are translated into
several problems (sometimes ignored or minored in older processes). Problems
like power consumption, voltage drop (really critical with voltage
shrinkage), cross talk effects, clock distribution, timing closure, and IPs
interconnections might dominate the design of future ASICS and systems on
chip. One way to address this complexity and the problems associated to it is
to consider a novel approach based on networks on chip or "on-chip network".
The approach that shall be followed in this activity consists in
interconnecting functions (or IPs) on the chip in a kind of reconfigurable
network, where each IP can be seen as an independent node with its own local
clock and power supply, communicating through the rest of the chip (with
other IPs) by means of the network. The Network on Chip (NoC) concept might
also improve the reliability in the sense that if one node (IP) may fail, the
traffic could be re-routed and the functionality of the chip will be degraded
in a graceful manner. The activity will be firstly devoted to investigating
existing NoC solutions and evaluate their applicability and advantages to
space system on chip design. Secondly a representative application shall be
identified in the aim of supporting the NoC approach. And thirdly a hardware
prototype shall be produced (ASIC) in the aim of validating the concept. The
reliability aspects shall be considered from the beginning of the activity
and demonstrated by the test vehicle, the scalability of the system shall
also be demonstrated by showing that the network on chip can also be expanded
out of the chip by creating thus a cluster architecture. To this end the work
will be split in two phases.
ESTEC
Budget Ref.: 100958 - NewPro
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP NP20-02ED
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 28
Ref. No.
07.1ED.01 SPACEWIRE NETWORK BANDWIDTH PERFORMANCE SIMULATION
TOOL
TT Q
PP
Price
In a number of activities ESA has prepared the SpaceWire technology that
allows to embark high speed data networks on board of future satellite
systems. This new technology has become widely adopted not only by ESA
missions but also by other agencies and industry. The design of the topology
and routing tables of such a on-board network, which has to comply to the
system requirements, is left today to the engineering judgement of the
designer and can be only validated at a late stage during system testing.
This task becomes more and more difficult when the complexity of the on-board
networks increases. A simulation of such high speed on-board networks will
allow to verify the performance requirements like latency and throughput and
to verify the redundancy scheme. It will allow to optimise the routing tables
and ensure that the designed network is non blocking. A simulation software
for this task should configurable with the network topology, link, router,
node characteristics and the network data load. The results of this
simulation should provide a clear view on the network statistics and provide
a validation of the chosen network topology already during the design phase.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T609-25ED
Status: INTENDED
09
Q2
100-200
Page 29
Ref. No.
08.1ED.02 SAFETY ORIENTED REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity shall provide reference to the development of safety critical
system (i.e. where human safety is a concern) as a first priority but shall
also be a useful reference for systems having high requirement for high
availability as it can be the case of autonomous robotics mission by
performing a down scaling of the requirements applicable to man rated
systems. (including previous related studies) Phase 1 :The activity shall
start from an evaluation of the state of technology both in the domain of
space transportation and launcher (ATV, Ariane-5 ) and in other domains where
safety issues are of prime importance like Aeronautics, Automotive, nuclear
plants... It will then specify the functional and performance requirements
extracted from prospective use cases on CLV and ELV evolution for launcher
and other space transportation scenarios (space tug, Moon or Mars lander )
with a particular attention to characterise for each case the availability
defined by the need to maintain a continuity of services even in the presence
of failures that can vary from tolerance 0 i.e. when no outage is tolerated
in the most stringent cases (as ATV) up to cases where some outage can be
tolerated as long as it does not exceed some limited TBD time value. The
contractor shall perform the architecture trade-off in relation with some
perspective on the underlying technology for implementation (e.g. migration
from 0.25 rad tolerant process to 0.13 or 90 n, possible use of COTS.. )
and to conclude by the identification of the main building blocks (H/W and
S/W) as necessary to build the system core. In a second step, the contractor
shall issue his specification of the architecture, namely the buildings
blocks and their interfaces (H/W-H/W, H/W- S/W, S/W-S/W) as well as providing
the models corresponding to their specifications. This step shall be
concluded by a PDR prior to make available the requirements for the different
activities involved in the design and development of the main building blocks
e.g. : the computer and the main I/O and peripheral such as the internal
interfaces (buses, networks) both at platform level and in the
box (inter-modules) or external (TM-TC), highly resilient data storage that
can be used as safeguard that can provide a data storage service able to
tolerate specific events or failures (as power down)without loosing any bit
of critical data (e.g. on board data bases, software back-up, recovery
points ), dedicated co-processor or embedded sensor that can be required by
a given mission definition Emphasis shall also be given on the provision of a
modular architecture allowing system extension in order not to block the
evolution of the system with time (technology upgrade) . At the end of Phase
1, the architect contractor shall release a consolidated preliminary
specification of requirements for the design and pre-development of the main
building blocks as well as specifying the building blocks interfaces. Phase 2
In a second step, the architect contractor shall follow-on the individual
building block design and development phases, supporting the analysis of any
simulation, validation, test analysis. He shall lately support the
integration of the different building blocks breadboards, to be performed
under parallel activities, into a reference test bench. At the end of the
activity, the contractor shall provide an updated specification of the main
system building block and a roadmap for their implementation up to the flight
model.
ESTEC
C
09
Page 30
DIPC > 500
Budget Ref.:
100061 - Techno Res/Core Activities
Spec. Prov.:
B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+FIN+POR+GR+LUX+C
Z
Programme Ref.:
TRP T401-016ED
Status:
INTENDED
Q3
08.1ED.03 DIGITAL BEAM FORMING TECHNOLOGICAL ELEMENTS
Objectives: Development and demonstration set of parametric IP cores to
implement digital beamforming functions. Description: The digital beam
forming techniques combine the signals from two or more sub- apertures into
one signal. The operations used here are signal scaling, time domain
interpolation and summation. These operation would be implemented in ASIC (or
FPGA) technology in order to meet the processing speed at the optimum power
consumption. The required accuracy and precision greatly depends on the
overall system design. In this activity a set of basic parametric IP cores
shall be developed which are able adapt to a wide range of applications by
only choosing the correct set of parameters. The function of these IP cares
shall be demonstrated in a breadboard based on commercial FPGA.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 31
Ref. No.
08.1ED.05 TECHNIQUES FOR RADIATION EFFECTS MITIGATION IN ASICS
AND FPGAS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to describe in a single
document the available mitigation methods against radiation effects. This
document shall enable the designers of microelectronic circuits to check the
adequacy of their methodology for radiation hardening, and to complement
their design techniques where necessary. Description: Microelectronic
circuits for space applications are required to tolerate radiation effects in
the space environment. Available microelectronic technologies with radiation
tolerant capabilities are already applying a number of different mitigation
techniques. While this relieves the designer of integrated circuits from
applying the same methods himself, the designer is always challenged for a
number of issues: --The choice of the most suitable technology (foundry,
process, and cell library). --The identification of critical parts of the
circuit with respect to radiation effects (including, but not limited to SEL,
SEU, SET, and TDI) --The application of high level design techniques against
radiation effects such as triple modular redundancy (TMR), checksums, or
memory scraping. --The design for synthesis and testability of redundant
circuits. --In full custom design: the application of low level design
techniques against radiation effects such as the adjustment of layout design
rules to prevent single-event latchup (SEL) or enclosed layout transistors to
prevent leakage current. This activity shall describe in detail the available
technology choices and mitigation techniques for --Digital ASICs FPGAs
--Mixed-Signal and Analogue ASICs. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information
please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for
non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
50-100
Page 32
Ref. No.
08.1ED.06 EUROPEAN DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR (DSP) TRADE-OFF AND
DEFINITION STUDY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Definition of a detailed set of requirements for the
implementation of the next generation of European DSP. Description: Based on
the recommendations of the Round Table on the Next Generation European DSP a
set of detailed requirements for the implementation have to be defined. These
requirements shall be specific enough to start the implementation of the DSP
ASIC and the related development environment in follow-on activities.
Dependent on the selected baseline this can comprise an architectural design
and / or first prototyping and test of critical areas on FPGA. It comprises
further the selection of a suitable ASIC technology.
ESTEC
C
Z
08.1ED.07 SECURITY ARCHITECTURE FOR COMMAND AND CONTROL
09 NO
Q1
100-200
09 NO
Q3
50-100
Objectives: To determine the impact on the flight DHS architecture of the
introduction of security layers. Description: The majority of ESA spacecraft
utilise existing, ESA defined, components or standard IP cores to assemble a
robust TT&C system. The introduction of security on forward and return links
may impact the use of existing components or even invalidate their use. This
activity seeks to understand potential impact of the introduction of security
on current and future architectures and developments. Note: this activity
will not concern itself with security mechanisms or algorithms.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 33
Ref. No.
08.1ED.08 REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION FOR ON BOARD DATA SYSTEMS AND
SOFTWARE FOR END TO END SECURITY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Within the frame of the multi-mission avionics reference
architecture and within the scope of scientific or commercial missions, this
activity is the first step to perform the definition of an end to end
security concept (single and multi-systems) and using the proper methodology
on which to base the definition and the specifications of the on board
security building blocks that shall be designed and developed by follow-on
activity in GTSP or Artes. Description: To provide in a first step an end to
end security concept from use cases analysis in different service domains
(telecommunication, EO, science, Man space, robotics exploration); To infer
and extract the set of requirements to be met on board by the on board
equipment (TM-TC, internal communications support, O/B software) that shall
be subject of a PDR; To publish the consolidated requirements as an input to
the activities in charge of developing the corresponding on board building
blocks as well as establishing the overall validation strategy.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
100-200
Page 34
Ref. No.
08.1ED.09 HW-SW SYSTEMC CO-SIMULATION SOC VALIDATION PLATFORM
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Validation of a new SoC design flow based on commercially
available tools. This design flow shall demonstrate the capability to
perform co-design (hardware/software) using high abstraction level language
based on SystemC (IEEE standard). Description: The advent of
nanometer-scale integration and the increasing availability of transistors
on a single die is leading towards the production of more and more complex
systems on a single chip. However, power dissipation, difficulties in
increasing the clock frequency, and the need for technology reuse to reduce
time-to-market push towards different solutions from the classic single-core
or custom technology. One of these solutions consists of exploiting inherent
application parallelism, running them on multiple standard processor cores.
This brought to the definition of Multi-Processor System-on-Chip (MPSoC). The
design of MPSoC raises new challenges due to the large design space and
tight design and time-to-market constraints. MPSoC are complex devices, and
therefore require some particular modeling techniques that are able to hide
their inherent complexity. Nevertheless, the model has to be accurate enough
to describe the entire system throughout the phases of its development, and
provide enough flexibility to be refined iteratively up to the point where
the actual device can be produced using current process technology,
considering also all the aspects related to the software running on the
system. In this context, the European aerospace industry is still lacking a
complete design flow to enable the design of MPSoC for the space market.
Therefore we propose the development of a Virtual Platform and Design Flow
using the SystemC language. Such platform will provide a unified tool for the
system- and high-level design phases of an aerospace embedded system,
opening the doors to HW-SW codesign, reduction of development time, and
early system validation. The platform shall provide a unified flow from a
SystemC specification at Transaction Level down to Register Transfer Level
(RTL). The development is broken down in the following activities: Highlevel design of key IPs in SystemC TLM 2.0, and packaging them with
SPIRITLEON3 coreAMBA AXI or AHB (soon provided free of charge) SpaceWire
InterfaceDevelopment of a Virtual Platform using the aforementioned IPs. The
platform should provide profiling and performance analysis, allowing design
space exploration and to change the configuration of the hardware. As a
virtual platform, it will have to be able to run software on the TL or RTL
model as if it was running on the actual hardware. The platform shall also
be able to run mixed SystemC-VHDL/Verilog simulations. The platform might be
based on commercial CAD tools like CoWare’s Platform Architect. Overall, it
should allow: Performance analysis: cycle count, transaction count, execution
time, communication bandwidth and throughput, etc. SW debugging: access to
registers, links to source code, breakpointing, etc. Refinement of SystemC
models from TL to RTL by the use of cosimulation and transactorsProvide a
proof-of-concept design flow, starting from a simple application specified
in C++, defining the platform, performing design space exploration, and
refining the system down to RTL for synthesis on FPGA. Procurement Policy:
C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of nonprimes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to
EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes,
SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
Page 35
Responsible:
Mr ARMBRUSTER
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.:
Z
Programme Ref.:
TRP T701-102ED
Status:
INITIATED 1-6025
C
09 DAC
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q3
50-100
08.1ED.10 SPACE INTERNETWORKING PROTOCOLS
Objectives: To determine the communication requirements for future
exploration based missions involving multiple space-borne and landed
elements. Description: Future exploration missions will rely on cooperative
in-flight configurations nvolving many space borne and landed elements with
multiple, possibly disjoint, communications paths between them. Communication
will most likely rely on IP connectivity, coupled with delay tolerant
mitigation techniques. The communication requirements will impact the flight
(and ground) systems in terms of the protocols used, the resources required
and the procedures used for 2-way communication. This activity will study the
end- to-end packet level communication requirements of future in-flight
scenarios, to determine the most suitable communication protocols.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 36
Ref. No.
08.1ED.11 EVALUATION OF NEW FPGA TECHNOLOGIES (HARDENED-SRAM,
FLASH, MIXED-SIGNAL)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of the proposed activity is to evaluate the
suitability of the new FPGA technologies (mixed signal, flash based, low
power, RadHard SRAM- based) for space designs. The FPGA technologies
addressed are not yet available for the space market but they are already
present for the commercial applications and the vendors are planning to bring
them to the space community in the future. This evaluation therefore aims to
learn best practices in the use of the new FPGA devices for space taking
advantage of their current availability and anticipating its eventual future
introduction into space. Description: At present, devices based on antifuse
technology are the predominant technology used for FPGAs in the space sector.
However, other mature technologies are to be brought into the space domain:
Flash-based (the ProASIC family) and eventually also the mixed signal FPGAs
(the FUSION family). Major players in the commercial sector are moving since
some years into the space sector: e.g. large SRAM-based Rad Tolerant FPGAs
and Rad Hard versions of the Virtex-5 family based on 65nm geometry. The
proposed activity is an evaluation of these new FPGA technologies in designs
for space. The Task breakdown is as follows: - Feasibility analysis on the
FPGA devices and development boards to be used in the evaluation (commercial
boards), on the target designs and on the metrics to be used (as for example
resource usage, max. frequency, ).- Architectural and detailed design phases
of the target designs to be used; porting of the design to the different FPGA
technologies- Performance measurements according to the metrics on the
development boards- Final report including the comparison of the different
FPGA technologies and the predicted and measured metrics.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T722-163QC
Status: EX ITEM 08.1QC.09 INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 37
Ref. No.
08.1ED.12 LOW MASS SPACEWIRE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of a second generation of SpaceWire cable with a
reduced mass by a factor 2 to 3. Description: The SpaceWire standard
ECSS-E-50-12A currently specifies the construction and the mass of the
SpaceWire cable (80g/m). By defining the requirements on the electrical
characteristics of the cable, the cable construction and mass should be
optimised. This will lead to the construction of a new generation of
SpaceWire cables which more adapted to specific applications. The
requirements of the electrical characteristics establish in this activity
will be used to update the cable specification in the standard. Procurement
Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For
additional information please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial
Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100469 - Science Payload and Technology Division
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1ED.13 HIGH PROCESSING POWER DPU BASED ON HIGH REL. DSP
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Objectives: Development of High Processing Power DPU board based on high rel.
DSP components. Description: Some science missions like GAIA and DUNE and
PLATO in the future require a very high data processing power on-board to
perform the required data compression operations. Currently there is no
European processor board available that could fulfil this need but different
concepts on hardening for radiation introduced errors have been proposed. The
processor board to be developed shall be based on a High Rel DSP processor
(e.g. from TI) which can be considered radiation hard with respect to total
dose and SEL. Errors introduced by other SEE shall be detected and corrected
by software in combination with the appropriate measures implemented on board
level. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: CTP C201-030ED; IPI-SRE-003-AT
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 38
Ref. No.
09.1ED.01 LATCH UP PROTECTION FOR COTS (COMMERCIAL,
OFF-THE-SHELF) DIGITAL COMPONENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Protection device to increase robustness against Latch-Ups of
COTS digital electronic. Description: COTS components typically follow the
latest industry trends, and may become obsolete in just a few years. This is
particurlarly true for memory chips, that have market lifetime sometimes of
less than one year. Space qualifying electronics is instead a rather lengthy
and complex process. Detailed functional and performance test procedures must
be developed to characterize the device during environmental testing. The
required environmental testing typically includes vibration testing, thermal
cycling and thermal vacuum testing, and radiation testing. In addition, a
variety of engineering analyses must be completed as part of the acceptance
data package. Hence, a very effective strategy for using COTS components in
space is to use system-level mitigation techniques to complement the
component-level mitigation techniques, to increase system level reusability
of COTS modules. Examples of effective system-level techniques include: Error
detection and correction (EDAC), Redundancy, Radiation-tolerant circuit
designs, Distributed functionality, Fault protection systems. A possible
fault protection system for digital parts can be built using COTS
Current-Limited, High-Side P-Channel Switches with Thermal Shutdown. Those
inexpensive and highly miniaturized switches operate with inputs from +2.7V
to +5.5V, making them ideal for both 3V and 5V systems. Internal
current-limiting circuitry protects the input supply against overload.
Thermal-overload protection limits power dissipation and junction
temperature. Current limit is adjustable with great precision and
intervention time is on the order of few microseconds. This will be well
suited to protect memories against burn out and they can be operated either
with autorecovery (during an output short-circuit condition, the switch turns
off and disconnects the input supply from the output, the current-limiting
amplifier then slowly turns the switch on with the output current limited) or
with software controlled recovery.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T201-002ED; IPI-SRE-002-AT
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 39
Ref. No.
09.1ED.02 DEMONSTRATION TEST BED FOR A SECURE TMTC SYSTEM - STEP
1/SECURING SPACE COMMUNICATIONS - CRYPTOGRAPHIC LINE
REPLACEABLE UNITS
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity will identify and define a set of cryptographic line replaceable
units (LRU), each of those units consisting in a group of one or several
security functions supported by cryptographic logic with an interface that
can economically support a wide range of applications.Ultimately a set of one
or several of those line replaceable units will be identified as critical to
build up security solutions using cryptography. Those critical components can
be assigned priority for secure development (e.g. IP cores) and
implementation in possible pilot follow-on activities. The scope of this
activity includes both security engineering and assurance aspects. The
activity will produce implementation independent documents that can serve as
a basis for the design, development of security products by industry and
possible evaluation of security solutions by accredited organizations.
Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and
quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ED.03 SPACEWIRE EVOLUTIONS
09 NO
Q4
200-500
09 NO
Q4
100-200
Objectives: Definition, implementation and test of new techniques proposed to
be used on SpaceWire like sideband signalling for interrupt distribution and
simplex SpaceWire. Prototyping of the proposed techniques prior to the formal
standardisation. Description: Some evolutions of the SpaceWire standard have
been proposed by the SpaceWire working group. Among the discussed techniques
there is the sideband signalling for interrupt distribution and the
introduction of SpaceWire operating in simplex mode. These new backwards
compatible techniques need to be breadboarded prior to their eventual
standardisation. The SpaceWire test setup shall be mainly based on existing
SpaceWire equipment which is upgraded with the enhancements. A full set of
functional tests shall be performed, assessing the usefulness and derive
recommendations for improvements.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 40
Ref. No.
09.1ED.04 SOIS INTERFACING TO PUS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To analyse the use of the ESA packet utilisation standard (PUS)
in the context of the CCSDS Recommendations for spacecraft onboard interface
services. Description: The CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data
Systems) has developed a standard set communications services to be applied
to the onboard DHS. The main intention of these services is to foster reuse
of interfaces and software across multiple missions. Before applying the
approach to ESA spacecraft it will necessary match the proposed services to
those of the ESA packet utilisation standard as used by all ESA missions.
This activity will examine the required harmonisation of the SOIS (Spacecraft
Onboard Interface Services) services with those provided by PUS in order to
ensure compatibility.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ED.05 DELAY TOLERANT NETWORKING PROTOTYPING
09 NO
Q3
50-100
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Objectives: In relation to the ESA exploration programme and the
constellation programme of NASA, the CCSDS is developing new protocols
applicable to a networked environment involving significant delays and
disjoint connectivity. As part of the CCSDS specification process, there is a
need to prototype the selected protocol stack and validate the communication
protocols in a realistic test-bedding environment. Description: This activity
will perform the necessary prototyping and validation exercise for the flight
implementation. A separate activity will be performed for the ground segment
and as part of the work the two implementations will be interconnected and
evaluated. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 41
Ref. No.
09.1ED.06 DATA HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN AND PROOF-OF-CONCEPT FOR
MODULAR SYSTEM-OF-MICROSYSTEMS APPROACH
N1
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Define a modular data handling system architecture based on
system-of-microsystems for nanosatellites. Build a proof-of-concept setup and
demonstrate the architecture. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted
to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go
to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes,
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ED.07 NEW TECHNIQUES FOR EFFICIENT MULTI-SPECTRAL DATA
COMPRESSION
N4
ESTEC
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Summary description to follow. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted
to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information please go to EMITS news
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 42
Ref. No.
01.1EE.24 NOVEL TECHNIQUES FOR GENERAL ANTENNA CHARACTERISATION
IN THE TIME DOMAIN
TT Q
PP
Price
Time domain measurements techniques developed for wide band antennas, can be
extended to further exploit the capabilities of pulsed antenna measurements.
This would include direct measurement of chirped antennas and the measurement
of the pulse response of an antenna in a Compact Range. This activity
consists of the identification of existing pulsed antenna measurement
techniques and their limitations, the definition of tools needed for
characterising, both the pulsed operation of the antenna and the measurement
of chirped antennas, and the implementation and testing of a typical pulsed
antenna.
ESTEC
ELECTROMAGNETICS AND SPACE ENVIRONMENT D / TEC-EE
Responsible: Mr ARBESSER RASTBURG
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP EEE-006
04.1EE.18 HIGH ACCURACY / STABILITY REFLECTORS FOR FUTURE EO
MISSIONS
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Antennas for future missions present a significant technology challenge,
especially because of the high gain, narrow beam and wide scan requirements.
The mechanical stability of reflecting surfaces is a major limiting factor in
large antenna performances at very high frequencies. Critical areas, like
pointing accuracy (thermo-mechanical stability) and the high number of beams
(overall complexity), will be addressed specifically in this activity. This
activity will be targeted to the following main areas: - Study and pre-design
of antenna architectures. - Address critical technological areas identifying
potential solutions. - Perform critical breadboard development up to antenna
level (shell, surface treatments, etc..) The activity will start with a
carefull assessment on the mechanical accuracy and stability requirements for
different mission scenarios (LEO, MEO, GEO). This activity will identify and
select the mechanical, thermal and technological solutions and antenna
architectures required to achieve the necessary accuracy and stability for
reflector antennas. These solutions/architectures will have to be
demonstrated by critical breadboarding (as a minimum at electro and
thermo-mechanical representative sample level). A methodology for the coupled
electrical and mechanical design, which can greatly improve the achievable
performances of such antennas by allowing the close matching of the
mechanical design to the electrical requirements, should also carefully be
considered. Special focus should be given to large temperature excursions.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.: B
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G102-32EE
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 43
Ref. No.
04.1EE.19 MEDIUM-SIZE UNFURLABLE ANTENNA FOR LEO (CONCEPT STUDY)
TT Q
PP
Price
Today, increased market request for large aperture reflector with smallstowed volume has been experienced, while only small size (3m) fixed large
reflectors are under development in Europe (such as that for SAR LUPE made by
SES). To allow low cost instruments, Synthetic Aperture Radar instruments
need reflectors with diameters in the range of 3 to 7 meters. Two parallel
contracts are on going for the design of primary feed array compatible with
multi swath, but the reflector development still need to be funded. This
development is mandatory to make possible new missions. This activity deals
with the study and trade-off of possible innovative concepts for an
unfurlable or foldable medium-size offset reflector antenna, in the range of
3 m to 7 m. The reflector antenna should have an in-flight surface accuracy
and stability compatible with instruments operating at frequencies up to
X-band in order to fulfil the RF requirements. The concept should be
applicable to offset apertures with elliptical or super-elliptical rim,
required for SAR applications. Moreover reduced storage volume is requested
to be compatible with the limited volume of low cost small launchers and make
enable new type of mission/applications either monostatic or bi-static (like
the cartwheel concept). NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK
PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
FROM DELEGATIONS. AT THAT TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 44
Ref. No.
05.1EE.02 STEERABLE PENCIL BEAM X-BAND DATA DOWNLINK ANTENNA
TT Q
PP
Price
Interference has been experienced when using X-band data down link antenna
because many users using wide coverage isoflux antennas share the same
frequency allocation. To avoid such interference, and increase gain,
steerable pencil beam antennas need to be developed to provide spatial
isolation. This will also allow the use of the full X-band frequency
allocation leading to a higher (350 Mb/s) data rate and even more with other
modulation schemes like 8PSK. Using this approach allow high cost saving
thanks to the use of existing X-band ground segment even for high data rate
transmission. This activity deals with the development of X-Band steerable
pencil beam antennas at X- band. It will cover antenna design and provide the
main requirements for all the subsystems like radiating panels, rotary joints
and mechanisms. All critical subsystems will be developed and tested except
mechanisms that will be treated separately in a dedicated activity. NOTE:
THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED
AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS. AT THAT TIME A
PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS WILL BE ABLE
TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: CHANGED TO 09.1EE.20 RE-ASSIGNED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 45
Ref. No.
05.1EE.03 HIGH-POWER, LOW-LOSS FEED ARRAY (DEVELOPMENT PHASE)
TT Q
PP
Price
The initial work of this activity is partially covered by the current ARTESfunded ITT on Large Ku-band dual polarised multi-beam / contoured-beam
antenna for frequency re-use , and by the TRP-funded ITT on Low-cost multifeed antenna . The proposed activity would fund the demonstration phase of a
high-power, low-loss feed array, suitable for an earth observation mission,
delivering hardware up to pre-qualification level. This activity is contained
in dossier TOSE-7A-DOS-2 (Spaceborne Reflector Antenna). Reflector-based
synthetic aperture radars (as opposed to active phased-array- based radars)
have shown a growing interest due to cost reasons. To synthesise the various
overlapped shaped beams, high-power, low-loss feeds array are required for
the reflector antenna. In the telecom domain, similar needs are also
identified for the provision of linguistic coverage in Ku- and Ka-frequency
bands. All these applications require high-power beam forming networks at
focal plane level. Great care should be given to PIMP and multipaction issues
due to the high power levels involved. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
05.1EE.05 EUROPEAN ANTENNA MODELLING COMPONENT LIBRARAY - EARTH
OBSERVATION
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
The main purpose of the "European Antenna Modelling Library" (for which the
"European Antenna Modelling Component Library - Earth Observation" is
expected to implement components relevant for Earth Observation missions) is
to provide a set of harmonised antenna modelling tools provided with
standardised interfaces so as to maximise interoperability. Type of tender
C(2) - activities in open competition, where a significant participation of
non-primes is requested. For additional information please go to EMITS news
programmes". NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS.
AT THAT TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS
WILL BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 46
Ref. No.
05.1EE.06 WIDEBAND RECEIVERS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the work of this activity is to advance the European state
of the art in the subject of broadband mm and sub-mm-wave receivers, and to
demonstrate by breadboarding the mastering of the analysis, modelling and
testing tools. The first part of this activity should be devoted to design of
high performance wideband receiver concepts and topologies. Emphasis will be
placed on at least the following main areas: *system requirements, *system
concept, *instrument topology, *technological risk, *fabrication issues. The
second part of this activity should determine a design rationale and
fabrication approach that leads to the complete integration of a
submillimetre-wave wideband receiver. This will be followed by a phase where
the critical items will be breadboarded and tested. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 47
Ref. No.
06.1EE.05 INTEGRATED ANTENNA FEEDS
TT Q
PP
Price
Most of today s instruments have receivers that work with waveguide horn
antennas as receiving elements. They have traditionally been the most common
microwave antenna feed types, although the attenuation of fundamental-mode
waveguides at (sub)millimetre wave frequencies is high and both the effect of
metal tolerances and misalignments becomes more severe. However, the small
size can be turned into an advantage when the dimensions and tolerances
required become compatible to those achieved by lithography. In recent years
the advancement of photo-lithographic techniques has resulted in a very
reliable and repeatable process for creating structures on dielectric
substrates and the fabrication of very complex electronic structures with a
high yield is now possible. This means that a viable alternative for
waveguide-based front ends has emerged. This activity comprises of trade-off,
design, analysis, manufacture, and test of integrated antennas. The specific
objective is to demonstrate that broadband integrated antennas can achieve
competitive performance as compared to the traditional wave-guide horn
technology and that such antennas have high potentials for higher frequency
ranges. The following features are proposed: 1) suited for operation up to
the frequency range of at least 1 THz; 2) better performance than the
competing classical technologies. The activity will include the following
tasks: - Investigation of design alternatives and establishing the baseline
design - Assessment of different fabrication technologies for these feeds and
different experimental verification techniques - Derivation by testing of the
electrical performances of the integrated antennas - Analysis of the test
results, providing explanations for the deviations of the test results from
the results predicted and correcting them wherever possible - Recommendations
for future improvements. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK
ESTEC
RF PAYLOAD SYSTEMS DIVISION / TEC-ET
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 48
Ref. No.
07.1EE.09 DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH ORDER PROPAGATION MODELS FOR
MULTIMEDIA SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
The proposed activity is aimed to the development of models of high order
statistics of radiowave propagation parameters relevant for Satellite
Communication Systems operating at frequencies from 20 to 50 GHz. Existing
models are mainly focused on the description of first order statistics of
propagation parameters (like the atmospheric attenuation cumulative
distribution function), but, because the design of advanced SatCom systems
relies on Propagation Impairment Mitigation Techniques (PIMT) and on its
integration with network control, additional information on higher order or
conditioned statistics (e.g. fade duration, fade slope, seasonal and diurnal
effects, instantaneous and long-term frequency scaling, spectral propertied
and spatial and time correlation, etc. ) are needed. As well issues related
to exploitation of Ka Band for EO and Science missions data downlink require
new models. This new activity shall start by a critical review of existing
models based on current and expected system requirements (like the QoS Quality of Service - issues or PIMT design) along with the existing dataset
collected during propagation experiments. The main core of the activity shall
be constituted by: Collection of data from past propagation measurements.
A new experimental propagation campaign, based on existing satellite beacons.
A data analysis and model development activity. A validation and testing
activity for the assessment of the accuracy of new models.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T504-04EE
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 49
Ref. No.
08.1EE.02 RF MEMS BASED RECONFIGURABLE TELECOMMUNICATION DUAL
REFLECTOR ANTENNA
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to investigate the feasibility
of using MEMS switches for programmable contoured beams in Ku- and Ka-band
dual-reflector telecom antennas. Included in this activity are the following
actions: Identification of possible telecom applications that may benefit
from the use of MEMS-based reflect-arrays; Analysis of performance
improvement that can be realised by using programmable MEMS controlled
reflect-array sub reflectors over traditional solution; Design and
critical bread boarding of representative MEMS-based reflectarray
prototype. Description: Most commercial communication satellites today have a
15 to 18 years life time in orbit. This means that by adding the duration of
the system definition study, the coverage of the satellite antenna must be
frozen around 20 years before the end of the mission. It is obvious that
during such a long period the traffic demand, e.g. multimedia, TV broadcast
or phone, evolve drastically. Therefore, a very attractive solution for
satellite operators is to have an antenna that is able to change its
coverage in flight. Of course the extra cost that is involved in such a
solution should be reasonable. For this reason, it is proposed in this study
to perform the coverage reconfigurablity by modifying the sub-reflector
characteristics while keeping unchanged the lightweight main reflector
technology. To achieve the reconfigurability of the subreflector, this study
will perform the design and develop a MEMS controlled reflect-array. One of
the critical issues of using MEMS switches is the reliability and the power
handling, but it is foreseen that for the typical applications referred to
in this activity the power per MEMS element will not exceed 1-2 W. Final
performances will have to be demonstrated by test with a partial sub
reflector demonstrator and analyses at antenna level.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 50
Ref. No.
08.1EE.03 ASSIMILATION OF HIGH TEMPORAL RESOLUTION SAR DATA INTO
LAND PROCESS MODELS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Relying on recently acquired campaign data, this activity aims at
exploiting the temporal dimension of SAR acquisitions so as to bring
infomation on land processes. Description: Dramatic advances in the retrieval
of land variables and their assimilation into process models can be expected
through the operational use of SAR data with high temporal repetitivity. The
temporal dimension has seldom been fully investigated in retrieval algorithms
for SAR data as the temporal sampling of past/current operational missions is
too coarse. A high temporal sampling results in the possibility of tracking
temporal signatures of land cover types, and can also contribute to a much
higher data quality through optimised filtering. The current interest in
missions characterised by a shorter time interval between repeat passes
(Sentinel-1, CoreH2O, Radarsat-2, COSMO-Skymed) make this topic highly
valuable and the recent availability of suitable airborne data from ESA
campaigns data make this research possible. Investigations of the added value
of these SAR data for land process models will be based on recent campaign
data, theoretical models.and on the revisit of past ERS-1 data (Ice phase).
Available datasets: - AGRISAR data: ESA managed airborne campaign with SAR
datatakes at X-, C-, L- and P-band (including interferometry) over an
agricultural site (spring-summer 2006) This campaign was a series of airborne
acquisitions throughout the growing season (April to July) with appropriate
SAR/Optical instruments along with coincident in-situ measurements. There
have been 3-4 intense measurement periods of a few days each (with airborne
acquisitions every day) spread over the growing season. this gives a very
good time sampling. - BIOSAR/ICESAR data: ESA managed campaign with SAR
datatakes at X-, C-, L- and P-band (including interferometry) over a forest
site (temperate/boreal) and an ice sheet acquired several times over a period
of ~40 days (spring 2007), together with in situ measurements. - ERS-1 SAR
data available for the ice phase (3-day repeat) over Middle- Zeeland
(agricultural site) and other sites. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity
restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information please go to
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 51
Ref. No.
08.1EE.04 ADVANCED MODELLING OF COHERENT PROPAGATION EFFECTS ON
ACTIVE MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop an atmosphere/ionosphere microwave propagation model
that accounts for phase-related effects and is applicable to Earth
Observation specificities Description When reaching frequencies as high as
Ku-band and as low as P-band, using phase measurements to retrieve biogeophysical parameters, or looking for extreme accuracies, the coherent
interaction with the propagating medium (atmosphere, ionosphere) must be
taken into account. However, models so far are mostly designed for
telecommunication satellites and are not always suited to remote sensing
configurations. This activity shall review and analyse the phase-related
effects affecting the propagation of microwave remote sensing signals, for
geometries typical of Earth Observation missions. Both the atmosphere and the
ionosphere shall be studied. First, a review of the available measurements
shall be conducted. Then a detailed propagation model shall be proposed,
which will rely as little as possible on statistical assumptions and on
simplifying geometric considerations. As an example, this model shall be able
to simulate the effects of tropospheric (ionospheric) scintillations on a
Ku-band (P-band) SAR or on an active occultation measurement. This tool will
be used as a benchmark for the assessment of the performance of error
mitigation techniques developed in the future. Procurement Policy: C(3) =
Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information
please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) ’Industrial Policy measures for
non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes’.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 52
Ref. No.
08.1EE.05 ESA MANUAL TOWARDS A NEW SCATTERING STATISTICS
DATABASE FOR DIFFERENT TERRAIN TYPES
TT Q
PP
Price
09 NO
Q2
< 50
Objectives The goal of the activity is to have harmonised guidelines in order
to enable the gradual construction of a scattering database. Description
Very often terrain scattering statistics used in the fields of remote
sensing, telecommunications and navigation applications rely on data
assembled in the 1970’s. At that time, the possible means to characterise
in-situ parameters was at a far lower technical maturity as is currently the
case. Also, the understanding of the geophysical parameters under
investigation, such as snow, was more limited at that time. In the following
period (1980 - present) far more effort has been spent on assembling either
spaceborne or airborne data. A difficulty herein is in the fact that in-situ
parameterisation is either difficult or impossible (none collocated
measurements). Therefore, the proposed activity will investigate the
ground-based instruments and required in-situ parameters in order to build
up a future scattering statistics database. One of these instruments could be
the ESA X- to Ku-band ground-based scatterometer currently under
development. Instruments covering other frequency ranges will have to be
identified and campaign logistics will also have to be described in this
manual. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D
Entities. For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated
05/02/2001) ’Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities
in ESA programmes’.
ESTEC
C
Z
Page 53
Ref. No.
08.1EE.07 KA-BAND PAYLOAD DATA DOWNLINK ANTENNAS DEFINITION FOR
EARTH OBSERVATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: This activity shall identify and define suitable antennas designs
and technologies for electronic steerable Ka-band (25.5-27 GHz) antennas able
to meet the data downlink requirements of future EO missions. The activity
shall include preliminary critical breadboarding and the antenna design shall
be sufficient to enable a follow-on demonstrator development activity.
Description: Current data downlinks at X-band are becoming an increasing
constraint on the volume of data that can be handled. The frequency band
allocated to telemetry at Ka-band, 25.5-27.0 GHz, provides the capacity for
downlinking at the high data rates necessary to advance the usefulness of
future EO missions. Consequently there is a definite need for the design and
development of suitable data downlink antennas operating in this band and
which should also be electronically steerable to meet the anticipated gain
requirements for increased data rates.
ESTEC
C
Z
08.1EE.08 SLOT REGION RADIATION ENVIRONMENT
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Objective: Investigate radiation environment at the altitude range of future
low and medium altitude constellations where environment is harsh but poorly
characterised. Description: The altitudes of future telecom constellations is
characterised by the outer edge of the proton radiation belt and the variable
"slot" region . As seen by Globalstar, where many anomalies are attributed to
the environment, this environment can be extremely problematic. The proton
environment gives rise to many degradation and single event effects not
encountered at GEO and the electron environment can be harsh and dynamic,
giving rise to internal charging and high doses. Models of the environment
specific to these regions will be developed allowing these effects to be
analysed efficiently. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in
terms of quality and quantity) of non- primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 54
Ref. No.
08.1EE.09 ASSESSMENT OF PROPAGATION MODELLING RISK FOR SATCOM
SYSTEM DESIGN
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To identify the risk and the error budget associated to paths
radiowave propagation models at Ku, Ka and Q/V bands. The identification of
variations on daily, seasonal and long-term (e.g. El-nino) periods on a
global scal is another objective of this actvity. Description: The use of
prediction risk/error during system design would permit a more realistic
trade-offs between different options/architectures (e.g. availability target,
coverage area, EIRP levels and margins). The identification of all various
contributions to the overall error budget of prediction models shall permit
to identify and control the risk associated to prediction. The assessment of
variability and its temporal scale is also useful for planning services and
costs. This activity shall make use of long- term Numerical Weather
Prediction and Earth observation databases to identify the error covariance
matrix.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1EE.10 CIRCULAR POLARISATION DUAL-OPTICS PROOF-OF-CONCEPT
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Objectives: To obtain proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of critical
antenna elements for dual-optics CP antennas. Description: The circular
polarisation equivalent of "dual gridded" reflector antennas will enable the
reduction of mass, envelope and cost of the antenna farm for many future Ku
and Ka band missions. The availability of space-wave circular polarisation
filters to improve polarisation purity for circular polarisation coverages
and allow the implementation of dual-optics solutions (the CP equivalent of
dual-gridded reflector antennas) is a longstanding unsatisfied need for
telecommunications missions. Recent development finally made a viable concept
available. This activity is aimed at an experimental demonstration in Ku or
Ka band.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 55
Ref. No.
08.1EE.12 ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES OF TROPOSPHERIC EFFECTS FOR
LOCAL AUGMENTATION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop channel models and channel assessment techniques to
support the reduction of error introduced by the troposphere by means of
local augmention systems and external sensors. To model spatial and temporal
correlation of troposperic delay for development of synthetic time series
generators. To define covariance elements and distribution of the error of
models for GNSS users receivers. Description: The accuracy of tropospheric
excess path length estimation in a GNSS receiver can be increased by using an
estimate of current or short-term evolution of atmospheric conditions. This
information can be provided by ground or space based sensors and numerical
weather prediction systems (like ECMWF for a global scale or HIRLAM/MM5 for
regional scale). The models and algorithms to process this type of
information and convert it into a message for local augmentation systems need
to be develped. The modelling of the spatial and temporal correlation
properties of tropospheric effects is also relevant for the development of
channel models to be used by system simulation tools. Procurement Policy:
C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1EE.13 HIGHLY MINIATURISED ACTIVE MEO RADIATION MONITOR PHASE
A-B
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Objectives: Development of highly miniaturized active radiation monitor.
Description: Using advances in ASIC technologies and detector technologies
from non-space sectors (HEP), develop a very small (<20g, 2cm3) device with
pulse height analysis capability, built-in storage and communications, to
allow monitoring of radiation environments at various locations in a s/c
and/or on multiple s/c. The activity will establish the basic technology for
ASIC implementation and validate the principles through irradiation and
simulation.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T604-001EE; T704-027EE
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 56
Ref. No.
08.1EE.14 ENERGETIC ELECTRON SHIELDING, CHARGING AND RADIATION
EFFECTS AND MARGINS /
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development and application of new radiation shielding models.
New physics models with related easy-to-use engineering interfaces to treat
radiation shielding, deep charging and dose effects problems specific to the
MEO environment will be developed. Use methods will be developed to produce
optimised shielding schemes, including material composites. The role of dose
enhancement close to a target device due to high Z (atomic number) in
packaging and chip construction materials shall be addressed in explaining
the discrepancies observed in orbit (GIOVE-A). Detailed analysis of sources
of error and margins in radiation environments and effects evaluation
processes will be performed, and models and methods to reduce margins will be
developed. Description: The activity will develop new physics models and
rapid methods for assessing in particular the electron and secondary gamma
shielding, charging, dose enhancement and other effects issues, relevant for
the MEO environment and for the specific materials and geometries used in
Navigation spacecraft. Engineering interfaces to widely used industrial
tools, such as e.g. SPENVIS and FASTRAD will also be developed. The new
models and tools will be extensively validated by comparisons with
(exisiting and/or produced) experimental data, and compared to a range of
other methods. The developed models will be used to develop new shielding
methods, which may include layered shielding and denser packing of existing
mass within spacecraft. Potential gains to be made by simulation of physics
of particle tracks to reduce/validate margins in sector methods, and to
compute accurately the effects of spot shielding. Radiation transport
modelling shall be performed to investigate how to optimise shielding using
alternating high and low atomic weight materials. Sample material composites
shall be fabricated and tested. Experimentally, GIOVE-A measurements
indicate that heavily shielded RADFETs receive a much higher dose than
expected. One possibility is that the heavy flux of electrons is interacting
with local high-Z (atomic number) materials to generate a shower of photons
and secondary electrons, enhancing the dose. If true, this could give rise
to needs for additional shielding, higher margins and better dose
calculation methods. The activity will investigate this phenomena and model
the GIOVE-A and B geometries down to device level, for both measurement
devices and electronic components and establish rules and methods and new
dose models. Furthermore, radiation environment and effects evaluation
processes for projects are subject to uncertainties and statistical
variations which are accounted for through margins. However, the
establishment of margins is highly problematic in many projects, in
particular those encountering high-flux electron environments. They are not
always rationally established and can lead to significant over-design and
cost (too high margins) or high risk (too low margins). A complete analysis
of sources of margins in calculation of environment (modelling methods, data
analysis, instrumental issues) and effects (shielding, dose, SEE) will be
performed. The output of the activity will be substantially improved
environment and effects models, tools and methods for applying margins in
satellite designs. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to
ESTEC
Page 57
Responsible:
Mr ARBESSER RASTBURG
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.:
Z
Programme Ref.:
TRP T604-002EE
Status:
ISSUED 1-6049
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
08.1EE.16 SIMPLIFIED STANDARD MEO/GEO TOOLS FOR SPACECRAFT
CHARGING
Objectives: To develop a tool for the evaluation of surface electrostatic
charging that can be used without specialized training and which guides user
in making appropriate choices for GEO/MEO, ... application. Description: A
user-friendly tool will be developed using software components from the SPIS
(Spacecraft plasma Interaction Software). It will include standard plasma
environment, material property lists, and will alllow 3-d geometrical models
to be created. The tool will allow for a high degree of automisation of
parameters needed to make the code run but which do not reflect real phsical
inputs, e.g. mesh resolution, particle weights, time- steps. The code will be
extensively verified using available data. User and data interfaces will also
be produced.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 58
Ref. No.
08.1EE.18 HIGHLY MINIATURISED RADIATION MONITORING (ACTIVITY
COMBINED WITH 08.1EE.13; AO5978)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Design, manufacture and test a monolithic radiation detector
integrated on a single chip, including energy deposition discrimination,
counting, accumulation and processing. Two possible designs for the singlechip radiation monitor will be investigated. Description: Two possible
designs for a single-chip monolithic radiation monitor will be evaluated: the
first design based on Active Pixels Sensors and the second on silicon sensors
(e.g. silicon micro strips). This radiation monitor will have capabilities to
discriminate between different parts of the LET (energy deposit) spectrum.
After having identified the best technology and architecture, a prototype
will be manufactured and tested. The prototype will have standard interfaces
to spacecraft data handling systems so that it can be treated as a source of
housekeeping telemetry. Such a highly- miniaturized radiation detector will
be beneficial for all ESA and commercial missions, providing a reliable
real-time monitoring of the radiation environment at specific spacecraft
locations. This can be useful for alerts in case of very intensive radiation
fluxes (e.g. during solar storms) to take counter-measures to protect
sensitive parts and of particular importance for astronauts’ radiation
safety. The very small size (<1 cm3) and weight (<20g) allows placing many
chips at different critical locations or stacking them in a telescopic
configuration to extend the energy/spatial resolution. This single chip
detector can be used to correlate in-flight Single Events Effects occurrence
with the measured LET spectrum. The activity will produce a number of
prototypes of the monitor chip architecture. Preliminary characterisation of
the prototype will also be carried out in an appropriate radiation
environment. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
entities in ESA programmes". NOTE: This activity is combined with 08.1EE.13;
AO5978; issued 30.01.09; closing 13.03.09))
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: ISSUED
09 DAC 100-200
Q1
Page 59
Ref. No.
08.1EE.22 DESIGN STUDY FOR PRECISION MICROWAVE RADIOMETER IN ESA
GROUND STATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Analysis and preliminary design of precision radiometer for
intregration in ranging stations. Description: Passive radiometric receivers
operating in the 20/30, 50 and 90 GHz frequency bands can provide information
on the atmospheric excess path length, but the current technology is not
providing sufficient accuracy and stability for the requirements imposed by
ESA’s most demanding science and earth observation missions. This study shall
address the technological issues which need to be solved in order to build a
microwave radiometers suitable for integration in ESA ground stations for
Science and Earth Observations missions where precise ranging is required.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 60
Ref. No.
08.1EE.25 PROPAGATION ANALYSIS TOOL FOR FREQUENCY COORDINATION
TT Q
PP
Price
The design and the operations of ground stations for spatial systems must
cope with a growing number of potential interfering sources such as
terrestrial radio communication links, mobile communication networks and
wireless communication devices and stations for other spatial systems. All
those systems can operate over a wide frequency range up to V band. Radio
propagation effects contributes to determine the level of interference and in
particular clear air interference from terrestrial radio-links and
interference due to rain scatter are to be considered. Therefore, in order to
perform a quantitative assessment of the probability of interference over the
wide range of frequencies of interest, quite a complex set of propagation
models and input climatological data is to be used. Those models have to be
selected and used in a proper way according to the different mission
profiles, i.e. the frequency and the type of orbit of the spacecraft. In a
previous ESA activity, the theoretical framework for the issues of
interference from terrestrial radio links and other spatial links, due to
clear air propagation effects (i.e. anomalous ducting, atmospheric multipath, propagation over-sea or water etc) and rain scatter has been reviewed
and developed. In the same activity a library of scientific ’grade’ software
procedures has been developed and it proved to be valuable in supporting the
decisions of the Agency or National authorities for frequency coordination of
new or existing stations. Those procedures and models rely on a complex set
of ITU-R recommendations, input climatological databases and they need to be
properly configured according to the geometry of the link. Therefore it would
be useful to create a tool, which would-be system oriented, that would guide
the user through consistent interface in the process of preparing the proper
input data and running the correct models for interference issues. The tool
could be complemented by auxiliary tools, like orbit generators, and
databases of ground station characteristic to permit a complete
characterization. The objective of this activity is to develop an analysis
software tool to perform the analysis of interference levels on ground
stations for spatial systems (Earth Observation, Space Exploration,
Communication and Navigation) due to tropospheric propagation effects from
terrestrial radio systems and other spatial systems. This software shall be
implemented using a system-oriented and user-friendly web based interface to
be used by the Agency and member states to support request for frequency
allocation and frequency sharing. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr FLOURY
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 61
Ref. No.
08.1EE.26 DATA EXCHANGE METHODS FOR SPACE ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS
TOOLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Space environment analysis often requires coupled treatment of geometry and
orbit (e.g. computing atomic oxygen fluencies, debris impacts, contamination,
radiation, solar UV). Reliance on custom tools is very expensive and
inefficient. New non-space technologies are being developed, especially based
on Standard for Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP, the casual name for ISO
10303), which offers a way to develop space-specific applications with
maximum use of commercial tools. To get the most out of the available
resources it is important to make use of these new technologies. Also because
the area of space environment analysis is continuously evolving it is
important to do so with an open and modular approach. The use of these
technologies will greatly enhance the efficiency in exchange of models and
data between different kinds of analysis and different disciplines. It also
facilitates the harmonisation among tools, avoiding duplication of common
functionalities in the various tools. Under a current activity the data
structures required for space environment analysis tools are studied, a basic
implementation, using STEP, is being defined, and the necessary software is
developed implementing the protocol. This work also include a prototype
application of the protocol in an existing space environment analysis tool
namely ESABASE. In order to achieve the full benefit of the STEP based
exchange facilities it must be properly applied in a range of space
environmental tools. This requires both works on the exchange protocol itself
(the inclusion of additional data) and on the application of the protocol in
the various tools. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G601-09EM
Status: EX ITEM 05.132.03 INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 50-100
Q1
Page 62
Ref. No.
08.1EE.27 IN-FLIGHT VALIDATION OF INTERNAL CHARGING TOOLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Internal charging tools, such as DICTAT and ESADDC have undergone validation
through laboratory experiments but not yet in space. Users’ confidence in
such tools would be increased if an in-flight validation were conducted. An
experiment is proposed which would provide end-to-end validation of the tools
and allow improvements to the existing environment models. The experiment
would aim at direct measuring of currents deposited in materials under a wide
range of shielding levels. This would be achieved by an instrument with a
succession of thin plates, one behind the other. The current collected by
each plate would be measured separately. These measurements would be made
over an extended period to measure the internal charging currents and
dielectric charging levels over an extended period, so that dynamic effects
arising from changes in the outer radiation belt could be characterized. The
experiment would be ideally flown on a satellite in geostationary transfer
orbit to give good coverage of the radiation belts. Alternatively, it could
be flown in geostationary orbit which would address the orbit of most
concern. Data from the current measurements would be compared to the internal
charging currents predicted by internal charging tools and would be used to
validate both the radiation belt environment model, e.g. FLUMIC, and the
electron transport and deposition models used by the codes. In combination
with the current measurements, the measurement of dielectric potential
provides the validation of the charging aspects of the codes. Type of tender
C(1) - activities in open competition limited to non-primes. For additional
information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for
non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 63
Ref. No.
08.1EE.29 ACCURATE TRACKING DURING RE-ENTRY AND DURING ROBOTIC
OPERATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To prepare for optimum and accurate tracking during Re-entry and
after during robotic operations, eventually dockings, etc. To carry out
investigations to arrive at the optimum output possible with given radio
signals transmitted during planetary operations around MARS. Description: The
study will investigate ’direct on Earth’ reception of weak radio signals
transmitted during re-entry, landing and movement after landing on Mars with
single and multiple Earth-based antennas in stand-alone and Very Long
Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) mode. Results obtained with VLBI during the
landing of Huygens on Titan shall be fully exploited, including the
utilisation of data processing tools as developed. Investigations of
accuracies possible and potential improvements will be made. The primary
objective concerns Exomars with UHF and X-band frequencies to be used. The
secondary objective concerns generic information to be derived for potential
future missions to come with other parameter settings. A first phase
addresses accuracies and improvements of the methods, taking into account
available or expected parameter settings of on-board equipments. Utilisation
of transmitters with single or multiple (switchable) tones will be
considered. Necessary tools and techniques as needed in soft- and hardware
will be defined. Calibration of celestial sources will be considered to
enhance potential accuracies further as needed. Specific experiments are
defined and carried out in a second phase to demonstrate capabilities and to
assess results with realistic data, using signals from existing spacecrafts
(Rosetta, Mars Express, Cassini or other). Investigations are included to
obtain near-real-time information for mission critical phases like re-entry
as well as information derived after post-processing for navigation, further
telemetry processing or other purposes during less critical mission phases,
directly from such weak signals. Collaborative efforts are required with a
radio astronomy community involved, more specifically the European VLBI
Network, which has already demonstrated its capabilities during and after the
Huygens landing.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 64
Ref. No.
08.1EE.31 INNOVATIVE RECONFIGURABLE SYSTEMS BASED ON LIQUID
CRYSTALS
TT Q
PP
Price
Two innovative reconfigurable systems based on liquid crystals (LC) will be
investigated. The first is an electronically steered double reflector
antenna, the second one is a reconfigurable frequency selective surface
(FSS). "Electronically steered double reflector antenna". A recent study
presented a focused Cassegrain double reflector configuration, which uses a
flat reflectarray as subreflector, able to scan a beam in the elevation
plane. It has recently been demonstrated that a phase agile reflect array can
be created by inserting liquid crystals (LC) in the cavity between the
periodic array and the ground plane of the antenna. The first objective of
this project is to use the results obtained from these two innovative
programmes to demonstrate an electronically steered double reflector antenna
which combines the broad bandwidth property of the parabolic main reflector
with the simplicity of manufacturing a small active reflectarray. The main
advantage of LC technology is that it can be used even for frequencies above
300GHz, where other active array technologies fail. An offset Cassegrain
reflector antenna will be designed to fulfil the bandwidth, beam shape and
scan angle requirements for a typical limbsounder instrument. The
permittivity and loss tangent values of various commercially available liquid
crystal mixtures will be measured in the frequency range around 300GHz by
comparing numerical results with open resonator measurements. The dielectric
parameters will be used to design an experimental reflectarray subreflector.
Then, a breadboard reconfigurable subreflector will be constructed and
measured to demonstrate the ability to create an electronically controlled
progressive phase across the aperture. "Reconfigurable frequency selective
surface". Very low loss bandpass FSS have been developed (up to 600GHz) for
single sideband filtering and channel demultiplexing in quasi-optical
receivers that used in several limbsounder instruments. Recently it has been
demonstrated also that a phase agile reflectarray can be created by inserting
liquid crystals (LC) in the cavity between the periodic array and the ground
plane of the antenna.The purpose of this project is to combine these two
innovative programmes to create a reconfigurable FSS which can be designed to
switch between ’ON’ and ’OFF’ states over a frequency range which fulfils the
signal detection requirements of an existing limbsounder radiometer eg.
316.5-325.5GHz. The quasi-optical switch will be constructed by printing the
periodic slot arrays on two thin quartz wafers and inserting the LC in the
gap between these. First of all, the permittivity and loss tangent values of
various commercially available liquid crystal mixtures will be determined in
the frequency range around 300GHz by comparing numerical results with the
high Q measured spectral response of the FSS. Then, these dielectric
parameters will be used to design a structure which gives a low insertion
loss in the passband for the unbiased state and a large reflection
coefficient in the biased state. The outcome from this investigation is to
demonstrate that the active FSS can be used in the quasi-optical feed train
to detect the signals received from the scene and the hot and cold
calibration loads in a time sharing mode.
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.:
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 65
Z
Programme Ref.:
TRP T107-020EE
Status:
INTENDED
08.1EE.32 RADIATION EFFECTS ON SENSORS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR
COSMIC VISION SCI MISSIONS (REST-SIM)
Objectives: To perform quantitative analyses of the susceptibility of CV
payloads to high energy particle radiation and development of specific tools
for radiation effects analysis based on Geant4, including greatly improved
efficiency with geometry generation and exchange and analysis case definition
for integrated use through all project phases. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 66
Ref. No.
08.1EE.33 COMPACT LOW NOISE MAGNETIC GRADIOMETER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Design and prototyping of a low noise miniature magnetic
gradiometer. Description: Inertial Sensor payloads (LISA) are susceptible to
magnetically induced force noise. Their performances (i.e. sensitivity) drive
new and challenging requirements for the overall system, whose verification
is nowadays affected by instrumentation limitations. Hence new
instrumentation for testing (i.e. gradiometer) is needed to achieve testing
under realistic conditions and enhance the significance of the test results.
The main need is to measure highly non-dipolar magnetic field gradients and
their fluctuations down to sub-mHz frequencies and possibly lower, inside
enclosures where little room is available. Compact and sensitive gradiometers
would also be valuable tools for CV1525 missions requiring magnetic
cleanliness, to be used in complement or instead of dedicated test
facilities. Existing fluxgate gradiometers have either too long baselines or
limited sensitivity or can measure only one gradient component. The idea is
to design an innovative and affordable compact gradiometer capable of
measuring 3 to 5 independent components of the 3x3 gradient matrix. This
activity will entail the following: (i) Study of existing sensor technologies
(e.g. micro-fluxgate) and of signal processing and noise reduction
techniques; (ii) Technology selection; (iii) Gradiometer design; (iv)
Breadboarding; (v) Calibration and performance testing. Procurement Policy:
C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100464 - CTP - LISA
Z
Programme Ref.: C207-010EE
08.1EE.34 SIMULATOR FOR EMC ANALYSES AT SYSTEM LEVEL
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
The purpose of the activity is the development of a generic methodology for
eMC analysis and modelling at system level that will be incorporated in a
software toolbox (system simulator). The ultimate objectives of the system
simulator are: - assist EMC engineers in their analyses at the early stages
of the project; - simplify test procedures and speed-up the realisation of
EMC tests at system. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 67
Ref. No.
09.1EE.01 SOLAR/INTERPLANETARY ELECTRON HAZARDS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Investigate the potential for energetic electrons produced by the
Sun or elsewhere (e.g. Jupiter) causing internal or surface charging at near
earth interplanetray locations. Description: Studies of the energetic
electron environment (10keV-1MeV) at L1 and L2 (e.g. JWST) have so far been
somewhat superficial. Since so many astrophysics and fundamental physics
missions are planned for L2, L1 and other -near 1AU locations, it is proposed
to collect data and theoretical information on energetic electrons in these
regions and produce a quantiaitive model for use in charging and radiation
background investigations. Herschel-Planck radiation monitor data will be
included. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D
05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.02 MODULAR WIDE FIELD VIEW RF CONFIGURATIONS (PREVIOUS
TITLE: LOW-LOSS, LOW-MASS, LARGE LENSES WITH
ANTI-REFLECTION COATING)
09 NO
Q1
50-100
Objectives: To ensure that modular reflector and/or lens configurations are
available that can match the needed large scale focal plane arrays.
Description: This activity will be targeted to the following main areas:
Study and design of Wide field of View reflector/lens architectures.
Address critical technological areas identifying potential solutions.
Perform critical breadboard development. The activity will start with a
carefull assessment on the requirements. This activity will identify and
select the RF reflective or refractive architectures required to achieve the
necessary FOV and sielobe levels for a future B-pol mission. These
solutions/architectures will have to be demonstrated by critical
breadboarding (as a minimum at RF representative sample level). A technology
roadmap to bring the technology to flight level shall be provided.
Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors
(incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T207-034EE; IPI-SRE-001-IE
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC 200-500
Q3
Page 68
Ref. No.
09.1EE.03 COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR SPACECRAFT ELECTROSTATIC
CLEANLINESS AND PAYLOAD ANALYSIS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop models and tools, and measure surface properties where
necessary, for accurate quantitative evaluation of low-level surface
electrostatic charging of science missions. Description: Cross-scale,
Laplace, Tandem and other CV mission are planned to include plasma payloads
to investigate the magnetospheres of Earth, Jupiter and Saturn and other
solar system plasmas. Electrostatic cleanliness of such scientific spacecraft
for correct functioning of plasma measuring payloads requires limiting
electrostatic potential perturbations and interference from spacecraftgenerated charged particles (e.g. secondary/photo electrons and sputtered
ions). This leads to a requirement for low spacecraft potential (typically
~1V), well below the energy of particles being detected, and for spacecraftinduced fluxes well below ambient levels. Control and mitigation of
spacecraft perturbation of plasma/field sensors is possible through charge
alleviation devices, grounding, material selection and siting of detectors.
The open source spacecraft-plasma interaction simulation tool, SPIS,
currently has a resolution about one order of magnitude above the required
accuracy. Increasing the accuracy to the required level requires significant
physics, algorithm and software developments, possibly including better
modelling of secondary/photo/sputter emission, better shadowing, control of
convergence and increased number of particles per cell and trajectory
accuracy. SPIS simulation toolkit has been conceived with a modular approach
such that extension of the capabilities and functionalities can be performed
without reengineering the whole software. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC 200-500
Q3
Page 69
Ref. No.
09.1EE.04 RAD-HARD ELECTRON MONITOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Description: Develop a lightweight highly integrated rad hard radiation
monitor capable of a broad range of radiation species monitoring but
including good quality registration of electrons, addressing specific
requirements of science missions (harsh environments, payload support).
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T204-043EE; IPI-SRE-002-CH
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.05 LARGE ANTENNAS FOR P-BAND SAR - CRITICAL BREADBOARDING
(PREVIOUS TITLE: ADVANCED FEED SYSTEM ALLOWING SIGNAL
PROCESSING CAPABILITY FOR LARGE EARTH MONITORING)
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objectives: the critical breadboarding/proof-of-concept and evaluation of the
components, materials, equipments and assemblies to retire risks for the
antenna development as required for BIOMASS Earth Explorer candidate mission.
Description: For the development of large antennas with effective apertures
of ~ 70 m
2 and operating at P-band, innovative and novel technologies are needed to
ensure mass and stowing envelope compatible with small launchers while
complying with instrument performance requirements. Consequently, there will
be a need to demonstrate and evaluate such technologies by means of critical
bread-boarding to retire risks in antenna development during later phases.
This activity will cover the development of a selected number of items
proposed and justified by the bidder in an initial development plan already
provided with the proposal. Initial and final TRL levels will have to be
identified for all the selected critical items as well as items definition
and proposed test plan.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC 200-500
Q3
Page 70
Ref. No.
09.1EE.06 CAPABILITY OF ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETER RETRIEVAL AND
MODELLING FOR WIDE-SWATH SPACEBORNE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The aim of the proposed activity is to investigate the retrieval
accuracy and capability of wide swath atmospheric radars in arriving to
horizontal wind profiles. Description: The capability of microwaves to
penetrate cloud and rain has placed the weather radar in an unchallenged
position for remotely surveying the atmosphere. Although visible and infrared
instruments on satellites can detect and track storms, only microwave
observations can reveal the internal structure of the storm. The current
techniques allow the detection of significant updraft/downdraft revealing
convective-type clouds. Furthermore with the recent advancements in radar and
its related processing algorithms, investigations are required to assess and
develop new ideas, theories and technologies to be implemented in future
atmospheric radars. One of the new ideas - and to be further expored in this
activity - is to assess the potential for a W-band radar (94 GHz) with wide
swath to determine horizontal wind profiles. A recently concluded GSP
activity (Extreme Weather Events) has arrived at a preliminary set of
instrument requirements that will be used as a starting point in this
Activity. Effect of multiple scattering and depolarisation (particularly in
ice clouds) on determination of the wind vector using both doppler and
polarimetric techniques will be investigated. Procurement Policy: C(3) =
Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information please
go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for nonprimes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 71
Ref. No.
09.1EE.07 POTENTIAL AND CHARACTERISATION OF GEOPHYSICAL
PARAMETER RETRIEVAL USING A PASSIVE INTERFEROMETER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The activity intends to quantify retrieval accuracies for a
passive interferometer and compare these with more conventional mechanically
scanning radiometers. Description: This activity would firstly look into the
effect on the incidence angle dependency of the desired product (fixed for
both MIMR and EGPM). Some preliminary studies have shown that the incidence
angle would not need to be a fixed parameter. Especially the lower
frequencies may benefit from an interferometer solution for a conical
scanning radiometer assembly such as EGPM/MIMR type radiometers. This
activity would also be of interest to post-EPS. Clear advantage of the
interferometer solution is there will be no need of large scanning reflectors
(+2 m) and the entire payload would be less bulky. The study would look into
which frequency band(s) is/are likely to be integrated on a passive
interferometer. Achievable radiometric resolution and accuracy using this
technology will be assessed including a comparison with user requirements.
Accuracy of geophysical parameter retrieval will be assessed. Procurement
Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.08 INNOVATIVE PLANAR HIGHLY DIRECTIVE ANTENNA BASED ON
ARTIFICIAL SURFACES
09 NO
Q4
100-200
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Objectives: To demonstrate the use of quasi-periodic printed multilayer
planar structures fed in-plane to obtain highy directive shaped beams, with
optional scanning capability, for Ka-band data downlink antennas.
Description: To provide an efficient, low-mass and low-cost solution for data
downlink antennas with optional beam switching/scanning capabilities. Such
antenna is required for Ka-band data downlink in future missions. Quasiperiodic planar structures obtained by multiple dielectric layers with
printed metallic shape of suitable geometry are known to be able to produce
highy directive shaped beams when fed in-plane. A theoretical model has been
recently developed leading to a very effective design procedure and showing
the possibility to operate the antenna in dual polarisation.
ESTEC
C
Z
Page 72
Ref. No.
09.1EE.09 PHYSICS MODELS FOR BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION AND
SHIELDING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development and validation of new physics models for biological
effects of very high energy cosmic ray heavy ions encountered in
interplanetary space and lunar/planetary surfaces, including shielding
aspects. Description: Improved heavy ion hadronic physics modelling has been
identified as a key development requirement by the space radiation effects
and shielding community e.g. in the independent external review of the Geant4
collaboration in 2007. This is especially important for future Exploration
missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere, where unattenuated fluxes of
highly damaging very energetic cosmic rays are encountered. The present
activity will start with an analysis of Geant4 and other Monte Carlo codes
capable of hadronic physics simulation (e.g. FLUKA, PHITS, RQMD), including
analysis of relevant theoretical models, analytical codes (e.g. US HZETRN
code), and experimental data. Methods of implementing and interfacing the
best models into the Geant4 formework shall be developed. The resulting
software will be thoroughly validated by comparisons to experimental data
(exisiting or produced in the activity) and to other codes. The resulting
codes will be applied to realistic cases dealing with human effects. Emphasis
shall be put on the usability of the codes both in terms of computing speed
and availability through widely accepted engineering interfaces (e.g.
Spenvis). Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Page 73
Ref. No.
09.1EE.10 RE-ENTRY VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
To consolidate and extend the electromagnetic interaction model for the
prediction of antenna radiation pattern in the presence of engine plumes and
of plasma, e.g. during atmospheric re-entry, based on the models initially
developed; To define, develop and demonstrate robust communication
architecture and technologies for the monitoring, command and control system
providing non-interfering, continuous, communication under all flight
conditions with special attention to the blackout phase. The expected results
are the development of a robust communication system and an antenna radiation
pattern prediction tool for re-entry vehicles. For the later two main classes
of vehicles will be considered: ballistic re-entry vehicles (e.g. ARD) and
unpowered lifting vehicles (e.g. IXV).
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.11 SELF FOCUSSING RETROREFLECTIVE TX RX ANTENNAS FOR
MOBILE TERMINAL APPLICATIONS
09 NO
Q3
200-500
09 NO
Q3
100-200
This activity will investigate different antenna concepts allowing to range
finding of several satellites at once and assess the technical feasibility
and cost issues. Ability to handle dual polarisation shall be considered. The
use of these techniques may allow the system to self-focus, potentially onto
several satellites at once, offering simultaneous ranging of these
satellites. This is a significant advantage as from the received signal the
antenna is able to send back the signal in the same direction. The need for
extra information comming from GPS is then avoided and this results in faster
setup times and reduced complexity. Also, distortions to the phase
conjugation surfaces or in the propagation path can be automatically
corrected.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 74
Ref. No.
09.1EE.12 INNOVATIVE RF TESTING APPROACHES FOR REDUCED
ANTENNA/PAYLOAD AIT/AIV
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to study and demonstrate a functional
testing solution for antenna/payload verification based on extended testing
capabilities and combined use of antenna modelling tools, with a thorough
assessment of the test configuration, basic procedures and modelling tools
usage.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.13 INNOVATIVE EMI/EMC TESTING AND MODELLING APPROACHES
FOR FULL DEVELOPMENT CYCLE SUPPORT AND REDUCED AIT/AIV
09 NO
Q3
200-500
09 NO
Q4
200-500
The complexity and stringent performances of most satellites demand reliable
and complete EMI/EMC assessment during the full development cycle, in
particular before final integration and verification at system level. At the
same time there is need for verification under the most realistic operational
conditions, while worst-case testing at unit level does not always provide
the right answer. As a consequence new testing methods are necessary as well
as advanced modelling tools to support full-life cycle EMI/EMC assessment,
with objective of minimising the cost and duration of test campaigns at
satellite level while ensuring design optimisation. Generic EMC models,
validation of simulation tools, and advanced instrumentation and test beds
are required to this end and to enable the application of best practices
across the full development cycle. The activity involves the development of
new techniques for EMC testing under realistic conditions, the consolidation
of generic EMC models and of ad-hoc modelling tools. The resulting
methodology will be demonstrated against selected case studies.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 75
Ref. No.
09.1EE.15 ANTENNA ARCHITECTURE FOR RADIO OCCULTATION FOR GRAS-2
N4
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: investigate antenna architectures for occultation tasks and define
critical antenna hardware. Description: With the increasing number of
navigational satellites, availability of precision signal in space permit
occultation measurements to be carried out more frequently. Receive multiple
beam capability drives towards digital beamforming on receive and results
with on-board processing in more frequent available processing of occulted
signals. Following initial architectural studies and trade-offs detailed
antenna designs are investigated. The results obtained with the GRAS system
can act as a reference in comparison to which the result shall be improved.
Filled and sparse array configurations are compared and consideration is
given to reduction of sidelobes in the direction of undesired signals. Mass
and volume constraints have to be considered in view of nr of elements
allowed. Digital BFN in combination with front end receiver capabilities to
be considered.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.16 GENERIC RADIATIVE TRANSFER TOOLBOX FOR EARTH
ENVIRONMENT. ESAS-LIGHT: FROM A PROTOTYPE TOOL TO A
COMMUNITY TOOL
N4
ESTEC
09 NO
Q4
100-200
09 NO
Q4
100-200
Summary description to follow. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 76
Ref. No.
09.1EE.17 IMPROVEMENT OF THE TENTI MODEL FOR ATMOSPHERIC
RAYLEIGH-BRILLOUIN SCATTERING
N4
TT Q
PP
Price
Summary description to follow. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity
restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information please go to
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EE.18 ATMOSPHERIC CORRECTIONS FOR FLUORESCENCE SIGNAL
RETRIEVAL
N4
ESTEC
09 NO
Q4
100-200
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Objective: develop the algorithms for deriving bottom-of-atmosphere radiances
and fluorescence signal from satellite observations. Description: This
activity will further define and implement an atmospheric correction and
cloud screening scheme for both, the estimation of the fluorescence signal
emitted at BOA (Bottom-Of-Atmosphere) and the determination of BOA
reflectances for the FLEX instruments covering the VNIR (Visible and NearInfrared) domain. The study will also reflect on algorithm implications which
are due to the fact that the mission is implemented as an in orbit
demonstration mission. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs
& R&D Entities. For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated
in ESA programmes".
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 77
Ref. No.
09.1EE.19 CHANNEL MODELLING FOR DESIGN OF EO KA BAND DATA
DOWNLINK SYSTEMS
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To develop propagation models for the design of the 26 GHz high
data rate downlink system. The major focus shall be on models combining the
dynamic of the atmopsheric channel with the orbital patterns and to assess
the accuracy of advanced fade mitigation techniques in this configuration.
Design of dual polarizations systems shall be also included. Description:
Current propagation models for the design of data downlink systems are all
almost derived for GEO SatCom systems. Therefore they can be applied mainly
for link budget analysis but the analysis of channel dinamical properties
(fade slope, fade duration) and the implememtation of fade mitigation
techniques (e.g. site diversity, time diversity, nowcasting, Adaptive coding
and modulation) need to be improved to take into account the interaction
between atmopsheric components (gases, clouds and rain) and link dynamic
during the passage over the station. This study is aimed to start from the
identification of key system aspects carried out from the findings of the
current activity and to adapt or develop new models to support system
analysis (including the simulation and trade-offs).
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 78
Ref. No.
09.1EE.20 MECHANICALLY STEERABLE DATA DOWNLINK ANTENNA
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity deals with the development of a mechanically steerable antenna
(single element or small array) including a detailed assessment of
microvibrations and reliability aspects. It will be performed in two phases.
The first one up to a PDR level will address both Ka and X-band antennas
ensuring that mechanism development is compatible with both frequency bands,
while phase 2 will develop the Ka-band antenna up to an EQM level. Two axis
mecanism is considered as the baseline but simpler solution implementing only
one axis shall be traded-off. Activities will cover the RF, mechanical and
thermal design/analyses at antenna level, followed by the detail design, or
procurement if/where available, of all its subsystems. At the time of
lightweight rotary actuator selection, compatibility with other applications
will have to be investigated to enlarge its application field. All subsystems
will be made available/developed and tested at least at EQM level preferably
implementing dual polarisation. Regarding the Small Rotary Actuator, the
activity will cover the design, analyses, development and testing of a
European source Qualification Model (QM). It is not foreseen the development
of a specific electronic command in the frame of this contract but discussion
on how this might further reduce the microvibrations shall be addressed.
Final antenna assembly and RF/mechanical/thermal/lifetime tests will be
performed to validate the development. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G523-001EE
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 79
Ref. No.
09.1EE.21 LARGE CUP ANTENNAS FOR GLOBAL COVERAGE FROM GEO
SATELLITES
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: design and development of medium gain communication antennas for
Earth Observation satellites in geostationary orbit - the principle mission
identified being GOES-R. Such antennas are required operating at UHF (400 to
470MHz), L-band and S-band, polarisation is single/dual linear or circular
and high radiation aperture efficiency is requested. The activity will
provide designs in these frequency bands and an EQM for the UHF antenna which
is considered the most critical in terms of volume, mass and mechanical
constraints. The UHF antenna design may also be applicable to MTG depending
on any accommodation constraints imposed by the MTG payload. Antenna shall be
compatible with Tx/Rx operation. The activity will be organised in 2 phases
with phase 1 covering the trade-off and designs for all frequency bands and
phase 2 the RF, mechanical and thermal design and analyses of the UHF EQM to
be submitted to a full qualification sequence. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G523-002EE
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 80
Ref. No.
04.1EM.05 VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION: SCHEDULABILITY ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity aims at two objectives: (i) the extension of the capability of
the ERC32 schedulability analysis tools to the LEON. The Leon chip contains
instruction pipeline and cache. These features have very big impacts
performance wise (more than factor 10), but also make much harder to verify
the timing behaviour, since the execution history has an implication on the
speed of the present execution. There are two promising analysis methods that
can provide timing evidence: Probabilistic analysis where timing measurements
of computer program units are fitted to statistical models. This kind of
analysis is used where it suffice to have a high probabilistic guarantee that
deadlines are meet. The other method is Worst-case timing analysis, where
timing of program flow and execution is based on a model of the hardware.
This allows proving that deadlines in the system will always be meet. These
models must enable timing analysis of programs for the Leon. (ii) the
consolidation of the global schedulability analysis environment. From
previous activities ESA has developed scheduling analysis tools, which can
compute the real-time characterisation of the system based on outputs of the
timing analysis (HRT architecture tool, schedulability analyser,
schedulability simulator, WCET tool). These tools need to be packaged as a
complete environment, distributed and maintained as a whole. NOTE: THIS
ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED
ESTEC
SYSTEM, SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT / TEC-S
SOFTWARE SYSTEMS DIVISION / TEC-SW
Responsible: Mr MIRO CARRETERO
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 81
Ref. No.
04.1EP.02 ELIMINATION OF CORONA DISCHARGE IN HIGH VOLTAGE FEEP
CONNECTORS
TT Q
PP
Price
Fine control using electric propulsion makes use of Field Emission Electric
Propulsion (FEEPs) driven by small power supplies with low currents but
voltages as high as 14kV. Current users include GOCE, and future users shall
include satellites that fly in formation, such as XIM. Due to the low thrust
involved each satellite may contain many FEEPs and hence miniaturisation is
of an essence. Nevertheless, project usually requires that, once integrated
on board the satellite, the FEEP power supplies are tested one last time to
ensure they are working. To test they must be disconnected from the FEEP
itself, which cannot be fired in a normal satellite integration environment.
The use of a connector between supply and FEEP to facilitate this test leads
to a later danger of corona discharge since the connector provides
insufficient insulation under partial pressures - which can occur for example
due to a single-point failures such as a leakage in the onboard fluid feed
subsystem (e.g Xenon in the case of GOCE). Current approach has been to take
the chance that no single-point failure of the Xenon subsystem will occur. To
eliminate the risks mentioned above, this study calls for the development of
suitable connector or of a potting tool, which may be used at the end of
satellite AIT. This TRP-funded study would be split into two parts, the first
of which would study possible solutions to the problem taking into account
typical applications and typical venting analysis. Second part of the study
would be the development of the connector or tool as appropriate. This study
has been proposed in agreement with TOS-MPE. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY
IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
POWER & ENERGY CONVERSION DIVISION / TEC-EP
Responsible: Ms SIGNORINI
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G205-01EP
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YAC 100-200
Q1
Page 82
Ref. No.
04.1EP.03 COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY FOR HIGH POWER MOTOR DRIVE
ELECTRONIC FOR LAUNCHER APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Electrical Thrust Vector Control (TVC) for the next European launchers need
very specific components, both for control purpose and for power devices.
Such components can be specific integrated controllers, or high power
devices. Such power devices can be 1200V/300A modules or 200A precision
current sensors. Those components are not currently available in Europe with
the proper qualification level, suitable for civil launchers and space
applications. The aim of this activity is to define and validate a
qualification roadmap for European existing component compliant with the
power TVC specifications. The perenniality aspect is major in this process.
NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE
IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS. AT THAT
TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS WILL BE
ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
04.1EP.06 SOLAR CELL BLOCKING DIODE FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE
OPERATION
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Development of a flat blocking diode a so called "Solar cell blocking diode"
for isolating solar cell strings on solar array panels operating in a
temperature range between -180 deg. C and +250 deg. C. The electrical
contacts of the flat blocking diodes shall be suitable for the same
interconnectors and interconnection techniques as used for solar cells
(single and multijunction cells). For protection against particle radiation
the diodes shall allow for being covered by typical solar cell cover slides.
Radiation environment shall envelope BepiColombo, SOLO missions as well as a
typical 15 years GEO mission. The concept of a flat large area diode allows
for a good thermal heat transfer to the underplaying panel substrate. The
concept of a flat solar cell shunt diode has been proven to be very
successful and was used in various solar array such as for Hubble Space
telescope. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 83
Ref. No.
05.1EP.03 MINIATURISATION OF VERY LOW POWER HV SUPPLY FOR
MICROTHRUSTERS
TT Q
PP
Price
In the last few years the Field Effect Electrical Propulsion (FEEP) has been
optimized as the only technology able to meet stringent requirements in terms
of accuracy, resolution and low noise. Such requirements are essential for
mission where drag compensation, formation flight and accurate maneuvers are
required. At the moment the FEEP micro-propulsion is the selected technology
for the GOCE mission (drag compensation), it is the strongest candidate for
SMART-2 mission (formation flight in the frame of the LISA technology package
demonstrator) and is the selected technology for the CNES MICROSCOPE mission.
A further step in high voltage integration technology is needed to further
reduce the size of the Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) for future programmes
using very low thrust and to have a PCU size in line with the size of the
satellite (e.g. microsatellite) and the rest of the electrical propulsion
system. Unfortunately FEEP technology imposes stringent requirement to the
associated power unit: high voltages (up to 12kV), high efficiency, fast
reaction time, accuracy and resolution, which impose an internal optimized
ion loop, and a compact design are among the most important design drivers.
It is proposed to develop an elegant breadboard of a FEEP PS and to test is
it with existing FEEP thrusters. The FEEP PS shall be made of the following
main functions: emitter and accelerator power supply, stabilization loop,
emitter and accelerator electrical parameter telemetries, etc. Key
requirements of the development are: compact design, high efficiency with a
"flat" characteristic w.r.t. thrust level, thrust accuracy and resolution
(stabilization loop), fast reaction time. Type of tender C(1) - activities in
open competition limited to non-primes. For additional information please go
to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D
entities in ESA programmes". NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr PEROL
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 84
Ref. No.
05.1EP.04 DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS FOR THIN FILM SOLAR CELLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Thin film materials used for the manufacturing of thin film solar cells are
coming from terrestrial application. Taking into account the fact that they
have to be used in space and the minimum target objective they should reach
(15%), this proposed study will concentrate on the optimisation of the
various materials. The objectives of this study are the understanding and
demonstration of the role of impurity on the device (thin film cell)
performances; the technology development for material purification; and the
evaluation of the impact of material purification on solar cell cost. The
first phase will consist on the pre-development of technology for material
purification and on the demonstration of the effectiveness of material
purification on state-of-the-art thin film solar. The second phase will be
dedicated to the development and pilot line for material purification and the
verification of material purification impact on solar cells cost. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 85
Ref. No.
05.1EP.05 QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR GAAS SOLAR CELLS
TT Q
PP
Price
The proposed activity aims at experimentally and systematically verifying
which quality requirements (particularly visual inspection defects
definition), already established for silicon solar cells, are still valid for
the current gallium arsenide solar cells and which new requirements should be
introduced. An extensive testing programme, including thermal cycling and
visual inspection at regular intervals, shall be established and performed on
GaAs solar cells integrated to standard rigid supporting structures. Two main
types of investigations are required: a) manufacturing and testing of samples
with well-identified process defects (such as defective bonding, air bubbles,
etc), before and after thermal vacuum cycling and ambient pressure cycling;
b) manufacturing and testing of samples with cell and/or cover-glass defects
(e.g. cracks), under ambient pressure, and checking their electrical
performance stability. Both investigations shall be supported by a large
statistically meaningful set of test data. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 86
Ref. No.
05.1EP.08 RADIATION STUDIES FOR NEXT GENERATION SOLAR CELLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Understanding of radiation degradation is fundamental to the development of
the new solar cells. The necessary radiation work will involve the testing
and analysis, according to existing methods, in order to understand and
predict radiation behaviour. Additionally, it will require the development of
new methods of testing and analysis in order to reduce the requirement for
resources associated with prediction of radiation behaviour. In particular,
work performed in the present proposal will pursue these objectives in
support of the following activities: development of next generations of
multijunction solar cells; development of next generation silicon solar
cells; and thin film solar cell and module development. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY
IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER
EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITY. Type of tender C(2) - activities in
open competition, where a significant participation of non-primes is
requested. For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
05.1EP.09 THIN FILM MODULE PILOT LINE AND PRE-QUALIFICATION
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
This study is dedicated to the industrialisation of the manufacturing of thin
film solar cells, in the context of space applications. Two aspects have to
be covered, the development of a pilot line and the various manufacturing
process to be investigated (like roll to roll). The one offering the best
compromise in term of cost and performance will be developed as a pilot line.
Tests have to be implemented like for usual space qualified solar cell
manufacturing and cost aspects shall be evaluated and taken into account at
each level. Finally, it will include the preparation of the generic
specification dedicated to the qualification of the production of thin film
solar cells. This activity shall just be directed to single cell and
monolithic modules. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 87
Ref. No.
06.1EP.03 DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED RESETTABLE LATCHING
CURRENT LIMITER WITH TRIP-OFF TIME
TT Q
PP
Price
The aim of the activity is the provision of a modern and effective device for
enhancing performances in power protection and distribution applications.
Spacecraft make use of Latching Current Limiters (LCLs) to ensure that the
spacecraft Bus is not endangered by the failure in short circuit of overload
of a Bus User. Today LCLs are used on all ESA spacecraft (many of them
depending on non- European basic components). Since each device is made in
discrete or hybrid form, the mass and cost of the devices are significant
despite the re-use of design from one spacecraft to another. The present
activity hence proposes to develop equivalent LCLs in highly-integrated ASIC
(Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) form in order to generate
significant savings in mass and cost, as well as improved reliability (due to
re-use of standard LCLs ASICs in many applications). The activity will
consist in the integration and miniaturisation of a Latching Current Limiter
(LCL) design into an ASIC solution. Preliminary targets are the reduction of
power distribution boxes mass and volume by about 50%.
ESTEC
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G609-33EP
Status: INTENDED
07.1EP.05 STUDY OF NEW POWER SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURES FOR LEO
MISSIONS
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
The availability of new, promising, re-usable and efficient power system
architectures are deemed to be very importat to bring mass/performances/cost
improvements for LEO missions. In particular, the optimisation of energy
more than power efficiency is a key factor to have light, performant and cost
effective power systems for LEO missions. The study will concentrate on the
revision of new power conversion tecnologies (S3R, S4R, step down MPPT, step
up MPPT, etc) to identify the most suitable power system per class of
applications in LEO (fixed/pulsed load; regular, dask/dawn or specific orbit,
etc). The most promising concept(s) will be further designed in detail with
the explicit aim to get a modular/re-usable system per class of LEO
missions. A scaled demonstrator will be manufactured and tested to illustrate
the concept(s).
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T604-10EP
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
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Ref. No.
08.1EP.04 SOLAR CELL DEVELOPMENT BASED ON NANO TECHNOLOGY FOR
NEW MATERIALS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To improve the solar cell efficiency. Description: In order to
increase efficiencies of solar cells beyond 33 % new technologies have to be
explored. Amongst these new technologies and also with good prospects to
achieve this goal, are nanotechnologies such as quantum wells and quantum
dots. Previous studies have shown the potential to increase solar cell
performance by implementing quantum wells and quantum dots in solar cell
structures. The implementation of these technologies into an industrial solar
cell manufacturing process is likely to demand further R&D activities. The
activity focuses on the possibilities to implement promising nanotechnologies
in current state-of-the-art space solar cells. Impacts on industrialised
processes shall be analysed. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1EP.06 MULTIJUNCTION MODULE TECHNOLOGY ON NEW GENERATION
CELLS (THINGE)
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
In the frame of a previous GSTP activity, thin (100 micrometres) Ge
substrates have been developed. Solar cell manufacturers are optimizing their
production process to produce triple junction solar cells using this lower
weight Ge substrates. In parallel, it is needed to evaluate the performance
of these cells when interconnectors are welded and when solar cells are
integrated on solar array networks for GEO and LEO missions by European
companies. The objective of this activity is the evaluation of module
technology for ESA GEO and LEO missions. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
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Ref. No.
08.1EP.09 NUCLEAR FUEL CAPSULE AND AEROSHELL DESIGN STUDY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Produce preliminary design for nuclear heat source fuel capsule
and aeroshell. Description: This activity shall cover the preliminary design
of a complete encapsulation structure for radionuclide fuel. The activity
shall produce a preliminary design or designs suitable for stand-alone use as
an Radionuclide Heat Unit (RHU), and compatible for use with electrical
conversion in an electrical generator (e.g. Radioisotope Thermoelectric
Generator (RTG)). Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in
terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1EP.10 THERMOELECTRIC CONVERTOR REQUIREMENTS STUDY
09 NO
Q2
100-200
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Objectives: To define the application range, preliminary architecture and
interfaces of a thermoelectric convertor system for use with nuclear heat
sources (i.e. RTG). Description: This activity shall cover the study of the
application range and preliminary definition of architecture and interfaces
of a thermoelectric convertor system for use with nuclear heat sources (i.e.
RTG).
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 90
Ref. No.
08.1EP.11 ADVANCED THERMOELECTRIC MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop an advanced thermoelectric semiconductor material for
use in radioisotope thermal generators. Description: This activity will cover
research, development and tests on semiconductor materials for application in
RTGs. In phase 1, a comprehensive review of modern thermoelectric materials
will be conducted. This shall make assessments and trade-offs of the various
materials (including n-type, p-type, nano-particle technology, segmentation
and coatings), and make a clear recommendation of the material(s) to be
selected for laboratory development. Phase 2 is the initial laboratory
production & development of thermolelectric material and unicouples (i.e.
thermocouples, designated "unicouples" because of the close physical
proximity of the "hot" and "cold" junctions of the thermocouple). Material
testing will be performed (thermal and electrical properties, figure of merit
etc.). The conversion efficiency at unicouple level will be assessed, and
extrapolated to full RTG system level. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant
participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non- primes (incl. SMEs)
is required. For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1EP.16 STIRLING ENGINE RADIOISOTOPIC POWER SYSTEM REQUIREMENT
STUDY
09 NO
Q2
100-200
09 NO
Q1
50-100
Objectives: To define the requirements and basic specification of a Stirling
convertor for use in space applications. Description: This activity will
cover the definition of requirements and basic architecture and specification
of a Stirling cycle power converter. Existing European experience with
Stirling cryocoolers may provide a starting point for the work. The main
focus will be on application to radioisotopic power systems.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
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Ref. No.
08.1EP.17 NEAR-SUN POWER GENERATION: IDENTIFICATION OF BEST
SUITABLE THERMOELECTRIC CONVERTERS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Near-sun missions such as Solar Orbiter will necessitate
development of new power generation techniques, for which options include
thermo-photovoltaics, thermoelectric materials and Stirling engines. This
activity will perform preliminary analysis to determine candidates for
further development, which will be performed in a second phase. Description:
Preparation Phase: Investigate the applicability of the candidate power
generation technologies to ’Solar Orbiter’ and other future ESA missions
using the expertise of TEC-EPG and TEC-MCT respectively in photovoltaic and
thermo-electric materials. Select two or more technologies for development to
higher TRL (100k euros, TRL 1 in 2009).
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EP.01 INVESTIGATIONS ON AVOIDANCE OF SOLAR ARRAY
THERMAL/ELECTRICAL UNBALANCE IN POWER SYSTEMS EQUIPPED
WITH MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKER INTERFACE
09 NO
Q1
50-100
09 NO
Q3
200-500
To define the boundaries of thermal/electrical unbalance in order to use MPPT
schemes at their best performances. The activity will include developing a
thermo-electrical model of a solar array, and validate it on the basis of the
test data from at least two different representative solar array/panel
coupons subject torepresentative test conditions to enhance as much as
possible the thermal runaway phenomenon. The model will then be used to
identify the boundaries of the problem.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 92
Ref. No.
09.1EP.02 STUDY OF MITIGATION TECHNIQUES/OPTIMISATION FOR
ANALOGUE CIRCUITS IN SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
1. To study mitigation techniques for He-Ion radiation effect in critical
spacecraft functions that is using common analogue electronic components, to
trade-off complexity vs. reliability, i.e. how complex a circuit needs to be
to achieve a certain likelihood of activation. 2. To analyse and test known
critical circuits using established analogue components and compare the same
circuities also with COTS candidate devices for replacement in future
missions.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1EP.04 THIN-FILM LITHIUM BATTERIES FOR USE IN SPACE
N1
ESTEC
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objectives: To assess the potential of the thin-film batteries for use in
space. Description: All-solid-state Lithium batteries are made by depositing
the components as thin films (<5 micrometre) on a substrate. When embedded in
micro-devices, such batteries act as an autonomous power source. This
technology is foreseen for medical applications, RFID tags, memory chips.
in ESA programmes".
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 93
Ref. No.
09.1EP.06 DC/DC CONVERTERS CATALOGUE
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
In the course of the last decades, a number of DC/DC converters have been
developed, qualified and tested to be used for many different purposes in a
number of European companies with know-how and expertise in power
electronics. The activity consists of the systematic collection of the
in-house BB DC/DC converters data: - design "product" specifications, with
the information about the relevant applicable and reference standards used
for the development and the qualification; - relevant supporting
qualification data (including all design analyses, test plans, procedures and
reports); - electrical diagrams; - parts, process and material lists,
including relevant PADs; - ROM prices, under specific hypotheses; - Lead
times - Original purpose(s) of the converter development and qualification,
other possible purposes of utilisation; - History of utilisation. NOTE: THIS
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G525-001EP
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q4
Page 94
Ref. No.
00.1ET.07 NEXT GENERATION MASS MEMORY ARCHITECTURE (COMBINED
WITH 07.1ET.15 )
TT Q
PP
Price
The architecture and design of the current generation of Solid State Mass
Memory (SSMM) is not able to cope with these emerging payload requirements
nor with the dramatic technology evolution. Therefore during the course of
the study a system analysis shall be performed and an architectural design
for the next generation SSMM based on mature technology for space (memory,
packaging, controller technology) and satisfying the emerging payload
requirements shall be developed.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr DE GAUDENZI
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP ETD-036
Status: CHANGED TO 07.1ET.15 RE-ASSIGNED
08 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 95
Ref. No.
04.1ET.04 AUTONOMOUS HIGH DATA RATE SECURED DOWNLINK SYSTEM BREADBOARD (PREVIOUS TITLE: HIGH DATA RATE DOWNLINK
DATA PROCESSOR CHAIN - BREADBOARD)
TT Q
PP
Price
Security for Earth Observation (EO) systems including the space borne assets
is one of the urgently to be addressed topics. Currently no agreed security
concept for the space/ground links exist. The existing ESA Packet Telecommand
Decoder standard foresees only a very weak authentication scheme. However,
secure communication shall incorporate as minimum means for
self-authentication, key agreement, message authentication and en-/decryption
of telemetry data. Typically the high rate downlink is secured by encryption
and message authentication. The encryption and authentication keys for the
downlink are classically generated on ground and sent to the space platform
via a command uplink, which needs then be highly secured. There are
algorithms existing that provide secure key exchange and authentication by
using a unidirectional link, only. Elliptic Curve (EC) based cryptography
today is regarded as high secure implementation of the standard techniques.
An EC based unidirectional scheme could provide the necessary level of
security for a unidirectional link. The keys for encryption and
authentication could in principle be generated on- board. This requires a
cryptographically reliable key generator to be implemented space compliant.
By combining both EC based unidirectional key exchange/authentication and onboard key generation an autonomous secured downlink system can be designed,
which is decoupled from the security requirements of the command uplink. This
could allow a straightforward Sensor to User end-to-end security concept.
The currently used downlink systems provide some 100 Mbit/s data rate. The
applied algorithms and protocols shall therefore be suitable for high rate
implementation. The study objective is to identify alternative and optimised
solutions for future applications in EO downlink systems and shall comprise
following elements: Analysis of Security requirements for downlink systems
including the on ground part; Design of a high rate secured downlink system
with selection of appropriate algorithms and protocols; Breadboard (BB)
implementation of core technology to demonstrate feasibility of high rate
application as well as space compliance
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T104-11FP
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 96
Ref. No.
05.1ET.03 BURST SYNCHRONISATION FOR SCANSAR INTERFEROMETRY
TT Q
PP
Price
Burst synchronization would allow interferometry over much wider swaths than
in ordinary strip-map mode adding value to future SAR systems. This would
considerably enhance the capability of the instrument making the data more
useful for a wide variety of applications. The technique of imaging much
wider swaths by repeatedly switching between beams, known as ScanSAR, has
been successfully demonstrated by both RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT ASAR. The
advantage of this technique is that a much wider effective swath can be
imaged on the ground hence improving global coverage. The disadvantage,
however, is that with existing instruments it is not possible to realize
repeat pass ScanSAR interferometry. This is because there is no
synchronization between the bursts of pulses transmitted in each beam for a
given position around the orbit. The result of this is that it is therefore
unlikely for there to be any overlap of the Doppler spectrum between
acquisitions hence making interferometry between successive passes
impossible. The objective of the activity is to look at the feasibility and
eventual system requirements for around orbit burst synchronization of
ScanSAR modes in order to make wide-swath interferometry in ScanSAR modes
possible.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.: CH
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G102-08ET
Status: INTENDED
05.1ET.05 PARIS OCEAN ALTIMETER ON GNSS REFLECTIONS
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q1
PARIS is an ocean altimeter based on GNSS reflected signals presently under
research within TRP PARIS-Gamma. This PARIS-Gamma activity includes an
aircraft experiment, a definition of the critical technologies of a
spaceborne PARIS sensor and the manufacturing of an aircraft sensor to
demonstrate some of the key technologies. The results of the first two
activities are really promising, while the breadboarding is now starting. The
present activity is a follow-on of PARIS-Gamma with a double objective: (a)
consolidation of the key critical technologies for a spaceborne altimeter
based on the PARIS concept and (b) realization of airborne campaigns to
consolidate retrieval algorithms and feedback on hardware configuration.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 97
Ref. No.
05.1ET.07 EARTH EXPLORATION SATELLITE (EES) TRANSMITTER AT KA
BAND
TT Q
PP
Price
With the increasing data download requirements of Earth Exploration
Satellites (EES), increased bandwidth is required and the use of Ka band
becomes a necessity. Ka band technology is required to support high to very
high TM data links. Ka band also allows the use of smaller diameter HGA
onboard the spacecraft compared with similar communicationperformance at X
band. This results in a lower spacecraft launch mass and a ground
infrastructure using smaller parabolic antenna ground stations. This Ka TX
module is part of the roadmap presented in the technical dossier on
transponders for TTC and is an integral part of the TTC harmonization
process. Basic RF technology exists in this frequency band due to previous
developments on ENVISAT, but these developments were restricted to low data
rate requirements. This Engineering model (EM) shall be of a modular design,
suitable for a variety of missions and shall be able to modulate TM data
rates in excess of 1 Gbps. A suitable system architecture for a high date
rate Ka band TM transmitter, shall then be implemented using state of the art
technology to obtain a compact, power efficient TX module. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 98
Ref. No.
05.1ET.09 ALTERNATIVE SOURCES FOR CRITICAL TWT MATERIALS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to identify European suppliers for critical
TWT materials and to realise an evaluation and pre-qualification programme
for the most sensitive ones. The fabrication of space-standard TWTs involve a
large number of materials and processes, some of which come from a single
source outside Europe or are subjected to possible exportation control. This
situation is considered to be perilous, especially in view of the current
strong position of European industry in this domain. To mitigate the
associated risks, it is therefore required to identify alternative sources
(in particular European sources) for a set of critical materials (ceramics,
metals and alloys). This activity will first concentrates on the review and
identification of critical materials and possible suppliers. Second, selected
suppliers will be contacted and partnerships will be settled. Finally, a set
of critical materials will be evaluated and pre-qualified according to the
specific requirements. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 99
Ref. No.
07.1ET.12 DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE ATOMIC CLOCK FOR SATELLITE
TT Q
PP
Price
High performance on-board atomic clocks are the core of a satellite
navigation system such as Galileo. Each Galileo satellite will embark two
different type of clocks: Rubidium (RAFS) and Passive Hydrogen Maser. While
the performance of those clocks are fully meeting the today system
requirements, next generation Galileo satellites would benefit of the use of
higher performance clocks (in terms of fractional frequency stability), still
compact (low power and mass) and able to operate in the Galileo space
environment. A number of T&F laboratories are currently proposing a variety
of new innovative clock concepts (e.g. cold atoms, CPT-maser,
CPT-dark-line,?), with the potentiality of improving significantly the
stability performance, still in a reasonable mass-volume-power envelope. The
objective of this activity is to identify and demonstrate (at demonstrator
level) an innovative clock technology achieving at least a factor 2
improvement in fractional frequency stability with respect to the today
demonstrated performances, still with mass-volume-power consumption budgets
compatible with the Galileo payload accommodation, and able to operate in the
Galileo space environment. In a first Phase, various innovative clock
concepts shall be reviewed and analysed, in order to select the most
promising one. In a second Phase, a demonstration model of the selected
concept shall be assembled and tested, and a development plan (including the
development and qualification of critical technologies) shall be proposed.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T504-10ET
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 100
Ref. No.
07.1ET.15 NEXT GENERATION MASS MEMORY ARCHITECTURE (PREVIOUS
TITLE: DEVELOPMENT OF A MASS MEMORY MODULE WITH
EMBEDDED FILE SYSTEM SUPPORT)
TT Q
PP
Price
The Payload Processing System architecture is able to host a set of well
defined modules (Processing, Storage, I/O) interconnected through a network.
As far as storage modules are concerned, a first demonstrator of the concept
was developed and manufactured (High Capacity Memory Buffer). Based on
standard interfaces, the module was designed in order to be very close in
terms of functionality to a "solid state" disk providing basically to the
User a sea of data blocks (random block mode) rather than emulating a tape
recorder (LIFO/FIFO modes).Building on this, it appears clearly that the set
of data blocks can be organised in a more flexible manner by embedding block
allocation tables in the mass memory module itself. Of course and ultimately,
the link between a "file" as seen by the payload data system controller and
block allocation tables shall be established by a well defined split of
functions between the supervisor and the high capacity buffer. This activity
will focus on the development of a mass memory module embedding file system
support following the concept outlined above. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A
relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes
(incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to EMITS news
ESTEC
C
Z
08 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 101
Ref. No.
08.1ET.01 INVESTIGATIONS ON ADVANCED MATERIALS FOR HIGHLY
INTEGRATED SSPA MATCHING NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to investigate the use of advanced material
of high dielectric constant (>50) and/or high thermal conductivity to reduce
the size of hybrid HPA and/or improve thermal management. This activity aims
at investigating innovative solutions in order to improve the size of the
solid state power amplifiers modules based on hybrid technology (i.e. L to C
band). The activity shall investigate various types of materials for matching
network featuring low loss characteristics for L to C band applications.
Today similar dielectric substrates are used (with dielectric constant from
10 to 37), but lead to a size of matching network which is not acceptable
anymore especially when GaN will be involved. At the same time, the activity
shall investigate materials with improved thermal conductivity (e.g. based on
diamond or others) with high dielectric constant which could be used both as
matching substrate and as a chip carrier. This will help to simplify greatly
the assembly of hybrid HPA where the power chips could be mounted directly on
the substrates of the matching networks with good heat spreading
capabilities. Electromagnetic characterisation of the materials shall be done
together with evaluation of the processing and attachment capability as well
as mechanical characteristics. The best candidate(s) shall be used to design
prototypes of matching networks which shall be electrically characterised and
implemented into breadboards of solid state HPA. Assessment of the overall
thermal management shall be performed, as well as demonstration of size
improvement. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 102
Ref. No.
08.1ET.03 MICRO- AND MILLIMETRE WAVE DETECTORS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of sensitive and linear detectors for micro- and
millimetre waves; Sensitivity, bandwidth, power, and mass improvement of
heterodyne and direct detection receivers in EO Description EO radiometer
payloads include typically narrowband spectrometer type receivers and
wideband totalpower type receivers. Total power receivers can be implemented
using either heterodyne principle or simpler direct detection principle where
no local oscillator neither mixer are needed. Both types of the total power
radiometers employ a detector element for detecting the total power over the
receiver noise bandwidth. Typically, Schottky diodes are used. However, the
Schottky detectors are rather insensitive and have high noise temperature and
thus require a plenty of amplification in the receiver chain. This gain could
be reduced if the detector were more sensitive. This would be advantageous to
any heterodyne radiometer having the IF at microwave region but especially
advantageous to direct detection receivers at mm-waves. Along the
developments in the LNA technology, direct detection receivers become soon
feasible at very high frequencies (200 to 300 GHz) where it is crucial to
limit the number of amplifying stages to minimum due to the price of gain,
better gain stability, wider bandwidth, reduced tuning, and lower
consumption. This activity aims at development of sensitive, linear and
broadband detectors at dedicated frequency bands from low frequencies up to
300 GHz and above. First, different technologies (GaAs Schottky, low barrier
Schottky/Ge/Sb, bolometer, ...) shall be reviewed and assessed in terms of
sensitivity and linearity. Next, based on the best selected technology, the
demonstrator breadboards in waveguide blocks shall be designed, manufactured,
and tested. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms
of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 103
Ref. No.
08.1ET.04 CALIBRATION LOADS FOR RADIOMETERS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives Development of compact calibration loads for radiometers; Support
all types of EO missions making use of microwave and millimetre-wave
radiometry both conventional and interferometer types Description The
accuracy of radiometer observation is based on the accuracy of the
calibration subsystem. The key element in the calibration subsystem is the
calibration load whose effective noise temperature is used as a referenece.
The requirements for the load (or termination) are stringent in terms of
absolute noise temeperature and long term stability. Calibration loads are
typically based on blackbodies and noise diodes. Known problem with the noise
diodes is their quite poor stability. Recently developed active cold loads
(ACL) are becoming attractive at microwave and lower millimetre wave
frequencies where they can offer improvements in calibration accuracy. It is
obvious that depending on the application and frequency different types of
calibration elements are required, most probably both noise diodes and ACLs
together with passive blackbodies. This activity aims at developing very
stable and compact calibration loads of different types that can be used as
building blocks in optimised calibration subsystems in microwave and
millimetre wave radiometers. Hot and cold calibration standards shall be
addressed and their target specifications shall be derived from the
identified applications. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 104
Ref. No.
08.1ET.07 WIDELY-TUNABLE MEMS LC TANK FOR WIDEBAND OSCILLATORS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objectives are to develop, manufacture, and test a MEMS LC
tank featuring a wide tunability while maintaining a stable Q-factor.
Description: There is a need for Local Oscillator with a large tuning range.
However, in practise, resonators with large tunability tend to offer degraded
performance due to the decrease of the Q-factor with tuning. This translates
into degraded phase noise of the LO. The MEMS LC tank is a resonator which
can have a large tuning range while maintaining a fairly high Q-factor. In a
first phase, after reviewing state of the art achievements in the field and
assessing all applications where a wideband oscillator is of prime interest,
MEMS varactor with large capacitance control as well as MEMS inductance with
high resonant frequency shall be investigated. In a second phase, those two
element shall be integrated into a single MEMS tank circuit which shall then
be evaluated in an oscillator with a wide tuning range.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 105
Ref. No.
08.1ET.08 HIGH-Q MEMS RESONATOR FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE OSCILLATORS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Develop, manufacture, and test MEMS based mechanical resonators;
to highly improve degree of integration, reduce of cost, mass and size of
payload. Description: Laboratory demonstrations have shown that MEMS
resonators may become an interesting alternative to crystal resonators both
in oscillators and filters. Already today, very high Q-values comparable to
those of good crystal resonators have been demonstrated for the MEMS
resonators. Important advantages of the MEMS resonators are foreseen in their
extremely small size and integration compatibility with silicon process. In
comparison to crystal resonator, cost reduction is expected at lower
frequencies (from 10 MHz) whereas better performance is expected at higher
frequencies (from 100 MHz). One more important aspect is that the MEMS
fundamental mode frequency can be much higher than that of the crystal.
Demonstrations have been done (mostly US) for devices from 10 MHz to 500 MHz.
However, it is evident that technological challenges remain in several areas,
such as temperature compensation, packaging, long term stability, and phase
noise. The activity aims at developing MEMS resonators, MEMS test structures
for e.g. coupling characterisation, and RF oscillator demonstrators. The
design frequencies shall be selected in the 10 MHz to 500 MHz range and
designs optimised for the best achievable RF performance. In the beginning of
the activity, the available MEMS technologies and process shall be
investigated and their properties evaluated in the light of the MEMS
resonator performance. Then, the MEMS resonators and the RF oscillator shall
be designed, manufactured and tested. The test shall address the critical
parameters such as the frequency stability, long term stability, phase noise,
Q and resonator coupling properties. The performance, size, and mass of the
MEMS oscillators will be evaluated and compared with those of a crystal
oscillator. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 106
Ref. No.
08.1ET.09 EFFICIENT TECHNIQUES FOR ON-BOARD PROCESSING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The study shall review, analyse and assess efficient algorithms
and processing techniques for improving power consumption and integration
(i.e. mass) efficiency of telecom OBPs. Appropriate design and optimization
methods shall be identified and tailored to comply with typical payload
performance specifications. Description: Several architectures and algorithms
have been recently introduced to decrease the computational burning of
elementary digital processing elements such as Finite Impulse Response (FIRs)
filters and Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs). As well as new techniques allow
reducing oversampling ratios in polyphase filter banks. Jointly such
techniques could prove themselves highly effective in reducing (potentially
up to 20-30%) the complexity (ASICs area and Power) or in extending the
performances (increased processed bandwidth and number of beams) of On-Board
Digital Processors for telecommunication satellite systems. Full exploitation
of these techniques requires a design flow change (from round-off of the
ideal filter/BFN coefficients to filter/BFN design based on constrained
architecture and coefficients space). Typically the design is further
complicated by the combinatorial nature of the filter/BFN coefficient space
(e.g. Sum-Of-Power-Of-Two - SOPOT, Canonical-Signed-Digit - CSD, etc.) and
requires the adoption of appropriate search and optimization methods. Tasks
to be carried out shall include: Standard arithmetic with reduced
multiplication/addition complexity for filtering and beamforming (e.g.
multiplier-less SOPOT, CSD, etc.); Non-standard arithmetic for signal
processing (e.g. residue number system RNS et alii); "FFT-like" and
reduced oversampling techniques in polyphase filter banks; Analysis and
assessment of coefficient round-off and finite arithmetic errors;
Integrated design of Multi-Channel Demultiplexing and Beamforming based on
constrained (for efficiency) digital arithmetic; Pros and Cons assessment
with respect to benchmarking OBP scenarios (narrowband and broadband).
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 107
Ref. No.
08.1ET.10 RECONFIGURABLE MULTI-MISSION PAYLOAD FEASIBILITY STUDY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To study the architecture of a reconfigurable payload with
flexible allocation of resources (bandwidth, power, coverage) to different
missions (i.e. broadcasting, multibeam access, high speed point to point,
...) during the life of the satellite. Reconfigurable payload buildingblocks shall be identified and trade-offs on the most suitable technologies
carried out. Description: Prior R&D work has demonstrated an important
capacity gain (15%-20%) granted by flexible power and bandwidth allocation in
addition to a factor 2 spare in DC power in the case of a realistic
unbalance traffic demand distribution over the coverage in a multibeam
payload application In case multiple missions are hosted on board the same
spacecraft, a high gain is expected by flexible and dynamic sharing of power
and frequency resources. This activity will study the architecture of a
reconfigurable payload with flexible allocation of resources (bandwidth,
power, coverage) to different missions (i.e. broadcasting, multibeam access,
high speed point to point,...) during the life of the satellite.
Reconfigurable payload building-blocks will be identified and trade-offs on
the most suitable technologies carried out.
ESTEC
C
Z
08.1ET.12 AUTONOMOUS ON-BOARD TIMING REFERENCE
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to develop and validate
techniques for the implementation of autonomous on-board timing references.
Description: The on-board timing reference of GNSS systems is a key driver of
the navigation and integrity performances. The today solution is to embark
Atomic Clocks whose performance and integrity are monitored on ground, via
the OD&TS process. This puts significant constrains on both the reliability
and performance of the on-board clocks and on the operation and control of
navigation and integrity. Several methods (e.g. phase comparison, threecorner-hat ) offer the possibility to monitor directly on-board the
performance of the timing system, and to implement some switching strategies
in case of failure, with no effect on the phase coherence. The aim of this
activity is to investigate such methods and to implement and validate at
breadboard level an autonomous on-board timing reference.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 108
Ref. No.
08.1ET.14 PEER2PEER POSITIONING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: * Development of peer2peer algorithms and processing techniques;
* Demonstration of the benefits of the peer2peer concept. Description:
Traditionally, navigation systems (e.g. GPS, DGPS, EGNOS, Galileo) use a
one-way flow of information (i.e. from system to users). The concept of
peer2peer positioning addresses the exchange of information between users,
hereby improving navigation performance. In addition, ranging between users
might be considered. Especially in difficult environments (e.g. indoor,
interference, multipath), peer2peer positioning is expected to be beneficial.
In this activity, peer2peeer algorithms shall be developed, and the concept
shall be demonstrated. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) ’Industrial Policy measures for non-primes,
SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes’.
ESTEC
C
Z
08.1ET.15 DESIGN AND PRE-DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUES AND
TECHNOLOGIES FOR PAYLOAD AUTONOMOUS INTEGRITY
MONITORING
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to study the techniques and the
technologies that could be introduced at Payload level to allow monitoring
the integrity of the emitted signal directly measuring the signal at the
payload RF output. The satellite will be able to qualify autonomously the
signal transmitted identifying more promptly and more accurately some
specific failure modes reducing the probability of failure of the satellite
leading to a drastic simplification of the Ground Integrity monitoring
system. Description: Integrity monitoring is currently provided with the
usage of very complex Ground infrastructure which is not only very expensive
but also affected by all the propagation/geometric/network effects and so
sometimes very inaccurate. Proper calibrated equipment can be included on
board to measure the signal at the RF output of the payload providing
instantaneous and accurate detection of specific failure modes. The satellite
failure probability can be drastically reduced if not made negligible thus
reducing the need for a complex ground infrastructure.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 109
Ref. No.
08.1ET.16 ADVANCED SIGNAL-IN-SPACE TECHNIQUES (MOD, COD,
MESSAGE, ...)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: This activity is focused on the introduction of state of the art
tele-communication techniques (Modulation, Coding, Message, etc) in to the
navigation domain to improve the performance of the Navigation signals for
those types of users and Services for which the current signal design is not
optimised or to achieve a more efficient use of the available RF resources to
be exploited for future radionavigation system design. Description:
Communication techniques can be introduced in the Navigation domain to
improve the performances. Easyness of the generation/reception of the signal,
reduction of the intrasystem interference, higher orthogonality of the
spreading sequences, efficiency of the message encoding mechanism to achieve
higher data rate or lower BER, robustness of the signal tracking, higher
efficiency in the exploitation of the available bandwidth, robustness to
hostile RF environment, jamming and anti spoofing capability etc. are areas
for possible improvement. Use of multilevel codes, structurally banlimited or
compact signals, multiobjective optimisation of the spreading sequence and of
the pulse shape, turbo codes, are just example of possible ways to achieve
these improvements, whose applicability or the real advantages have to be
proven and studied in detail. The impact on the receiver and payload design
must also be taken into account for the feasibility. Procurement Policy: C(3)
= Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 110
Ref. No.
08.1ET.21 ORBITER SW DEFINED RADIO PROXIMITY-1 LINK
COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGE - IMPLEMENTATION &
DEMONSTRATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to start the development of a
flexible and multimission data-relay communication package based on CCSDS
Proximity-1 protocol and using Software Defined Rradio (SDR) as the enabling
technology. Description: The current European proximity-link transceivers (as
developed in the previous ESA missions, for instance Beagle) are limited in
flexibility as they are based on a low level of integration between the RF
and the digital part. Using the Software Defined Radio technology, SDR,
(similar to that implemented by NASA/JPL for the Electra transceiver) allows
a higher level of flexibility with the possibility of unit reconfiguration.
Using the software defined approach provides the capability to add/change
functionality by simply changing the software version. This software upload
(software patch) can be done pre-launch or in orbit, which makes the unit
very flexible and provides the capability to support multiple missions. This
multimission approach is particularly interesting in case of an Orbiter with
data-relay capabilities and a long lifetime (such as Mars Express). This way
it can support different lander missions (European, American and other
international space agencies) even the ones it wasn t intended to serve in
the first place. Allowing post-launch reconfigurability of the protocol and
signal processing functions over the Orbiter lifetime supports protocol
updates and provides the possibility to respond to unanticipated mission
scenarios. Secondly, by ensuring a standardised and interoperable data-relay
infrastructure allows any lander to make use of multiple data-relay assets,
thereby increasing the science return while at the same time reducing mass
and power requirements on the lander. The ultimate goal would be to equip
every science Orbiter with a standardised relay package, taking away some of
the technology burden of small lander missions. The scope of the activity is
to implement a reprogrammable Proximity-1 transponder based on a software
defined radio architecture. The transponder shall support the Proximity-1
protocol in its entirety including support for full duplex operation. The
transmit and receive carrier frequencies shall be programmable (by software
uploads) to any frequency in the range used by the Proximity-1 protocol (i.e.
390 450 MHz). The transponder shall be designed in a modular manner that
allows tailoring of the basic transponder to future missions. Finally, the
proximity-link transponder to be developed shall also support higher
data-rates than those currently available on European hardware, in order to
increase the science return. Consideration shall be given to the architecture
proposed in order to reduce mass, power and volume envelopes as much as
possible.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 111
Ref. No.
TT Q
08.1ET.22 LANDER COMPACT DUAL UHF/X-BAND FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION
PACKAGE STUDY
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to investigate a communication
package that can communicate both with an Orbiter (for data relay) and
directly to/from the Earth from Planet surface. Description: This activity is
related to the feasibility/design of communications systems to be used on
planetary probes/landers/rovers and communicating both with an Orbiter (for
data relay) and directly to the Earth from Planet surface. In the ExoMars
mission, the UHF proximity-link with a data-relay Orbiter will be the primary
link for returning science data. The use of relay links is attractive for
reasons of power efficiency and higher possible data-rates compared to
direct-to-Earth links. Nevertheless, the ExoMars rover includes also a direct
link to/from the Earth next to this UHF proximity link to the Orbiter. The
direct link with Earth will be in the X-band Deep Space frequency allocation
and used in emergency situations and for contingency operations, as well as
during the entry, descent an landing phase to transmit health status beacon
tones. In addition, the direct to Earth link might be useful also for
navigation and RadioScience Experiment. Different architectural approaches
might be considered as to implement both UHF and X-band capability: dedicated X/X band transponder and dedicated UHF transceiver; - single unit
using frequency translator (from UHF to X-band). In the second case the same
communication unit can handle both UHF link as well as direct to/from Earth
X-band links, which means possible savings in mass and volume on resource
limited landers/rovers. In addition, this implementation would open up the
possibility to use the proximity link in the X-band, making use of directive
antennas already in place for the direct to Earth link (see ExoMars
baseline). Nowadays, this architecture would be possible thanks to the
advances in digital signal processing which allows easily processing the UHF
Proximity-1 protocol and the classical X-band TT&C signals. The target of
this study is to analyse/design the Compact Dual Frequency Architecture and
to quantify the overall performances including mass, volume and power saving.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 112
Ref. No.
09.1ET.01 INTEGRATED CIRCULATORS FOR TR MODULES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development and demonstration of integrated circulators at C and
Ku band. Description: The goal of this activity is to develop and built a 20W
C-band integrated circulator and a 10W Ku-band integrated circulator
demonstrate this enabling technology and fully evaluate the anticipated
significant manufacturing cost savings. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.02 FREQUENCY-MULTIPLIERS FOR SUBMM
09 NO
Q4
200-500
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Objectives: To demonstrate the 2nd frequency multiplier with state-of-the-art
performance by using European Schottky/HBV technology. Description: Highefficiency multipliers are needed for the generation of LO signal in sub-mmwave superheterodyne receivers of Space Science and Earth Observation. Stateof-the-art results have been demonstrated in the past at mm-waves by using
HBV devices, and the present activity aims to continue the work by developing
the second frequency multiplier in the frequency multiplication chain (that
follows a power amplifier and the first multiplier), and to demonstrate
sufficient output power to drive room-temperature mixers. Procurement Policy:
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 113
Ref. No.
09.1ET.03 DIRECT-DETECTION RADIOMETERS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of all the critical building blocks and their
integration into a complete mm-wave direct-detection radiometer. Description:
Millimetre-wave direct-detection radiometers are a very attractive option for
future Earth observation and Science instruments, and are already employed in
Planck. Recent developments in low-noise amplifier technology have made such
receivers feasible also at higher frequencies, currently up to around 200
GHz. However, in addition to LNAs, also filters and detectors with very wide
bandwidth are needed in direct-detection receivers. These should be
compatible with MMIC LNAs, i.e. monolithic HEMT or diode detectors would be
preferable. In this activity all the critical building blocks (detectors,
filters and LNAs) are developed for 89/157/183 GHz radiometers. Different
detector configurations are investigated and compared. Using the building
blocks, a direct-detection radiometer is constructed and its signal-handling,
temperature and short/long-term stability characteristics are investigated.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.04 SWATH PRECIPITATION RADAR INSTRUMENT
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Objectives: Study into the potential of beamforming for precipitation radar.
Description: This activity will look at the potential for realising a sidelooking precipitation radar using beamforming on receive. The complete radar
design shall need to be analysed considering choice of centre frequency,
bandwidth, pulse compression weighting, PRF etc and of course the number of
beams to be formed and how to achieve this considering both analogue and
digital techniques. A nadir looking precipitation radar (precipitation
profiling radar) is limited in its operation due to the ground return either
requiring a very short pulse or for a chirped pulse weighting must be applied
to reduce the sidelobes of the impulse response function to around -60dB.
This results in a broadening of the mainlobe and hence loss of spatial
resolution as well as a reduction in SNR. If instead the radar is made to be
side-looking then the requirements on the sidelobe suppression can be less
stringent releasing more and it is then possible to consider multiple beams
allowing a swath to be formed. For this the idea is to consider beamforming
techniques.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 114
Ref. No.
09.1ET.05 STUDY OF A HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION MIRAS (SUPER-MIRAS)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To define optimum system architectures for a high spatial
resolution L-band interferometer. Description: The challenge of future L-band
microwave radiometers is the improvement of spatial resolution. The aperture
synthesis technique, demonstrated by SMOS, is scalable in that the size of
the antenna can be increased to get better spatial resolution. However in
doing so, some problems appear, as loss of sensitivity and decorrelation
effects. This study aims at providing optimum array geometries and system
architectures to improve spatial resolution while maintaining sensitivity of
future L-band SMOS like missions with much higher spatial resolution.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.06 PAYLOAD/SYSTEM EVALUATION OF BEAM HOPPING TECHNIQUES
09 NO
Q4
100-200
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Objectives: Definition, simulation and evaluation of an advanced Ka band
multibeam payload using beam hopping techniques. Identification of key
equipment for further development. Description: This activity will focus on
payload aspects related to beam hopping & will represent the follow up of an
ongoing beam hopping system activity. Beam hopping represents an efficient
solution to flexible resource allocation in multi-beam networks that has
large impacts on the space and ground systems. The proposed activity shall
continue this work with a detailed evaluation, simulation and evaluation of
an advanced payload implementing beam hopping tecniques. In particular,
different beam hopping payload architectures using advanced antenna and RF
front end concepts (DRA, FAFR, ...) and advanced technologies available in
the near future (high temperature electronics, GaN, mini-TWTs, highly
integrated BFNs, next generation digital processors using deep sub micron
technology, optical processors, ...) shall be proposed. The payload
performance will be compared to more conventional payloads.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 115
Ref. No.
09.1ET.07 WIRELESS INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS AND NAVIGATION
SYSTEM FOR FORMATION FLYING MISSIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To study, specify and simulate the RF wireless technology
allowing navigation and high data rate communications for a formation flying
(FF) mission with multiple satellite. The activity will explore existing
standards and technologies from the terrestrial wireless techniques, and
define the adaptation to the FF space missions. The activity also includes
performance assessment based on SW simulations. The scope of the proposed
activity is to identify and analyse RF technologies allowing navigation and
communications using a single RF signal, aimed at a formation flying missions
with multiple spacecrafts. Secondly, a performance assessment based on SW is
proposed to prepare the future devices allowing easy interactivity between
satellites of a same formation.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.08 ADVANCED RECEIVER ARCHITECTURES
N1
ESTEC
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Objectives: This activity proposes to study optimisation of the receiver
processing architecture via tighter integration between the navigation and
the signal processing, and exploitation of large amount of redundant
information available with multiple constellation, frequency, signals, in
order to improve in general acquisition and tracking performance, robustness
against hostile RF environment etc.... The activity also includes the design
and prototyping of a channel monitor for multipath estimation and mitigation
in GNSS receivers.
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 116
Ref. No.
09.1ET.09 ENHANCEMENT OF GALILEO SYSTEM ROBUSTNESS EXPLOITING
SIGNAL-OF-OPPORTUNITY
N1
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: This activity aims at identifying way to exploit Signal-ofOpportunity (SoO) coming from other not known a-priori sources in order to
supplement GNSS system when it works in difficult environments (such as urban
canyon or inside buildings) as well as when unintentional and intentional
interferences, human errors and natural phenomena effect GNSS performance.
There have been several studies aimed at identifying ways to exploit Signalof-Opportunity coming from terrestrial and space based signals (such as such
as TV broadcasting antenna, mobile towers and satellites) but all of these
studies assumed known the location of the SoO emitters and consequently they
only have proved the feasibility to use SoO as navigation signals. The new
idea behind this activity, instead, is to develop a system concept and
architecture able to automatically recognise SoO that are present into the
environment (it means that the receiver has to be able to recognise the bit
pattern and modulation technique for instance) and calculate the locations of
their emitters exploiting GNSS systems when these provide adequate
performance. After this first stage thanks to which the SoO emitters
locations is known, the receiver should be able to calibrate the obtained
System-of-Opportunity and so exploit SoO for positioning when it turns to
work under conditions of GNSS denial and in difficult environment. This
activity it is very important because the utilization of the Signal-ofOpportunity in the performance of position, navigation and timing,
guaranteeing and improving GNSS services, actually enhances the robustness of
the overall GNSS system.
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 117
Ref. No.
09.1ET.10 GAN POWER STAGE BASED ON EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY FOR
NAVIGATION SSPA IN L-BAND
N1
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Develop an L-band power stage based on European GaN technology
with output power in the range of 120-150W capable of power flexibility.
Description: The objective of this activity shall be to investigate very high
power amplifiers based on solid state European GaN technology. Unlike the
amplifiers available today, GaN technology shall offer the possibility to
build such HPA with only one power module at the output. On its own this
shall improve efficiency, ease of manufacture and price. This activity shall
also investigate the possibility to implement power flexibility and design
techniques for increasing efficiency in presence of digitally modulated
signals and their implications in case of navigation application (e.g group
delay and gain flatness, stability etc...). Finally the activity shall
consider careful Multipactor related design. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 118
Ref. No.
09.1ET.11 TRANSMITTER VACUUM ELECTRIC POWER AMPLIFIER
N1
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To design, realise and test a Vacuum Electronic Device Power
Amplifier. Description: Travelling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) are often
opposed to solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs). As a rule of thumb, TWTAs
outperform SSPAs in efficiency and absolute output power while SSPAs are more
linear than TWTAs. In addition, in terms of mass/size, TWTs scale down with
frequency while SSPAs scale up with output power. Ideally, one would like to
have a device which exhibits the linearity of an SSPA combined with the
efficiency of a TWTA at a fraction of the size: this is the goal of this
activity. The activity shall first address the main building blocks of the
Vacuum Electronic Device Power Amplifier which are the modulated source of
electrons and the amplifying vacuum electronic structure. The source of
electron is foreseen as a semiconductor device based on promising gallium
nitride (GaN) structures which would offer a very simple modulation access,
up to possibly X to Ku-band. The amplifying vacuum electronic structure is
expected to be a shrunk version of existing structures used in vacuum power
electronics e.g. the helix of a travelling wave tube (TWT). The two building
blocks shall then be assembled and connected to a laboratory power supply to
form the VEPA breadboard which shall be fully tested. Procurement Policy:
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.12 PHOTO-HBV FOR SUB-MILLIMETRE WAVE LO GENERATION AND
DISTRIBUTION
N4
ESTEC
09 YIPC 200-500
Q4
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 119
Ref. No.
09.1ET.13 SINGLE GAN CHIP HPA/LNA FOR RADAR APPLICATIONS
N4
TT Q
PP
Price
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.14 LOW-NOISE AMPLIFIERS FOR 300 GHZ
N4
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Summary description to follow.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.15 1THZ SCHOTTKY MIXER
N4
ESTEC
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 120
Ref. No.
09.1ET.16 1THZ LO UNIT
N4
TT Q
PP
Price
Summary description to follow. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant
participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs)
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.17 STUDY INTO KA-BAND SAR
N4
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Objectives: To study the feasibility of a Ka-band SAR and other radars.
Description: The study will look in to technological aspects of the
feasibility of Ka-band radar in particular SAR with special emphasis on
simultaneous interferometric SAR but also altimetry, precipitation etc in
general. In the case of SAR power generation is crucial while in receive
scanned pencil beams can help to relax the transmit power requirements. The
study shall look in to critical elements for transmit e.g. tubes and antennas
and in receive in low noise front-ends capable to form scanned high gain
beams. An overall SAR concept shall be worked. Reuse of elements for Ka-band
radar like altimeter and rain radars shall be investigated.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1ET.18 INTEGRATED SCALABLE TILE BEAM FORMER
N4
ESTEC
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
Summary description to follow.
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 121
Ref. No.
09.1ET.19 HIGH BANDWIDTH PROGRAMMABLE DDS FOR CHIRP GENERATION
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
in ESA programmes".
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 122
Ref. No.
09.1GA.01 ACCOMMODATION OF A SHORT ARM HUMAN CENTRIFUGE INTO A
SPACECRAFT (DEFINITION STUDY)
N1
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Background: The European Space Agency is preparing for future long-duration
manned missions. During these missions, crews will be exposed for extended
periods of time to microgravity, which deleterious effects on the human body
(e.g. bone loss, muscle atrophy) shall be counteracted. Countermeasures such
as a treadmill, bike ergometer or LBNP (Lower Body Negative Pressure) have
already been developed and are used routinely in the ISS. However, past and
current experience shows that these devices are not sufficient to fully avoid
astronauts’ deconditioning through prolonged exposure to microgravity.
Intermittent exposure to artificial gravity via a short arm human centrifuge
(SAHC), possibly combined with exercise, however seems to be a promising
concept. In order to validate this hypothesis, two ground models of SAHC have
been recently built and installed in Europe. The effectiveness of groundbased SAHC as countermeasure against microgravity impairments will be
studied, in particular during bed rest campaigns. Objective: The objective of
this 12-month activity is to study the accommodation of a short arm human
centrifuge into a spacecraft, specifically investigating the three following
scenarios: short arm human centrifuge in the ISS, short arm human centrifuge
in ATV (attached to ISS) and short arm human centrifuge operated in a
planetary surface facility (e.g. moon).
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT / TEC-M
MECHATRONICS AND OPTICS DIVISION / TEC-MM
Responsible: Mr ZELL
Budget Ref.: 100155 - ELIPS 2
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+A+N+GR+CDN
Programme Ref.:
C
09 NO
Q2
50-100
Page 123
Ref. No.
03.1GF.01 PHASE B/C/D FOR EUROPEAN PHYSIOLOGY MODULES (EPM)
EXPERIMENTS - FIRST BATCH
TT Q
PP
Price
EPM experiments are more oriented towards development of protocols and
procedure as well as specific hardware and, as such, a complete Phase B/C/D
is required. For each of the selected experiments the Phase B/C/D will be
composed of a preliminary design part (Phase B), including some critical
breadboarding activities, if necessary. The Phase B will also include a
preliminary cost estimation and development schedule for the Phase C/D. The
Phase C/D will include the final design, as well as the manufacturing,
assembly, integration and verification of the flight products and of any
other hardware required to carry out the experiments in orbit, in order to
satisfy the scientific requirements.
ESTEC
HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT,MICROGRAV & EXPLR PROG - D/HME
PROJECTS DEPARTMENT / HME-M
PAYLOAD FACILITIES AND DEMONSTRATORS DIV / HME-MF
Responsible: Mr REIBALDI
Budget Ref.: 100165 - MICROGR./FACIL.-COLUMBUS (MFC)
Spec. Prov.: LIMITED TO B+DK+D+I+CH
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 124
Ref. No.
05.1GM.02 MFEU PHASE C/D
TT Q
PP
Price
The Magnetic Fluid Experiment Unit (MFEU) is based on a microgravity
experiment proposal (Ref. AO-98/99-021), which a European expert team
submitted to ESA in response to the AO 98-99 on Microgravity Research and
Applications in Physical Sciences and Biotechnology. The MFEU shall provide
the possibility to investigate heat and mass transfer phenomena in
suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles under the influence of variable
temperature gradients and magnetic fields in cylindrical gaps. It shall
consist of exchangeable flow cells, various diagnostic systems for flow
monitoring and a characterisation unit for on-board control of the fluid s
properties. This procurement action concerns the phase C/D of the MFEU
project, comprising the final design, the manufacturing, assembly,
integration and test of the MFEU and all its accessories, up to final
acceptance.
ESTEC
RESEARCH OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT / HME-G
PAYLOADS DIVISION / HME-GM
Responsible: Mr WINTER
Budget Ref.: 100165 - MICROGR./FACIL.-COLUMBUS (MFC); 100534
- ISS Expl - Variable costs - P1 - Basic
Activities
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.:
Status: EX ITEM 04.3GM.08 INITIATED 1-5063
C
09
Q1
> 500
Page 125
Ref. No.
02.1GU.04 MISSION INTEGRATION FOR ESA EXTERNAL PAYLOADS AT
COLUMBUS EXTERNAL PAYLOAD FACILITY (EPF)
TT Q
PP
Price
The subject procurement activities will cover the following: *)
Procurement/development of Columbus External Payload Adapters (CEPA’s, incl.
Active FRAM and Adapter Plate) and Transport Container; *) Analytical
integration of External P/L at Columbus EPF, P/L integrated analysis and
mission analysis (eg mechanical, thermal, P/L data sets collection and
submittal, P/L integration documentation preparation, integrated P/L ICD’s
review, etc.); *) Physical integration and verification/testing of External
Payloads at Columbus EPF by means of the Columbus Rack Level Test Facility.
ESTEC
DIRECTORATE OF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT - D/HSF
RESEARCH OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT / HSF-G
INTEGRATION AND OPERATIONS DIVISION / HSF-GO
Responsible: Mr ANDRESEN
Budget Ref.: 100554 - ISS Utilisation
Spec. Prov.: LIMITED TO B+DK+D+I+N
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
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02.1GU.05 DEFINITION, DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
MONITORING, CONTROL AND COMMANDING SYSTEM FOR THE
DECENTRALISED PAYLOAD INFRASTRUCTURE
TT Q
PP
Price
One of the main elements of the decentralised payload operations
infrastructure is constituted by the core technical system accommodated in an
FRC, namely the Monitoring, Command and Control (MC&C) System for the USOCs.
This system is providing essential functionality to interface with the
payload facilities, FRC Databases, and technical systems on the FRC side on
the one hand. On the other hand the MC&C system provides the required
connectivity to the Operational Centres for the ISS which are already
existing (e.g. POIC) or under development, such as the Columbus Control
Centre (Col-CC), through existing or to be provided communications
installations and required for commanding of and telemetry processing for ESA
payloads. The present procurement proposal concerns the design definition,
development, and integration at the USOCs of the Monitoring, Command and
Control System for European USOCs. This shall cover the following main
elements: *) Design Definition of the MC&C; *) Development of generic and
common Telemetry Processing Tools; *) Development of the Command Tool for
USOCs; *) Development of the Operational Payload Database Tool; *)
Development of required application software; *) Integration and interface
testing of the elements; *) Deployment at the USOCs; *) Support to
Procurement of Communications Equipment ; *) Management. As the main output
of this procurement, all existing USOCs shall be outfitted, integrated and
tested with the required Monitoring, Command and Control Systems and
capability that corresponds to the relevant level of the Centre’s
responsibility and interfaces with the standard communications infrastructure
of the Agency (IGS Phase-2), that is developed as part of the Columbus
Control Centre development.
ESTEC
RESEARCH OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT / HSF-G
INTEGRATION AND OPERATIONS DIVISION / HSF-GO
Responsible: Mr ANDRESEN
Budget Ref.: 100554 - ISS Utilisation
Spec. Prov.: LIMITED TO B+DK+D+I+N
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q1
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05.1MX.01 AVIONICS ARCHITECTURE FOR FUTURE REUSABLE SPACE
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
In support of future reusable space transportation systems, the following
avionics technology elements shall be analysed: an integrated fault-tolerant
avionics system architecture, which guarantees safety and reliability at low
maintenance level, a modular system concept approach to achieve low-cost
maintainability and a high degree of commonality between future reusable
space transportation programmes (crew transport and RLVs), advanced
space-qualified avionics components, in particular standardized
fault-tolerant network elements, which meet the performance requirements and
which are available during the life of the programme, as well as standardized
avionics software services, designed for multi-platform applications, to
streamline the software qualification and maintenance process. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
POLICY AND PLANS DEPARTMENT / HSF-H
FUTURE HUMAN TRANSPORT & INFRASTR DIV / HSF-HT
Responsible: Mr CAPORICCI
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G408-06MX
Status: INTENDED
C
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Q1
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05.1QC.04 EVALUATION OF OPTIC FIBRE CABLE ASSEMBLY
TT Q
PP
Price
The aim of this activity is to perform an evaluation of a European optic
fibre cable assembly, i.e. an optic fibre cable including connectors. The
foreseen assembly consists of Plasma (Draka) single mode fibre 268E, GORE
FLEX-LITE cabled and connected with Diamond AVIM connectors. Initial
evaluation of very similar assembly has been performed by SIRA,
Identification and Evaluation of Fibre Optic Components. However, other
assembly could be chosen if judged as being of higher interest to future
programmes. The tasks include as a minimum the review of future program
needs; fabrication of approximately 40 optic cable fibre assemblies, length
ranging from 0.5 to 100 metres; evaluation programme including optical
measurement, mechanical and environmental endurance tests, step-stress
testing, and radiation test; and preparation of evaluation test report. NOTE:
THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED
ESTEC
PRODUCT ASSURANCE AND SAFETY DEPARTMENT / TEC-Q
COMPONENTS DIVISION / TEC-QC
Responsible: Mr DE MARINO
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G608-05QC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
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Ref. No.
05.1QC.05 CTTB IN-FLIGHT COMPONENT IRRADIATION TEST DATA
ANALYSIS
TT Q
PP
Price
The CTTB is an in orbit component characterisation tool for recurrent
deployment (first planned flight is on the GSTB-V2). In short, the CTTB
performs an in-flight analysis of the radiation induced component parameter
degradation. The CTTB contains 6 experiment boards each carrying a number of
technologies and components. The total data volume generated by the CTTB is
extensive and requires a considerable data analysis effort. The purpose of
the proposed activity is to collect, in near real time, the generated CTTB
data and perform the following tasks: compile and present the CTTB data;
analyse component parameter degradation with respect to the radiation
environment, temperature and operational conditions; correlate the in-flight
analysed data with existing ground based irradiation data on components from
same lot as in-flight devices; assess suitability of new technologies for
flight on Agency missions; investigate component radiation damage physical
mechanisms and develop models suitable for implementation in the GEANT4
toolkit. Based on all analysed data, assess current radiation evaluation /
qualification engineering approaches and suggest improvements. The following
technologies and component families are planned to be flown: memory
experiments (SRAM, DRAM, PROM, EEPROM, FLASH, memory cubes), GSTB-V2 specific
solar cells, photonics (Opto-couplers, CCDs, APSs), linear devices, power
devices, GSTB-V2 related components. Other technologies (i.e. MEMs, novel
materials, etc.) are foreseen for investigation for future recurring CTTB
experiments. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
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Ref. No.
05.1QC.06 EUROPEAN MM-WAVE & SUB-MM WAVE RELIABILITY AND SPACE
EVALUATION TEST CENTRE
TT Q
PP
Price
The selected centre will first have to perform an intensive survey of the
mmwave and sub-mmwave technologies, components and products for which
evaluation and reliability study would enable access to space application.
These products may be commercial but also available from open research
through a small size laboratory or a research centre. Examples of the parts
that are expected to be identified in the survey are: mm-wave schottky
diodes, HBV devices and MMICs, 180 GHz + mm-wave MMICs processes, PBGs
crystals and structures, mm-wave and sub-mmwave membranes, HEBs, etc... The
second task will be to define adequate evaluation and reliability
methodologies and procedures applicable to the device identified during the
above survey. Once approved by ESA, these methodologies and procedures will
be formulated in a document to be used by the European mmwave & sub-mmwave
Reliability & Space Evaluation Test Centre as guidelines for the performance
of reliability and space evaluation of mmwave and sub-mmwave devices and
technologies. The third task to be performed will consist in a critical
review of the test centre existing capacity (in terms of manpower,
expertise,..) and facility. Using the outcomes of the 2 previous tasks he
shall establish its future short and long term needs in terms of expertise,
manpower and dedicated equipment. Type of tender C(1) - activities in open
competition limited to non-primes. For additional information please go to
EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities
in ESA programmes". NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
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Ref. No.
06.1QC.05 VERY HIGH FREQUENCY GENERAL PURPOSE EUROPEAN MMIC
PROCESS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is the development and space evaluation of
GaAs Ultra Short Gate length technology for Low Noise and Medium Power
application, in view to support EGPM (European Contribution to Global
Precipitation Measurement) future radiometers and European GaAs foundries
opened to space market. The activity shall develop a dual MMIC (Monolithic
Microwave Integrated Circuits) Process usable for both Low Noise and Medium
Power applications at very high frequency. It will first focus on solving
basic technical problems for the processing of short channel metamorhic or
pseudomorphic HFETs (targeted maximum gate length 100 nm), with the goal to
optimise the high frequency performance of these devices in terms of gain and
cut off frequency. Targeted performance values of this industrial technology
are above 700 mS/mm for the maximum transconductance and a transit frequency
at around 150 GHz. Integration of this advanced active devices technology and
associated epitaxial structures with existing MMIC technology passive
components will take place to guarantee the high frequency operation. After
successful technology development and process validation, the General Purpose
MMIC process will be evaluated for space application. Once successful
evaluation has been completed, opportunity to exploit the acquired know-how
for processing ultra short gate (Lg ~ 5 0 nm) will be studied before ending
the activity.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP NP10-06QC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
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Ref. No.
07.1QC.02 SRAM BASED FPGA FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Contrary to antifuse type Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), SRAM based
types offer the possibility of in-system reconfiguration. Radiation hardened
FPGA types using SRAM based configuration programming are currently being
introduced /developed for space applications by the European manufacturer
Atmel. While the prospects of exploiting this additional flexibility
potential for re-configurable payload systems are seriously being considered
there is still very limited experience with the safe utilisation of these
features. This activity shall determine (1) if current Product Assurance
requirements and practices for on board SW reconfiguration are applicable and
sufficient for FPGA configuration data or if modified/additional provisions
are required and (2) which methods and requirements are applicable to
establish conformance of specific and dynamic FPGA reconfigurations with
fixed system constraints during the application development process. The
effectiveness of the proposed method(s) and requirements shall be suitably
demonstrated.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
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Ref. No.
07.1QC.05 NANOTUBE RE-INFORCED STRUCTURAL MATERIALS FOR
SPACECRAFT APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
With strength and stiffness properties several 100 times better than that of
steel and conductivity better than copper, Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) have
extraordinary intrinsic electrical and mechanical properties making them
potentially attractive materials for use in lightweight spacecraft structures
and subsystems. Research on the possibility of using such materials for
improving the properties of known materials such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Plastics (CFRP), has been performed, and the results indicate that some
improvement is indeed possible. The objectives of the proposed activity are
to identify and investigate possible improvement of spacecraft structural
materials, near term as well as long term. For what concerns near term the
work shall focus on the reinforcement of the CFRP resin material. Realistic
improvements shall be defined based on literature data and specially
manufactured test samples, and shall address improvements related to: tensile, compressive and shear (ILS) strength; - stiffness; - structural
damping; - failure mechanisms; - conductivity;. Relevant manufacturing
methodologies shall be investigated and documented. For what concerns long
term, (>2015) possible applications of CNT in spacecraft structures shall be
evaluated. This shall include the identification of possible new materials,
e.g. development of new CNT reinforced fibres and resins, and their possible
application areas, including highly loaded spacecraft structures, lightweight
flexible deployable and inflatable structures, membranes etc. In addition,
the perspective of availability of CNT for European activities shall be
considered taking into account the required European non-dependence target,
and a related survey document shall be produced.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: CHANGED TO 07.127.09 RE-ASSIGNED
07 DAC 200-500
Q2
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08.1QC.01 EVALUATION OF JUNCTION TEMP REDUCTION TECHNIQUES ON
METAL CERAMIC SUBSTRATE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Aim of the activity will be to test different technological
solution of hybrid circuits design and manufacturing in order to reduce
backside temperature of functional chips and, consequently, their junction
temperature. Another scope of the activity will be to develop the thermal
test capability on active junction of GaAs components (p-hemt/HBT or other),
based on measurement of electrical parameters related to temperature
(indirect parameter measurement). Description: It is very important to reduce
operating junction temperature of functional chip to increase lifetime of
them. Technological design skills and development of junction temperature
measurement techniques (for instance indirect Tj measurement) can play a
crucial role in the effort of reducing operating temperature of power
components.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
50-100
Page 135
Ref. No.
08.1QC.02 VERY HIGH DISSIPATIVE RF/LF PACKAGE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The activity is aiming at developing a new generation of
packaging technology - in particular for wide band gap semiconductors.
Description: There is a constant need for thermally managed microwave
packages. In particular as the wide band gap technologies start to yieled
products and the new power MMIC processes are being developed there is a
clear need for a European package based on the emerging state-of-the-art
materials in which Europe excels. European industry is developing higly
thermal conductivity materials (>600W/mK is the target) in AlSi, Metals
matrix composites and Carbon Nano tube filled matracies. Using these emerging
technologies it should be possible to meet the needs of the new semiconductor
market for a highly disspitive package with the insertion of RF ceramic
feedthroughs for high frequencies and high current LF feedthrough. The real
technology challenge will be to development a series of processes to machine,
form and high temperature braxe (AgCu #800 degrees C) / assembly and test
such a package.The new wide band gap WBG components have a thermal
dissipation 10 times the actual GaAs power transistors (i.e. SSPA as an
example) The materials used as base for the power micro package, needs to be
able to match the CTE of the mounted devices, have a strong thermal
conductivity limitation (CuW is in the range 200 250 W/m.K).That means new
materials need to be introduced. A survey of the availiability of European
materials will be under taken determining what can be machined and formed
with high yeileds and subsequently formed in to a highly disspitaive hermetic
package with Rf and power feedthroughs.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 136
Ref. No.
08.1QC.03 HIGH TEMPERATURE RF/MICROWAVE INTERCONNECTION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: This activity consists of the study the actual limitation of the
existing microwave interconnection, following by a trade off of possible
solution to meet operating temperature requiurements of the worst case
applications. A first design will be manufactured and tested before a final
batch of an updated design. Description: RF cabling is needed in many
missions such as Planetary exploration, launcher and propulsion activity high
temperature operation. In addition Rf cables are used in the qualification
activity where accelerated life testing is undertaken. All of this requires
high temperature capabilities beyond the actual rating of the cables and
interconnects used. An activity is required to develop such cables and
interconnects.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
08.1QC.04 TID CHARACTERISATION OF POWER-UP BEHAVIOUR FOR FPGAS
09 NO
Q4
100-200
09 NO
Q2
50-100
Objectives: The aim of this activity is to characterise the FPGAs’ power-up
behaviour as a function of cumulated dose. Description: Previous irradiation
test results of FPGAs have indicated the criticality of the power-up sequence
with total dose degradation. However, no TID reports from FPGA manufacturers
address this issue. It is likely that the power supply solutions used for
these TID tests are over dimensioned and far from representative of space
applications and too optimistic. The activity will be initiated by studying
issues related to FPGA power-up sequence, TID effects and power supply
impact. In the study phase possible power solutions for the FPGAs addressing
space applications shall be investigated. For these power solutions critical
parameters of the power-up sequence of the FPGA shall be identified.
Subsequently an irradiation test plan for the FPGAs shall be developed. The
test shall be optimised for characterising critical parameters in the
power-up sequence behaviour as a function of cumulative dose. Following the
evaluation of the irradiation test plan the irradiation test campaign shall
be initiated. Finally, an irradiation test report shall be generated
including a final technical document detailing the findings of the activity.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
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08.1QC.07 ENABLING OF ULTRA SHORT GATE LENGTH COMMERCIAL MMIC
PROCESS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The activity will aim at developing a dual MMIC Process usable
for both Low Noise and Medium Power applications at very high frequency.
Description: The activity is listed in the CTB microwave dossier. The
activity will aim at developing a dual MMIC Process usable for both Low Noise
and Medium Power applications at very high frequency. It will first focus on
solving basic technical problems for the processing of short channel
metamorphic or pseudomorphic HEMT (targeted maximum gate length 70 nm), with
the goal to optimise the high frequency performance of these devices in terms
of gain and cut off frequency with a final Lg ~ 5 0 nm as target for
processing ultra short gate. Following tasks are included: Task 1: Process
development: optimisation of existing process to achieve short channel
metamorphic or pseudomorphic very high frequency active devices; integration
with existing MMIC passive components. Task 2: MMIC process validation: The
Characterization of the active elements will be done in terms of noise and
gain to analyse whether the technology and material is capable of meeting the
low noise requirements of mm-wave receivers for future space applications.
Libraries will be updated and a RIC (Representative Integrated Circuit) will
be designed to evaluate the device performance. Task 3: MMIC process Space
Evaluation: Together with the RIC, adequate TCV (Technology Characterization
Vehicle) and DEC (Dynamic Evaluation Vehicle) will be designed and processed
for performing MMIC process evaluation as per ESCC 2269010. Accelerated life
tests on TCVs and DECs and RIC testing will be used to evaluate the
reliability performance of this advanced technology. Procurement Policy: C(1)
= Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 138
Ref. No.
08.1QC.09 EVALUATION OF NEW FPGA TECHNOLOGIES (HARDENED-SRAM,
FLASH, MIXED-SIGNAL)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of the proposed activity is to evaluate the
suitability of the new FPGA technologies (mixed signal, flash based, low
power, RadHard SRAM- based) for space designs. The FPGA technologies
addressed are not yet available for the space market but they are already
present for the commercial applications and the vendors are planning to bring
them to the space community in the future. This evaluation therefore aims to
learn best practices in the use of the new FPGA devices for space taking
advantage of their current availability and anticipating its eventual future
introduction into space. Description: At present, devices based on antifuse
technology are the predominant technology used for FPGAs in the space sector.
However, other mature technologies are to be brought into the space domain:
Flash-based (the ProASIC family) and eventually also the mixed signal FPGAs
(the FUSION family). Major players in the commercial sector are moving since
some years into the space sector: e.g. large SRAM-based Rad Tolerant FPGAs
and Rad Hard versions of the Virtex-5 family based on 65nm geometry. The
proposed activity is an evaluation of these new FPGA technologies in designs
for space. The Task breakdown is as follows: - Feasibility analysis on the
FPGA devices and development boards to be used in the evaluation (commercial
boards), on the target designs and on the metrics to be used (as for example
resource usage, max. frequency, ).- Architectural and detailed design phases
of the target designs to be used; porting of the design to the different FPGA
technologies- Performance measurements according to the metrics on the
development boards- Final report including the comparison of the different
FPGA technologies and the predicted and measured metrics.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: CHANGED TO 08.1ED.11 RE-ASSIGNED
08 DAC 200-500
Q2
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08.1QC.10 ADHESIVE SEALED SENSOR RELIABILITY AND TEST
TT Q
PP
Price
Several projects (Herschel Planck, SMOS, GOCE, ...) have experienced problems
with too high moisture content in optical sensors with glass lids. It has
proved extremely difficult to pass the 5000 ppm internal water vapour content
limit for devices sealed with adhesive. At the same time processes to braze
or solder glass lids are not readily available or not economically viable to smaller manufacturers or institutes that often supplies this type of
components. The working group for update of ESCC 9020, generic specification
for CCD, has identified this problem and asked for a study in order to
address a proper test scheme for affected parts. This activity will include
the following tasks: survey of failures caused by high moisture content and
possible tests to assess problems related to internal moisture; assessment
of feasibility to non-destructively determine dew point in optic sensors,
based on Mil-Std-883 test method 1013; survey of statistical spread in
internal moisture levels for optic sensors, within as well as between
packaging lots; assessment of test schemes to address the reliability of
sensors with internal water vapour content above 5000 ppm; suggest
screening and qualification/periodic inspection schemes for optic sensors
with glued glass lids, for incorporation in updated issue of ESCC 9020;
experimental verification of suggested test scheme. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 140
Ref. No.
08.1QC.13 SURVEY OF CRITICAL COMPONENTS FOR 150 KRAD POWER
SYSTEMS (PREVIOUS TITLE: SURVEY OF CRITICAL COMPONENTS
FOR 1MRAD POWER SYSTEM DESIGN INCL. DELTA RADIATION
CHARACTERISATION OF RH POWER EEE COMPONENTS)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: TID (Total Ionizing Dose) Radiation characterization of selected
critical power system components (e.g. MOSFET, bipolar transistors, ...) up
to 150 Krad. Description: Power converters and systems are critical parts of
any mission. Radiation Hardened or radiation tolerant components are
available; however, not to the radiation levels required for the
Laplace/Tandem missions. The following activity, aims at characterising these
EEE components used in power systems to mission radiation levels and
identify radiation related drifts. This information will be employed in
subsequent activities to design power converter and systems capable of
handling the measured drifts in compliance with mission power requirements.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
CR 09 NO
Q2
Z
200-500
Page 141
Ref. No.
08.1QC.15 DEVELOPMENT & ESCC QUALIFICATION OF A EUROPEAN
PACKAGED VCO WITH BUFFER AMPLIFIER (ECI PHASE2)
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity is part of the ECI Phase 2 programme. Its objectives are to
design, develop; manufacture and ESCC qualify a Packaged Voltage Control
Oscillator with Buffer Amplifier 5.5 - 6.1 GHz using a European supplier. The
European MMIC process to be used shall be preferably already space evaluated
in accordance with the ESCC requirements (namely 2269010). Preference shall
be therefore given to an MMIC process already listed in the EPPL, the VCO
with buffer amplifier shall be packaged either directly by the European GaAs
foundry or by a validated European ATH (Assembly and Test House). Other
materials and parts to be used for the manufacturing of the VCO (package, die
attach material, getters, etc) shall be as much as possible from a European
source. It is expected at that stage that a VCO with Buffer Amplifier can be
developed in a fully monolithic way (one single MMIC in a package) and it is
therefore plaNned that this packaged VCO can be space qualified in full
compliance with ESCC 9010 requirements.
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100962 - European Component Initiative Phase II
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
08.1QC.17 DEVELOPMENT & SPACE VALIDATION OF A EUROPEAN MMIC
PHASE SHIFTER (ECI PHASE 2)
09 NO
Q1
200-500
09 NO
Q2
200-500
This activity is part of the ECI-2 programme. Its objectives are to design,
develop and validate for space application a GaAs MMIC 6-18 GHz phase shifter
using an ESCC evaluated MMIC process from a European foundry.The ultimate
goal is to demonstrate the suitability of the European phase shifter naked
die for being listed in the EPPL (European Preferred Part List. The 6-18 GHz
MMIC phase shifter shall be digitally controlled, with six cascaded bits
(1800, 900, 450, 22.50, 11.250, 5.60). The main tasks to be performed are:
Investigation or characterisation of existing process technologies and
component types to be redeveloped. Technological process selection and design
trade-off analysis. Design or redesign of specific component types according
to ECSS-Q-60-12. Fabrication of at least 2 consecutive runs of functional
components. Validation of the phase shifter in accordance with the
requirements of the ECSS-Q-60-12. Introduction in the EPPL.
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
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Ref. No.
08.1QC.18 DEVELOPMENT & SPACE VALIDATION OF A EUROPEAN MMIC WIDE
BAND LOW NOISE AMPLIFIER (ECI PHASE 2)
TT Q
PP
Price
develop and validate for space application a GaAs MMIC DC - 45 GHz wide band
LNA using an ESCC evaluated MMIC process from a European foundry.The ultimate
goal is to demonstrate the suitability of the European LNA naked die for
being listed in the EPPL (European Preferred Part List). The main tasks to be
performed are: Investigation or characterisation of existing process
technologies and component types to be redeveloped. Technological process
selection and design trade-off analysis. Design or redesign of specific
component types according to ECSS-Q-60-12. Fabrication of at least 2
consecutive runs of functional components. Validation of the wide band LNA in
accordance with the requirements of the ECSS-Q-60-12. Introduction in the
EPPL.
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
08.1QC.19 DEVELOPMENT & SPACE VALIDATION OF A EUROPEAN MMIC
K-BAND HIGH POWER AMPLIFIER (ECI PHASE 2)
09 NO
Q2
100-200
09 NO
Q2
100-200
develop and validate for space application a GaAs MMIC K-Band HPA using an
ESCC evaluated MMIC process from a European foundry.The ultimate goal is to
demonstrate the suitability of the European HPA naked die for being listed in
the EPPL (European Preferred Part List). The main tasks to be performed are:
Investigation or characterisation of existing process technologies and
component types to be redeveloped. Technological process selection and design
trade-off analysis. Design or redesign of specific component types according
to ECSS-Q-60-12. Fabrication of at least 2 consecutive runs of functional
components,.Validation of the MMIC K-Band HPA in accordance with the
requirements of the ECSS-Q-60-12. Introduction in the EPPL.
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Page 143
Ref. No.
08.1QC.20 DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION AND QUALIFICATION OF A
RADIATION HARDENED LOW-SIDE MOSFET DRIVER (RE-ISSUE)
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity is to develop one European low side radiation hardened MOSFET
driver. The device shall be radiation hardened up to 100 krad(Si) at standard
(1 rad/sec to 10 rad/sec) and low dose-rate (0.01 rad/sec to 0.1 rad/sec),
SEE (including SET and SEFI, SEGR, SEB and SEL) immune up to 70 MeV/mg/cm2
LET, operate in the Mil-Temperature range (-55 C to +125 C), the dies shall
be passivated and assembled in hermetic packages qualified for space
applications. The tasks envisaged under this activity are separated into
Phases : Phase I covers the feasibility study, the assessment of in-house
technology capabilities and the definition of preliminary specification. At
the end of this Phase the technology has to be chosen and the target
specification of the final devices has to be defined and agreed with the
Agency. The start of Phase II is subjected to the approval of Phase I. Phase
II covers the radiation hardening of the technology, prototype development
and manufacturing of the first low-side MOSFET Driver as defined in Phase I,
full characterization over the Mil-Temperature range, radiation
characterization.hase III relates to the production, internal qualification
and ESCC evaluation of RH MOSFET Drivers. It is intended to use this
component for Space application and, if successfully qualified, to list these
components together with the manufacturer s name in the ESCC Qualified Parts
List as a qualified component for potential use by all ESA projects.
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100924 - Critical Components
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+GB+A+N+FIN+POR+GR+LUX+C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: EX ITEM 06.1QC.10 COMPLETED 1-5998
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 144
Ref. No.
09.1QC.01 RADIATION HARD MEMORY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Find, characterise radiation tolerance and assess reliability of
memory devices to cover all cosmic vision project requirements (256+ Gbit,
TID hard, SEL immunity, SEU, SEFI sensitivity that can be mitigated,..). This
study will cover Cross scale and Dark Energy needs, and possibly
Laplace/Tandem (the feasibility to find 1+Mrad high density memories is still
to be demonstrated). Description: Continuation of Agency memory study to
characterize SEE and TID (Total Ionizing Dose) effects in new technologies of
high density memories (DDR3+, flash, nanotubes, FRAM, MRAM, ...). Procurement
Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of
non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T222-016QC; IPI-SRE-004-AT
Status: INTENDED
09.1QC.02 RADIATION TOLERANT ANALOGUE / MIXED SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY
SURVEY AND TEST VEHICLE DESIGN
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Objectives: Study to identify suitable analogue mixed signal technology for
1Mrad radiation tolerance mission requirement. Description: A study to
identify and select an analogue / mixed-signal process (e.g. SiGe) compliant
with the mission 1Mrad requirement. The selected process shall be compliant
with mission requirement in terms of functions and performance. Additionally,
the availability of process for third party ASIC manufacturing, reliability,
packaging and cost shall be important selection criteria.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 145
Ref. No.
09.1QC.03 FRONT-END READOUT ASIC TECHNOLOGY STUDY AND
DEVELOPMENT TEST VEHICLES FOR FRONT-END READOUT ASICS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Study to identify suitable technologies for front-end readout
electronics for TID (Total Ionizing Dose), DD (Displacement Damage) and SEE
environment of Laplace/Tandem. Description: The front-end readout electronics
for the various sensors of the Laplace/Tandem missions represent (with
respect to radiation) a critical part of the mission. These parts are located
close to sensors/detectors with associated increased radiation levels. This
activity aims at surveying existing technologies employed in the space
community and the nuclear / particle physics community to identify suitable
technologies for the Laplace/Tandem missions. The study shall identify and
propose technologies most compliant with mission requirements and possible
development requirement to bring technologies to the required level.
Additionally, the availability of process for third party manufacturing,
reliability, packaging and cost shall be important selection criteria.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1QC.04 RADIATION CHARACTERISATION OF LAPLACE/TANDEM CRITICAL
RH OPTOCOUPLERS, SENSORS AND DETECTORS
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Objectives: radiation characterization of radiation tolerant optocouplers to
identify suitability for LAPLACE TANDEM mission. Description: Optocouplers
are sensitive to both DD (Displacement Damage) and TID (Total Ionizing Dose).
Current radiation tolerant devices are tested to dose levels orders of
magnitude lower than Laplace/Tandem requirements. Thus, this activity aims at
selecting candidate radiation tolerant optocouplers and performing radiation
tests on these (TID and DD) to Laplace-Tandem levels. Procurement Policy:
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 146
Ref. No.
09.1QC.05 RADIATION CHARACTERISATION OF RT DIGITAL CMOS
TECHNOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Radiation characterization of CMOS process and RH design to
identify suitability for flight on Laplace/Tandem mission (1Mrad
requirement). Description: This activity concerns radiation characterisation
(TID -Total Ionizing Dose ; SEE) of test vehicles developed under TRP
activity 201-004ED "DARE+ ASIC for extremely Rad Hard and Harsh Environment"
on selected process (DARE/UMC 90 nm, STM 65 nm, etc) including radiation hard
library. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of
quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 147
Ref. No.
09.1QC.06 EVALUATION OF HIGH FATIGUE RESISTANCE OF LEAD FREE
SOLDER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To evaluate some of the Sn/Ag/Cu, Sn/Ag/Bi, Sn/Cu/In/Ga alloys.
Scope of the study shall be: the selection of materials and Assembly and
Evaluation testing of Test Vehicles that cover both SMT and Hybrid
technologies. Description: The WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic
Equipment) EU Commision Directive will put the ban on the use of Pb, Hg, Cd,
esavalent Cr and halogenized FR s from 01/06/2006 (last reschedule) in the
electronic products sold in the EU countries. Also Japan has a similar
directive (RoHS) and is already going lead free and USA is hardly working
on the matter to be prepared. At present there are a large number of
materials that have been proposed as replacements for lead containing solder.
Primary among these are the Sn/Ag/Cu (SAC) alloys. There are several
variations of the Sn/Ag/Cu alloys that have been suggested as the preferred
replacements for Sn/Pb solders. Two are of special interest: the Japanese
adopted alloy of Sn96.5/Ag3.0/Cu0.5 and the North American Electronics
Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) alloy of Sn95.5/Ag3.9/Cu0.6. Also Sn/Ag/Bi
and Sn/Cu/In/Ga alloys have shown good fatigue resistance compared to
Sn63/Pb37. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
50-100
Page 148
Ref. No.
09.1QC.07 TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT OF DRAM AND ADVANCED MEMORY
PRODUCTS FOLLOWING IN FROM RADIATION TEST AND
BENCHMARK OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AGAINST SPACE
REQUIREMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
A study shall be undertaken to assess commercial state-of the-art Dynamic
Random Access Memories (DRAM). It shall identify and assess the suitability
and reliability of such a technology for space applications, following a
first radiation assessment already done under different funding scheme. A
second objective shall be to carry out a reliability assessment of advanced
memory devices that are of potential interest for space application like
FeRAM, MRAM and CPM due to their intrinsic robustness against radiation
effects.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: POSTPONED
09.1QC.08 RELIABILITY TESTING OF COMMERCIAL AVAILABLE FLASH
MEMORIES (FOLLOW ON FROM: RADIATION ASSESSMENT OF
COMMERCIAL FLASH)
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q3
100-200
A study shall be undertaken to determine the testing sequence for nonvolatile flash memory with respect to space applications. Non-volatile memory
(NVM), especially FG flash based, is becoming increasingly popular for many
commercial applications. In this context industry has developed own test /
bake sequences to assess flash based failure modes (data retention,
endurance, moving bit, erratic bit). However, space application have
significantely different requirements, i.e. especially lower endurance
requirements (ca. 100 write/erase cycles vs >10E5 in industry), but much
higher data retention requirements (>15yrs vs. ca 7yrs in industry). Goal of
this activity is to analyse available and develope further on optimised test
sequences for enabling ESA to clearly predict the reliability performance of
such devices in space.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: POSTPONED
Page 149
Ref. No.
09.1QC.09 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PGS TEST AS A RELIABILITY
ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR MOSFET DEVICES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective of the study will be to analyse standard reliability test methods
to assess Power MOSFET oxide reliability. Part of the study is the execution
of the test methods, the analysis of the results and the drafting of
recommendations for improving current space standards. ESCC 5000 together
with MIL-750 standards are the reference for screening and qualification of
discrete devices. In particular MIL-STD-750E test method 1080 is the
reference test method for SINGLE-EVENT BURNOUT AND SINGLE-EVENT GATE RUPTURE.
As part of this test method is the SEGR post gate-stress test (PGS test) that
consists in the verification of the integrity of the gate oxide after the
SEGR test. Recent radiation tests performed on European Radiation Hardened
Power MOSFET (ref ECI/I) have indicated a potential weakness of the gate
oxide of these devices that was not revealed by HTGB and HTRB tests which are
normally carried on during evaluation and qualification phases. The study has
the objective to analyse the test method conditions, perform a comparison of
the standards and propose a test plan to verify the equivalence of the test
methods in screening out devices affected by latent damage to the gate oxide,
implement the test plan on currently available Power MOSFETs (commercial
level IR, commercial ST, ST rad hard, JAXA- Fuji commercial and rad-hard),
analyse the results and draft recommendations for improving current space
standards. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: POSTPONED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 150
Ref. No.
09.1QC.10 DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD TEST METHODS FOR SINGLE EVENT
TRANSIENT CHARACTERISATION IN CMOS USING FPGA AS TEST
VEHICLE
TT Q
PP
Price
With shrinking CMOS technology feature sizes the single event transients SET
is becoming a major concern. SET sensitivity has been reported for the Atmel
ATC18RHA ASIC technology, Atmel AT697E leon processor, Actel RTSX-SU and
RTAX- S families. However the test methods used to characterize these events
vary widely and are often inadequate. Considering the growing impact of SETs
on device performance for these technologies, it is considered crucial to
develop improved and standard test methods for SET characterisation for such
devices. The test method is additionally beneficial during the development
phase of custom ASICs and FPGAs. The activity is initiated by studing issues
related to SETs in digital ASICs and FPGAs and currently applied test
methods. Following the study phase, the activity shall identify standard test
structures optimised to accuratley characterise the SET generation and
progagation phenomena within real life digital ASICs and FPGAs. These test
structures shall represent as many ’common’ designs employed in ESA missions
and applications as possible. Test methods to characterise the standard test
structures are subsequently developed optimised for reduced measurement
complexity and maximum efficiency. As a minimum test structures for
characterisation of SETs in combinatorial logics, asynchronous reset logics
and clock network shall be developed. An irradiation test campaigns shall be
executed employing a FPGA for reduced cost and development time (e.g. Atmel
AT280). Following the irradiation test a preliminary SET test standard plus a
verification plan are presented in a one day workshop with participants from
the CTB Radiation Working Group memebers and experts in the field. Following
the workshop and update of documents a second irradiation test campaign shall
be executed employing a second FPGA(or maybe ASIC). This test campaign is
used for verification of the applicability of the SET test standard. The SET
test standard shall be updated based on the verification activity results.
The SET test standard shall be supplemented with a report discussing
advantages, disadvantages and limitations of all evaluated test concepts.
Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors incl.
SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001)
programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: POSTPONED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 151
Ref. No.
09.1QC.11 DEVELOPMENT & SPACE VALIDATION OF A EUROPEAN MMIC LOW
NOISE DIVIDE-BY-8 DIVIDER
N1
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
to develop and to validate for space application a GaAs HBT MMIC DC - 12 GHz
low noise divider using an ESCC evaluated MMIC process from a European
foundry. The proposed work structure for this activity is the following : Investigation or characterisation of existing process technologies and
component types to be redeveloped to help technological process selection and
design trade-off analysis. - Description of the MMIC process; design or
redesign of specific component types according to ECSS-Q-60-12. - Fabrication
of at least 2 consecutive runs of functional components meeting the technical
requirements and associated specifications. - Validation of the LN Divider
in accordance with the requirements of the ECSS-Q-60-12. This device
operates from DC (with a square wave input) to 12 GHz input frequency with a
single +5.0V DC supply. The low additive SSB phase noise of -153 dBc/Hz at
100 kHz offset helps the user maintain good system noise performance. Typical
expected applications for this device are : Satellite Communication systems,
Fiber Optic, Point to Point and Point to Multi-Point Radios, VSAT.
C
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+GB+A+N+FIN+POR+GR+LUX+C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 152
Ref. No.
09.1QC.12 CONNECTIVITY AND PACKAGING OF SYSTEMS-OF-MICROSYSTEMS
N1
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Design, prototyping and testing of a system-of-microsystems
packaging approach including connectivity issue. Description: This activity
will address the packaging of a system of micro-systems it will be a logical
complement of WALES, a TRP activity being presently initiated which will
cover MEMS Wafer Level Packaging. The activity will aim at designing,
prototyping and testing a global packaging solution for micro-systems
including wafer level packaged MEMS. Critical points that need to be adressed
are: - Packaging techniques and 3D stacking technologies for the fabrication
of miniaturised SIP (System-In-Package); - Micro-systems integration
including MEMS, electronics and other relevant functions; - Hermeticity,
internal package atmosphere and getters; - Assessment of the reliability for
space applications. Attention will also be given to the connectivity of the
System-In-Package. The activity will be sub-divided as follows: Task 1:
Survey of packaging/connecting techniques; Task 2: Trade off; Task 3: Design;
Task 4: Manufacturing/prototyping of a micro-system including a reasonable
amount of wafer level package MEMS; Task 5: Validation by testing.
quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 153
Ref. No.
09.1QC.13 RELIABILITY AND STANDARDISATION FOR
SYSTEMS-OF-MICROSYSTEMS
N1
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Esatblish and validate methodology and procedure for evaluating
MEMS realiability, exploit Neomex environment for a tentative
standardisation. Description: The activity will take advantage of having
several MEMS candidates integrated in Neomex to establish generic (or at
least as much generic as possible) methodologies for assessing the
reliability / quality of these MEMS. This shall be done at sub-system level
and then review the commonalities for each device in order to get a basic
generic MEMS reliability procedure to which additional quality assessment can
be added depending on the type of micro-system which is addressed. It shall
also address the complete system reliability assessment and help to decide
how we should in the future treat a system of micro-systems: "black box"
approach or do we need specific approach for the global system which takes
into consideration the type of embedded micro-systems? Today different
approaches are taken according to the project (GAIA, JWST ) but we need to
standardise that in the future. The following tasks will be included:
identification of available micro systems, definition of a reliability
approach for each candidate, validation, consolidation. brainstorming,
standardisation.
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 154
Ref. No.
09.1QC.14 DEVELOPMENT AND SPACE VALIDATION OF EUROPEAN TRIPLE
BALANCED MIXERS
N2
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity is part of the ECI programme. Its objectives are to design,
develop, manufacture and validate for space application two hybrids packaged
Triple Balanced Mixers (TBM) using a European supplier. The first hybrid
mixer should be optimised to operate in the 2 to 26 GHz frequency band with
IF from 1 to 15 GHz and the second hybrid mixer should be optimised to
operate in the 2 to 18 GHz band with IF from 0.5 to 8 GHz. It is considered
that these objectives are achievable through the following steps:
Investigation or characterisation of existing non-European mixers types to be
redeveloped to help the selection analysis of schottky technology,
transformer components, package and fabrication techniques to be used for the
two types of microcircuits; design trade-off analysis. Description of the
selected schottky process, transformer technology, package type and assembly
process; design or redesign of specific component types in accordance with
ECSS-Q-60-05 document. Procurement of active and passive chips, materials
and piece parts for the fabrication of a first lot of functional
microcircuits for Manufacturer Validation and Design Approval Testing.
Validation of the Hybrid Manufacturer and Design Approval Testing.
Fabrication of a second lot of functional hybrid mixers for Lot Approval
Testing followed by actual performance of the LAT>
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr NIKULAINEN
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 155
Ref. No.
09.1QC.15 DEVELOPMENT AND SPACE VALIDATION OF A EUROPEAN MMIC
K-BAND POWER AMPLIFIER
N2
TT Q
PP
Price
to develop and to validate for space application a GaAs MMIC K-Band Power
Amplifier using an ESCC evaluated MMIC process from a European foundry. The
proposed work structure for this activity is the following : o Investigation
or characterisation of existing process technologies and component types to
be redeveloped to help technological process selection and design trade-off
analysis. o Description of the MMIC process; design or redesign of specific
component types according to ECSS-Q-60-12. o Fabrication of at least 2
consecutive runs of functional components meeting the technical requirements
and associated specifications. o Validation of the K-Band PA in accordance
with the requirements of the ECSS-Q-60-12. This Power Amplifier MMIC is used
for applications between 17 and 24GHz. It shall provide 24dB of Gain, +27dBm
of saturated power and 25% PAE from a +5.0V supply voltage. Typical expected
applications : Point-to-Point Radios, Point-to-Multipoint Radios, VSAT and
K-Band Space Applications.
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
09.1QC.16 NANO D CONNECTOR EVALUATION
N3
ESTEC
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q2
100-200
The use of Nano-D type connectors is considered a useful step in the
improvement of the miniaturisation of equipment for space purposes, the main
advantage of such a connector is a doubling of the density compared to
Micro-D. However it is understood that the manipulation of a harness using
such connectors may be problematic, the contractor shall detail all
precautions to be taken in the handling of Nano-D connectors for flight.
Nevertheless it is expected that the Nano-D type connector is most likely to
be used for internal harness types which ensure the responsibility for the
handling and any disconnect/reconnect cycle will be with the unit
manufacture. This study has two main goals: 1/ An evaluation of nano D
connectors for space application with some special requirements linked to
particular project needs. 2/ Recommendations on handling and wire assembly
particularly for the gauge 30 and above. If necessary tools have to be
proposed for avoiding risk of damaging the connectors and wire during
assembly and manipulation.
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
Page 156
Ref. No.
09.1QC.17 SEE TESTING OF EUROPEAN GAAS TECHNOLOGIES
N4
ESTEC
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: SEE Radiation testing of European GaAs MMIC processes in order to
try relaxing the relative ESA ALERT ESA Alert EA-2008-EEE-05 issued after
Metop LRTP Failure. Determination of the need or no-need for RF signal
applied during SEE testing. Possibly diminution of the Alert perimeter by
additional testing on HEMT and HBT technologies.
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T709-133QT
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 157
Ref. No.
04.1QM.03 INVESTIGATION OF THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW SURFACE
TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPACE INTERIOR BASED ON SAM
POLYMERS
TT Q
PP
Price
During the investigation it shall be identified if the relative new and
innovative SAM (Sustainable Active Microbial) polymer technology is capable
to protect the spacecraft inner surface and installed elements of
microbiological contamination. Offering permanent protection against mildew
algae and bacteria, SAM polymers represent a completely new class of biocites
based on special functionalized polymers. These polymers can be incorporated
into paints, dyes and plastics equipping them with microbiacidal action.
Based of today’s knowledge the technology works by electrostatic surface
interaction between the polymers and the microorganism; due to this
interaction the metabolism of the microorganism will be disturbed. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
MATERIALS AND PROCESSES DIVISION / TEC-QM
Responsible: Mr DEAK
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G301-01QM
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 158
Ref. No.
06.1QM.03 CHARACTERISATION OF RTV-S 690 SILICONE ADHESIVE FOR
THE SOLAR CELL COVER GLASSING
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity aims at the realisation of the solar array photovoltaic
assembly with ITAR free parts and materials, by using the new European
adhesive RTV-S 690 manufactured by Wacker Chemie AG (D) for gluing the
protecting coverglass to the solar cell. In the commercial satellite market
and in the ESA programmes, the realisation of completely ITAR free subsystems
represents a strategic advantage. Concerning the solar array, the industry
standard for the adhesive used to glue the coverglass to the solar cell is
the DC-93500, manufactured by the US company Dow Corning. It is worth
underlining that the coverglasses are a fundamental part of a solar array,
they mainly protect the solar cells against the severe radiation and
micrometeorites, so preventing a drastic performance degradation; therefore,
the coverglass adhesive is one of the key parts of a solar array for which a
European solution is desirable. Very recently this topic has become extremely
urgent because the US product DC 93500 has been put under ITAR regulation.
The German company WACKER has developed the transparent silicone adhesive
RTV-S 690, that has been optimised as coverglass adhesive, in terms of its
mechanical properties as well as its resistance to the space environment;
therefore, the RTV- S 690 is an excellent candidate as substitute of the DC
93500 coverglass adhesive. The activity consists of a complete
pre-characterization programme of the adhesive RTV-S 690 prior to a generic
GEO/LEO qualification programme of solar cell assembly and coupon,
manufactured with the same adhesive. In addition, the impact on existing
processes will be analyzed. The characterization of RTV-S 690 silicone
adhesive) will consist on the evaluation of the behaviour of the adhesive in
a space environment enveloping GEO and LEO requirements (e.g. 15 years in
geostationary orbit). The main objectives will be the determination of their
transmissivity change due to UV radiation, particle radiation and
temperature; all the measurements will be relative measurements allowing a
direct comparison with the behaviour of the adhesives DC 93500 (by Dow
Corning) and RTV-S 695 (by WACKER). NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 NP10-07QM
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 159
Ref. No.
07.1QM.02 STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF THE POWER MESHED PLANE ON
ELECTROMAGNETIC BEHAVIOUR OF ELECTRONIC BOARDS (PCBS)
TT Q
PP
Price
To improve the adhesion between the successive layers, and thus the
reliability of PCBs, a qualified manufacturer is willing to replace full
planes by meshed planes in PCBs. These modifications will impact the
electromagnetic behaviour of electronic equipment. The goal of the study is
to evaluate, in large frequency band (up to 3 GHz), the impact of meshed
plane on the radiated emission, the signal integrity and the crosstalk. The
study will consist on a bibliographic research on the topic, an experimental
study of comparative measurements between configuration with full plane and
with meshed plane; and a theoretical study in order to modelise the effect of
meshed plane on electrical characteristics.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T608-12QM
Status: INTENDED
08.1QM.07 DEV’T & TESTING OF BONDING & COATING TECHNOLOGIES OF
HIGH TEMPERATURE MATERIALS (C/C, C/SIC, ABLATIVE
MATERIALS ETC.) UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS
09 NO
Q1
100-200
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Objectives: To develop & improve bonding & coating technologies sustaining
the hard environmental re-entry / flight conditions. Description: Select and
develop bonding & coating technologies for large and complex shapes, testing
of representative materials configurations, downselecting of best candidates,
manufacturing of breadboard and testing. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 160
Ref. No.
08.1QM.08 MATERIALS CHARGING EFFECTS UNDER EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
(ULTRA-LOW TEMPERATURES AND HIGH RADIATION FIELDS)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Materials charging can not be predicted at very low temperatures
due to low mobility of charged species. Decay times could be very low and for
instance photo-induced conductivity could be much significantly lower.
Therefore suitable materials must be found. Mission to high radiation field
planets/moons require radiation resistant materials. This is crucial and
options must be found early in the project so that a sound design can be
done. Description: The activity shall screen/evaluate and downselect suitable
materials for the intended mission enviorment, i.e.: ultralow temperature and
high radiation fields. Materials shall be assessed such that results shall be
obtained for all missions. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09.1QM.01 CHARACTERISATION OF RADIATION RESISTANT MATERIALS
PHASE 1
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Objectives: Assessment and characterisation of radiation resistance of
materials to high radiation field of Laplace/Tandem mission. Description:
Selection of materials, testing of materials, derivation of safe operation
limit, design data. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in
terms of quality and quantity). For additional information please go to EMITS
news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and
R&D entities in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 161
Ref. No.
09.1QM.02 CHARACTERISATION OF ULTRA-STABLE MATERIALS AT
CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURE
TT Q
PP
Price
Description: To determine accurately the CTE of stable materials at cryogenic
temperature.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: CTP C223-035QM
Status: INTENDED
09.1QM.03 GECKO MIMETIC TAPE AS NEW JOINING TECHNOLOGY
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Objectives: To investigate the possible methods of mass producing
adhesiveless pressure sensitive tape. Description: There have been numerous
attempts to replicate the adhesive properties of the gecko lizard whose
mechanism is dependent on submicron keratin hairs, each of which produces a
small adhesive force. Recently, prototypes of this tape have been produced by
replicating the structure of these hairs though microfabrication of dense
arrays of flexible plastic pillars. Some laboratories already produce this
tape, but with small surfaces size (typically a few square centimetres). The
work performed through this activity will aim at: Developing size,
Developing reliability (same properties everywhere), Investigating on which
surfaces such a tape can work, Investigating in which conditions of
temperature, pressure and so on such a tape can work. Procurement Policy:
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 162
Ref. No.
05.1QQ.01 SAFETY RISK EVALUATION AND CERTIFICATION FOR USE OF
BATTERIES IN COTS DEVICES
TT Q
PP
Price
This study will assess the risk impacts on the use of batteries in COTS
devices with respect to dependability, safety, and PA requirements, and
collect all the results in an ESA Handbook for Safety certification of
batteries in COTS. In order to reduce costs for re-certification, the
approach for Safety certification of Batteries in COTS will take into
consideration a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) methodology. The study
should include considerations regarding the impacts of emerging technologies
of possible wide use in few years. Exchange of data with NASA should be
envisaged. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
QUALITY, DEPENDABILITY AND PA SUPPORT DI / TEC-QQ
Responsible: Mr CIASCHI
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G312-05QQ
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 163
Ref. No.
09.111.02
N4
ESOC
ESOC SITE EVOLUTION PLAN - "CALLISTO" PROJECT PHASE 1
- DEMOLISHION OF BUILDINGS CONTAMINED WITH ASBESTOS
AND CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDINGS
TT Q
PP
Price
Following the evolution in the number and timing of supported missions, the
ESOC site is currently operating at its capacity limits. For this reason, the
Host Country has transferred the right of use for an additional piece of land
(ESOC2) to ESA in January 2009, which shall support some further growth of
the centre s current business and improve the presentation of ESA s
activities to the general public in Germany. In addition, a number of older
ESOC buildings were found in 2006 to be contaminated with asbestos. A plan
for its removal has been developed and the requested funding was made
available by CM08. The synergies and opportunities of combining the asbestos
project and the availability of ESOC2 have led to a modification of the ESOC
site evolution plan. Also considering the zoning concept of the ESA Security
Directives, the plan now aims at concentrating operational facilities and
associated activities with higher security requirements on the current ESOC
site, while using ESOC2 to host activities with lower security requirements
such as offices and conference facilities, in a later step possibly also a
visitor centre. In several phases, this approach aims at creating sufficient
space to allow further growth in the future, on the current site for ESOC s
operational facilities and on ESOC2 for additional office accommodation and
public outreach.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEMOLISHION OF BUILDINGS CONTAMINED WITH ASBESTOS AND CONSTRUCTION OF NEW
BUILDINGS: ESOC s first buildings were constructed in 1967 and have reached
their end of life. The two oldest buildings, A and B, contain a considerable
amount of asbestos and do no longer meet the technical standards required to
support business activities. Studies have proven that a technical upgrade and
asbestos removal is not economic, considering the overall age and condition
of the buildings. The asbestos removal therefore aims at removal of the
contaminated A and B buildings with a total gross floor space of 6,200 m† and
their replacement with new buildings. Based upon the building permit
delivered by the Concept Design team (ref: 09.311.01), the final/detailed
design and turn-key construction shall be procured by means of an open
competition to be issued during 1st quarter 2010. The construction contract
shall foresee all phases of the Callisto project, with an initial slice that
will: - Build two new office blocks (OB1 and OB2) with a gross floor area of
approximately 4,900 m2 on the ESOC 2 site; - Demolish the existing A and B
buildings; - Construct a new, smaller, A building on the current site with a
gross floor area of approximately 1,300 m2.
DIRECTORATE OF OPERATIONS & INFRASTRUCTU - D/OPS
ESA INFORMATICS & FACILITY MNGMT DEPT / OPS-E
ESOC INFORMATICS & FACILITY MNGMT DIV / OPS-EC
Responsible: Ms FRANKS
Budget Ref.: 100896 - External Customers - Other Support;
100977 - Asbestos Removal
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q2
Page 164
Ref. No.
04.112.10
SATELLITE AND STATION CLOCK MODELLING FOR GNSS
TT Q
PP
Price
The data transmitted by navigation satellites (GPS, Glonass, Galileo) include
so-called pseudo-range measurements, which arise from a multiplication of the
signal travel time and the velocity of light. The travel time is computed as
the difference between time stamps at signal transmission by the spacecraft
and signal reception by the (ground or low-earth orbiting) receiver. These
time stamps are generated by two independently running clocks. For all
applications of the data, whether real-time navigation or post-processed
geodetic use, the relative offsets between these clocks, or both offsets to a
common reference time, need to be known with a high precision.The clock
offset estimation process is based on an epoch-by-epoch estimation of all
clock offsets, not taking into account the physical behaviour of clocks.The
clear advantage of this approach is that the process is insensitive to the
erratic behaviour of some clocks, and indeed this method can be used
successfully in the presence of the deliberate degradation of GPS signals
known as Selective Availability. The disadvantage is that some valuable
information is not used in the estimation process, namely that there are some
highly stable clocks in the system, with known statitical properties. The
proposed study should investigate which models of clock behaviour are
available and how they can be implemented in the orbit and clock estimation
systems currently used and under development at TOS-GN. The algorithms to be
implementated should allow the user to select clock modelling as an option,
and also allow a combination of the traditional epoch-by-epoch estimation
process with the use of clock models.
ESOC
GROUND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT / OPS-G
NAVIGATION SUPPORT OFFICE / OPS-GN
Responsible: Mr DOW
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T504-05GN
Status: DELETED
09 YIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 165
Ref. No.
05.112.11
EXPERIMENTAL HIGH DATA RATE KA BAND DOWN CONVERTERS
FOR NEAR EARTH MISSIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Missions requiring very high data rates will use the 25.5 - 27 GHz band for
the downlink. Alternatively the 37-38 GHz band will be used. A frequency
converter with specific performances for Near Earth (up to 2*106 Km), very
high data rate operation is required to allow the operation of this band.
Some performances shall be driven by the specific characteristics of the
mission that will employ this band. This study will cover the technological
trade-off and the design and building of a prototype suitable to be deployed
on a ground station and establish the performances of this band. Critical
design issues will be: - Frequency plan definition avoiding interferences
with the existing units. - Trade off between filtering and linear distortion
for wide bands (up to 1.5 GHz). - Linearity of output stages with the higher
levels imposed by the high data rates and the fixed Eb/N0. - Phase stability,
noise and spurious. A prototype will be manufactured to validate the design
performances and allow the future experimental validation in an ESA station
of the link. Potential users of this technology are missions like Lisa, Gaia
and Darwin. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESOC
08.112.02
GROUND STATION SYSTEMS DIVISION / OPS-GS
Responsible: Mr BOBRINSKY
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G606-08GS (GSTP-4)
Status: INTENDED
SUITABILITY OF EMERGING SERVICE BASED TECHNOLOGIES IN
GROUND DATA SYSTEMS
C
09
Q1
200-500
09 NO
Q2
200-500
The activity shall assess the limits of Service Component Architecture (SCA)
and Data Distribution Service (DDS) in their applicability to space M&C
systems, particularly the possibility of interacting with legacy systems. It
shall be validated whether SCA and/or DDS technology are able to provide the
level of performance and flexibility required by monitoring and control
software: - A detailed analysis of the maximum and minimum requirements
concerning this two aspects needs to be performed. - Evaluation of Pros/Cons
of the frameworks implementing the SCA and/or DDS specification based on the
specific needs for M&C. - This architecture shall be validated against a set
of representative scenarios (Use Cases).
ESOC
DATA SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION / OPS-GI
Responsible: Mr PECCIA
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T709-057GI
Page 166
Ref. No.
08.112.09
GLOBAL SECURITY: THE GROUND COMPONENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The security of space missions depend on many factors, most notably the
ability to secure the communications involved in the command and control of
spacecraft. The security architecture provides the capabilities to verify the
authenticity of Command and Control data and to prevent the unauthorized
disclosure of TM data while it is sent through the communications
infrastructure. It also covers major aspects of Information Assurance. Under
this activity the following will be covered: - Implications of incorporating
security services at the physical, network and application layers - possible
implementation options at each of these layers (in particular for
authentication and encryption) - criteria used for consideration by a mission
for selecting a secutrity implementation This activity will be complemented
by a similar one for the on-board system.
ESOC
08.112.10
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
CONCEPTS FOR COMMON UTILISATION OF ADVANCED EMULATION
AND VALIDATION TOOLS
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Definition of a framework and concepts for sharing emulation and validation
tools between teams of spacecraft manufacturer, ESA engineering and ground
segement throughout the development cycle and even while these tools are
still evolving.
ESOC
FLIGHT DYNAMICS DIVISION / OPS-GF
Responsible: Mr FEUCHT
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T710-118GF
Status: INTENDED
Page 167
Ref. No.
08.112.11
ASSESSMENT OF THE SUITABILITY OF ESOC GROUND SEGMENT
INFRASTRUCTURE S/W FOR ITS USE IN THE LAUNCHER FIELD
TT Q
PP
Price
ESOC Ground Segment infrastructure s/w application (SCOS-2000 and SIMULUS)
demonstrated its versatility to fulfil the requirements of the various ESA
Missions but also to fulfil the requirements of 3rd party spacecraft
operators like DLR, EUMETSAT, RADARSAT and Arabsat. SCOS-2000 also
demonstrated its suitably as a kernel for implementing a Payload Operations
and Programming Centre (SMOS mission) but also for implementing an EGSE
system for a satellite (Herschel Plank) or for a launcher like VEGA. While
SCOS-2000 was initially selected to be part of VEGA Control Centre Bench
(BCV), during the Project design phase, the choice was revisited and the
decision was made to remove SCOS-2000 from the architecture. While no
justification was provided at the PDR to substantiate this choice, it is
clear that VEGA commanding, monitoring and acquisition real-time performance
requirements were very challenging for SCOS-2000 (Commanding request < 250
ms, monitoring reaction < 50ms, Single/multiple acquisition < 250/500 ms). To
date, no studies have been performed to determine the suitability and
limitations of the Ground Segment infrastructure s/w to fulfil the specific
needs of launchers. Therefore, the activity shall assess the suitability of
ESOC Ground Segment infrastructure s/w for its use in the launcher domain
(EGSE, Control Bench, Mission Control system) identifying the necessary
addition to develop suitable product line of applications for launchers. The
approach shall consist in: 1. Performing a requirements gap analysis
(functional, performances, operational, quality, safety, etc.) between the
various launchers applications and the current ESOC Ground Segment s/w
infrastructure. 2. Describing a high level system architecture for a launcher
Ground Segment infrastructure s/w by identify commonalities and specificities
between the satellite and the launcher domain. 3. Proposing follow up studies
activities to further analyse the more uncertain technical areas.
ESOC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Page 168
Ref. No.
08.112.13
MODEL BASED OPERATIONS VALIDATION SYSTEM
TT Q
PP
Price
"off-line" ("fully automated") validation of operational procedures against a
set of rules. "On-line" automatic synchronisation of the underlying models
with the current spacecraft state, as determined based on telemetry and
auxiliary data. "Fast prediction" of the future spacecraft state, such to
ensure that no safety rule will be violated during the execution of all
commands currently scheduled for (ground or space) execution.
ESOC
08.112.17
Spec. Prov.:
LINUX AND MULTI-CORE PROCESSOR TECHNOLOGY FOR
SIMULATORS (TRP STUDY)
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q1
100-200
The activity includes the two main tasks: 1. Development of a light-weight
version of a single simulator that has minimal host performance
requirements, identifying the irreductible residual operating system
dependencies. In particular this form of ther simulator could run embedded
e.g. in an ERC-32 processor on-board for PROBA-3. Including following
subtasks: - Analysis of how to communicate with an embedded simulator. Definition of new API for serial input/output to and from simulation
including starting, stopping, external interaction to replace user commands
normally sent by the MMI. 2. Development of a high performance simulator
that can run efficiently on multi-core processor technology. This will
include: - Technological advance: develop an algorithm for a scheduler which
can use modern multi-core CPUs effectively. - Achievement of higher levels
of performance and parallelism by improved model construction and
annotation. Including following subtasks: - Survey literature on Discrete
Event simulation. - Analyze the architecture of operational simulators and
compare with other industrial simulations where more aggressive scheduling
algorithms have been used.
ESOC
MISSION DATA SYSTEM DIVISION / OPS-GD
Responsible: Mr MERRI
C
Z
Programme Ref.:
Page 169
Ref. No.
09.112.01
ENGINEERING SUPPORT AND M&O SERVICES OF THE GROUND
STATION ENGINEERING SERVICES (ENGINEERING SUPPORT AND
M&O SERVICES OF THE OPS-G GROUND STATION ENGINEERING
SERVICES)
TT Q
PP
Price
The European Space Agency operates and maintains a network of ground stations
(ESTRACK), which consists of a number of 15m stations for telemetry,
telecommand and tracking in support of spacecraft operations. In the 19982005 timeframe this network has been augmented by two 35m Deep Space Ground
Stations at New Norcia (Western Australia) and Cebreros (Spain). In 2007,
for the support of Ariane/ATV a new station was added on Santa Maria Island
(Azores, Portugal). The engineering support activities cover the fields of
RF engineering, Delta- DOR support for deep space missions’ precise
navigation, as well as signal processing engineering. The continuous
operations of the ESTRACK in support of new ESA missions, require
availability of in-house Test and Reference facilities reproducing the
characteristics and performances of the ESTRACK, for the purpose of
execution of RF Compatibility tests with missions to be supported, as well as
test and validation of newly procured subsystems in a realistic operational
environment. These facilities need to be complemented by additional
facilities such as a mechanical and electrical workshop and digital
laboratories in order to ensure the readiness of equipment dispatched to the
ESTRACK and to the spacecraft validation premises during System Validation
Tests (SVTs).
ESOC
C
Budget Ref.:
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
09 DIPC < 50
Q1
Page 170
Ref. No.
09.112.02
GROUND SYSTEM SOFTWARE RELATED ACTIVITIES (2010 2014)
TT Q
PP
Price
The subject of the proposed tender is to cover all contractual activities in
the domain of technical informatics systems of OPS-G encompassing: mission
control systems, simulators, station computer systems, flight dynamics
systems, navigation systems; space debris support systems, i.e. basically all
engineering areas in OPS-G except antenna hardware and infrastructure. The
concerned activities are the development and the maintenance of those systems
as well as providing operational services in using them to support missions.
The intention is to place up to 6 competing Frame Contracts for a nominal
duration of 3 + 2 (optional) years. During this period work will be awarded
to a Frame Contractor following a formal restricted competitive process. For
each new activity, an RFP + SOW will be issued to the Frame Contractors
followed by a formal evaluation to be performed in accordance with the
Implementing Instruction as referred to in Article 15 of the new Procurement
Regulations Having competitive Frame Contracts enables a fast response to new
work requirements, while keeping good control over the cost and fostering
industrial competences and capacities in the ground segment technical
informatics systems. The novelty is that a Frame Contract is placed with a
single Frame Contractor company (FCO), without fixed subcontractors. To
respond to an RFP the FCO may team up with Qualified Partner companies (QPAs)
which may vary during the Frame Contract period, thus giving the necessary
flexibility to a FCO to make an optimal offer considering the industrial
constraints specified in the RFP (e.g. geo-return, specific competences). The
purpose of this Procurement Proposal is to select the Frame Contractors as
well as the Qualified Partners based on different criteria: The FCOs are
companies demonstrating competences in several subsystems and being able to
manage and integrate work of several subcontractors into a single deliverable
system, whereas the QPAs are companies having competences on a limited number
of subsystems. In order to give sufficient incentive for a company to bid as
QPA, the work share of the FCOs should be limited in overall to 60%, which
will be closely monitored during the contract duration. It is possible that
new QPAs might be identified during the contract duration and added to the
list provided that they satisfy the same criteria as in the initial ITT.
ESOC
Responsible: Mr KAUFELER
C
Budget Ref.: 100933 - Operations Support; 100952 Investment; 100953 - Basic Maint. & Managt
Inv.Plan
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 171
Ref. No.
09.112.03
SMART USER INTERFACE FOR MISSION OPERATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The current generation of ground control systems used at ESOC is based on
fat client-fat server architecture. This architecture offers many
advantages due to its relative simplicity and maturity. However, it leads to
severe requirements about the procurement and maintenance of a large number
of user workstations that need to be kept compatible with the software. The
proposed activity shall look into alternative approaches that enable an
increase of the operators comfort when performing control operations and at
the same time ensures that the user interface implementation can be easily
integrated and ported across platforms. This activity will have the following
main objectives: 1. Identification of an optimised concept for managing the
user interface of the new generation ground control systems 2. Selection of
the appropriate technology supporting the new concept 3. Demonstration of the
suitability and efficiency of the selected approach by prototyping a subset
of the most common control interfaces This activitity shall concentrate on
the redesign of the ground operators user interfaces by identifying and
exploiting commonalities across different mission control applications. In
addition, the existing user interfaces shall be analysed with the objective
to ’rethink’ them such to explore ways to improve the operational convenience
of the operators and at the same time minimise the development/maintenance
effort of the new implementation. This analysis will imply dynamic
interaction with a representative group of end users on the basis of user
interface mock-ups that will demonstrate the possibilities offered by the
selected technology. The following tasks are envisaged: - Identification of
the different categories of user interaction displays in monitoring and
control applications for space systems; - Design of a generic set of plug-ins
that can be adapted and used in the different contexts (where different types
of data are to be managed e.g. packets, parameters, variables, events, logs,
files, etc.); - Development of the most common user interfaces (e.g.
scrolling displays, configuration monitoring and control displays, etc.) as
generic plug-ins of a common platform independent framework; - Demonstration
of the feasibility and efficiency of this approach by adopting the generic
plug-ins for the implementation of advanced user interfaces supporting
spacecraft monitoring and control (e.g. Packet/Events/Parameters/Files
History Displays). Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP work plan but
will only be implemented after confirmation of financial support from
delegations.
ESOC
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+GB+A+N+FIN+CDN+GR
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G605-45GI
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 172
Ref. No.
09.112.04
EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY HARMONISATION ON GROUND SYSTEMS
SOFTWARE - PHASE 2 - SECOND SET OF STANDARD INTERFACES
TT Q
PP
Price
The main objective is to select 2 main Ground Data Systems Interfaces and
produce a set of ICDs to be delivered to the ECSS as proposed future
standards. This shall ensure the coherence of the accepted roadmap during the
European Technology Harmonisation agreements. The following activities have
to be performed: - Collection of Data Systems Information from different
European Organizations and Industry - Assessment of Data System Information
against the Harmonisation Reference Architecture - Consolidation of the
Reference Architecture for the selected Subsystems - Production of the IRD
requirements - Definition of the Interfaces - Production of the selected ICDs
- Support to the Steering board
ESOC
09.112.05
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
FLIGHT CONTROL TEAM MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM
09 YIPC 200-500
Q2
Development of a Multi-Agent system where each member of the Flight Control
Team has an Agent that acts on his behalf. He configures his agent to perform
the monitoring task he would. The monitoring results of the agent are
available to other agents and to the members of the Flight Control Team.
Other agents can then perform an initial assessment of the implications of
the reported anomaly in the subsystems they are responsible for. The FCT
members will take the initial assessment of their Agents and further
elaborate based on their knowledge and experience. The main benefits of this
approach are: - Distributed monitoring of the Spacecraft Behaviour. Every
agent has the expertise of the FCT member that has configured it. Autonomous monitoring of nominal spacecraft behaviour - Quick communication
among members of the FCT when something unexpected happens. The FCT agents
can provide an initial assessment of the implications of the reported
anomalies in several subsystems. - The Flight Control Team members save time
by getting the initial assessment by the agents - Situation Awareness at FCT
level
ESOC
HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT & EXPLORATION OPER DEP / OPS-H
STUDIES & SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION / OPS-HS
Responsible: Mr DODSWORTH
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 173
Ref. No.
09.112.06
DEVELOPMENT AND SIMULATION OF STRATEGIES FOR THE
DETECTION AND TRACKING OF MEO OBJECTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Today, MEO orbits with semi or higher order synchronous periods typically
between 20,000 and 26,000km altitude become more and more important (Galileo,
GPS, ). The regular surveillance of this region through a future autonomous
European system is a challenging task and has not been exercised in Europe so
far. Critical technologies comprising observation strategies, correlation and
preliminary orbit determination algorithms for such surveillance activities
need to enter the prototyping stage. In this study, a strategy for the
detection of inclined MEO objects needs to be developed. This strategy must
take the performance of preliminary orbit determination algorithms into
account in order to guarantee correlation of objects in separate
observations. Existing detection, telescope control and orbit determination
algorithms need to be reviewed and their suitability for MEO observations
analysed. The necessary adoptions shall be specified, implemented and
verified. Available simulation techniques shall be used to optimise and
validate the survey concept.
ESOC
SPACE DEBRIS OFFICE / OPS-GR
Responsible: Mr KLINKRAD
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T711-062GR
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC 100-200
Q2
Page 174
Ref. No.
09.112.07
FEASIBILITY AND BREADBOARDING OF A MULTIPLE FREQUENCY
CRYOGENIC RECEIVER
TT Q
PP
Price
It is expected to upgrade 35 m deep space stations with the K band (25.5-27
GHz) in order to support mission going to the Lagrange point (Darwin, WFI,
FIRI). In order to upgrade deep space station with this band and fulfil link
budget requirement (as shown in 19719/5/F/VS GSP study), it will be necessary
to develop new dual band (X/K) cryogenic receivers. The same techcnology
could be used for X/Ka-Band application. The X/K cryogenic low noise
amplifier will be made of two separate RF circuits, one for K band and one
for X band. Both RF circuits will share the same vacuum dewar enclosure and
the same refrigerator. The RF circuits will be made of input coupler,
filters, isolators, HEMT LNA cooled at 15K and post amplifiers at ambient
temperature. This study will cover: - Feasibility analysis of the dual band
cryogenic receiver in X/K- and X/Ka- Band - Design of the cryogenic receiver
in X/K-Band - Prototype realization - Performances assessment The activities
of this TRP study shall be continued with the development of the production
units with infrastructure funding and the installation of the units in ESA
Ground Stations.
ESOC
09.112.08
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T712-065GS
GROUND SEGMENT DATA SYSTEMS PLUG & OPERATIONS
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Definition of a framework and design, which will allow a ground architecture
following the Plug and Play concept. This concept is based on the work
currenttly being done in CCSDS i.e. CCSDS SOIS Services (on-board), CCSDS
SM&C Services (ground). The Missions Operations Service Framework sits
between application software specific to the domain of spacecraft mission
operations and the underlying technology used for communications between
distributed applications. This isolates compliant software applications both
from each other and the underlying communications technology. Applications
may be plugged in and operated to the service Framework through standardised
Service Access points (SAPs), one for each end-to-end service. This activity
will be complemented by a similar one for the on-board plug & ops. concept.
ESOC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 175
Ref. No.
09.112.09
NEW CONCEPTS FOR RELATIVE NAVIGATION AT PLANETARY
APPROACH
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Satisfy high-precision navigation requirements at planetary
approach resulting from upcoming, advanced missions by utilisation of new
concepts involving also unconventional measurement types. Description: Survey
of present and future measurement types, identification of navigation
concepts, elaboration of a S/W implementation approach
ESOC
09.112.10
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR SPACE SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
09 YIPC 200-500
Q2
Identify the domains/needs driving the collaborative environment (e.g. system
specification, S/C design, on-board S/W, end-to-end verification). Select
technologies enabling the sharing of common elements (e.g. the model) between
different teams and throughout different phases. Establish a suitable
methodology to improve efficiency across domains (e.g.
verification/synchronisation points, interfaces definitions): ? Virtual
integration at any given point Establish a suitable methodology to bridge
subsequent phases (e.g. traceability, knowledge transfer): ? Transition from
design verification to implementation verification models/environments.
ESOC
C
Z
Status: ON HOLD
09 YIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 176
Ref. No.
09.112.11
RADIO TRACKING OF A LANDED SPACECRAFT: DETERMINATION
OF THE SPACECRAFT POSITION AND OF THE PLANET’S
EPHEMERIS AND ORIENTATION IN SPACE
TT Q
PP
Price
When a spacecraft is delivered to a distant planet then it is important to
specify its location on the surface of the planet. One means to determine the
location of the spacecraft is to use the Doppler shift in the radio
communication link between the lander and the ground station on Earth or
between the lander and a relay satellite in orbit around the planet. The
usage of such a technique is directly applicable to the Exo Mars and the
Rosetta mission as well as for any other future ESA mission that involves
landing on a solar system object. Apart from this direct operational
application the radio signal could furthermore be utilised to improve the
knowledge of some planetary properties. Long term Doppler measurements can be
used to determine the orientation and rotation of the planet in space. Range
measurements between the landed spacecraft and the ground station on Earth
contain information about the ephemeris of the planet, which can therefore be
improved by exploiting these measurements. For instance doing ranging with
Exo Mars when landed on the surface of Mars will significantly improve the
ephemerides of Mars, which is of benefit to all subsequent Mars missions. In
fact, accurate planetary ephemerides are essential to reduce the risk of
planetary mission failures and to cope with increasing navigation demands of
future planetary missions. Goal of this study is to analyse on a case by case
basis what accuracy of the estimated parameters can be expected under
different scenarios In order to do so a prototype software shall be developed
that allows to determine the aforementioned parameters from radiometric
tracking data of a landed spacecraft. Re-usage of infrastructure software
modules that are already availabe within ESOC Flight Dynamics is foreseen in
order to simplify and guide the prototype software development.
ESOC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC 50-100
Q2
Page 177
Ref. No.
09.112.12
X/K BAND FEED
TT Q
PP
Price
In order to add the K-band support on existing Deep Space stations, it is
necessary to swap the current X-band feed (transmitting at 7.145-7.235 GHz,
receiving at 8.4-8.5 GHz) with an X/X/K band one. While the concept looks
relativelystraighforward, such a feed (which shall be very low-loss, since it
serves also Deep Space missions) has never been developed in the past.The
multi-frequency feed here described cannot be procured as a standard device
or even designed with standardtechniques.This activity has the aim to develop
an accurate simulation environment able to model coaxial apertures
integratedwith multi-port elements (such as OMT, tracking coupler) and to get
all the know-how needed to manufacture and to test a prototype of such a
feed. The simulation environment shall also take into consideration the
following specificaspects: power handling (up to 20 kW RF power in X-band),
thermal design, the wideband application (for the K-band allocation).The
requirements, in terms of frequency bands and performance, will be defined in
such a matter to be closer as possible to the final application.
ESOC
C
Z
Programme Ref.:
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Page 178
Ref. No.
09.112.13
X/K/KA BAND DICHROIC MIRROR
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity aims at developing a multi-frequency (X/K/Ka band) dichroic
mirror. Such mirror, in its final configuration, will be ultimately installed
in ESA Deep Space Ground stations, to provide K-band reception capabilities
to any Cosmic Vision mission requiring more then 10 Mb/s downlink telemetry
rate. All other bands, performance and modes of operation of the station
shall remain unaffected. The currrent ESA 35 m stations are structured as a
Beam WaveGuide (BWG), covering several S,X and Ka band allocations; in order
to add the K-band support, it is necessary to develop a dichroic mirror able
to separate the X (7.145 to 8.5 GHz) and K (25.5-27 GHz) bands to the Deep
Space Ka-band allocation (31.8-32.3 and 34.2-34.7 GHz). The perforated area
of such mirror would be about 1x 1.5 m big, containing about 20000 precision
holes. This activity has the scope to develop new dichroic design procedures
accounting for both mechanical and electrical performance. The dichroic
mirror performance will be simulated considering the full incident fields, as
in the final environment. The most critical requirements are in the power
handling, Ka-band attenuation, scattering, wide bandwith, mirror deformation
under gravity and its effects of electrical performance. A breadboard
dichroic will be manufactured and electrically tested.
ESOC
C
Z
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 179
Ref. No.
09.112.14
OPTICAL CAVITY CRYO RESONATOR BREADBOARD FOR GROUND
OPTICAL CLOCKS
TT Q
PP
Price
09 NO
Q1
< 50
A new generation of atomic standards, based on optical atomic clocks, is
expected to outperform microwave frequency standards by two to three orders
of magnitude in both short- and long-term stabilities. Optical clock
technology is however at an initial stage, and some work will be required
until this technology reaches a level of maturity that leads to the full
achievement of the high potential of optical clocks for applications both on
ground and in space. Cryogenic resonators can be used as stand alone optical
clocks (if the optical cavity is well designed, cryocooled and properly
stabilised) or local oscillator stages for optical atomic clocks. The
development of improved optical cryogenic resonators is twofold. On one hand,
an optical clock of excellent performance can be available at lower cost,
volume and size than that of a complete optical atomic clock. On the other
hand, improved cryogenic resonators can be used as local oscillators in
state of the art optical atomic clocks. The advent of optical clocks will
open the field to an outburst of new applications and mission returns. In the
case of GNSS systems, the use of optical clocks will provide the means for
more stable and more performing systems, and will minimise the rate of
frequency corrections. The specifications generated as part of the
feasibility study will be used as input to this activity. The breadboard
produced as part of this activity shall be meant for ground station use and
comply to the following Allan deviation requirements: - 1E-14 @ 1 second 1E-15 @ 100 seconds - 1E-16 @ 10000 seconds. The optical cryogenic resonator
shall be developed based on a design phase in which the following is
assessed: - Stability performance (Allan deviation and phase noise) Operating temperature - Sustaining electronics - Vibration isolation Sensitivity to external perturbations - Power consumption - Size - Materials,
processes and parts - Environmental conditions - Reliability, operation and
maintenance - Definition of interfaces (electrical, thermal, mechanical) Transportability - Expected final manufacturing costs The breadboard shall be
then manufactured and tested accordingly.
ESOC
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Page 180
Ref. No.
09.112.15
N2
ESOC
ALL EUROPEAN MASERS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to design and build an active hydrogen
maser entirely with European parts, for ground applications, with comparable
performance to current active hydrogen maser standards. Hydrogen masers are
atomic clocks based on the transition at 1.420 GHz between the two hyperfine
levels of the ground electronic state of atomic hydrogen. Atoms prepared in
the higher quantum state are directed into a storage bulb placed in a
microwave cavity. When the atomic flux is high enough, the energy available
from the stimulated emission of radiation overcomes the microwave losses of
the microwave cavity and the maser action starts. The energy generated from
this process, despite its very low power, is detected by an antenna and
converted into electrical energy, where it is further amplified and
synthesised. Hydrogen maser standards are mainly used for timekeeping and
space applications. They can be procured from a few companies around the
world and are the most complex and expensive atomic clocks commercially
available. At present, active hydrogen masers procured from European
companies incorporate some non-European parts. The applications relying on
the use of hydrogen masers are of strategic importance to ESA. Besides their
use for the tracking of deep space spacecraft and radioastronomy
observations, hydrogen masers are used together with caesium standards for
timekeeping applications. In the case of Galileo, hydrogen masers constitute
a key element in the operation of the complete system. Hence as part of this
activity, a full (Physics Package + Electronics Package) active ground
hydrogen maser will be built, entirely with European parts. The specification
for some key parameters includes: -Allan deviation: 1.5E-13 at 1 second;
2E-14 at 10 seconds; 5E-15 at 100 seconds; -2E-15 at 1000 seconds; 2E-15 at
10000 seconds. -Auto cavity tuning. -Frequency Drift: =1E-14/day. -Frequency
sensitivity to Temperature: =5E-15/”C -Frequency sensitivity to Magnetic
Field: =1E-13/Gauss (in a range of –1 Gauss). -Operating conditions:
Integration and Test (12 months) 20 to 30”C; 50 to 90% RH -Outputs: 2 x 5 MHz
sinewave (Level: =10 dBm, Isolation: =60 dB); 2 x 100 MHz sinewave (Level:
=10 dBm, Isolation: =60 dB). Based on the above specification, the selected
Contractor shall carry out the following tasks: 1. Define parts, modules,
materials and processes 2. Define interfaces 3. Define integration issues 4.
Build a prototype 5. Test the prototype. The activity shall be carried out
then in two phases (each with a duration of approximately 12 months): Phase
I: Design and Procurement; and Phase II: Integration and Test. Note: This
activity is currently in the GSTP Workplan but will only be implemented after
confirmation of financial support from delegations. At that time a planned
quarter for tender issue will be confirmed and bidders will be able to
express their interest in the activity.
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G606-15GS
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 181
Ref. No.
09.112.16
N2
ESOC
09.112.17
N4
ESOC
DEVELOPMENT, INTEGRATION AND TEST OF CRITICAL GROUND
OPTICAL CLOCKS ELEMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity aims at the breadboarding of a ground optical clock based on a
cryogenic resonator. The clock will perform at a stability of 1E-14/sqrt(Tau)
or better up to 10000 seconds. This breadboard will be used to: - Confirm
design feasibility - Optimise all interfaces (Electrical, Mechanical,
Thermal, Monitoring & Control) - Validate integration procedures. Cryogenic
stages will be designed and built as part of this activity. The cryogenic
resonator will be available as part of a parallel TRP activity. Description:
In parallel to a TRP activity dealing with the design and development of a
cryogenic resonator, this activity pursues the design and development of
missing optical clock elements and the integration and test of a full optical
clock. More in detail, the design shall at least consider the following
aspects: - specifications for the cryogenic stage - optical incoupling
control unit - modulation detection unit - tilt stabilisation system specifications and characterisation of frequency comb - analog servo circuit
boards - monitoring & control - signal recovery and relock routines integration of all subsystems (resonator, detection package, cryogenics,
frequency comb) A complete breadboard shall be manufactured and tested
accordingly.
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR SSA REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS - PART I
(CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS FOR SPACE SURVEILLANCE)
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
For LEO space surveillance, a ground based radar system is under
consideration. The radar system will be able to systematically survey all
objects above a certain size and below a certain altitude. The overall
objective of the work is to verify if the LEO space (200-2000 km), presently
covered by a UHF radar, can be covered by a combination of a ground based UHF
radar and optical telescopes. The study shall demonstrate the feasibility of
a system covering for example up to 1000 km with a UHF radar and the region
1000-2000 km by using optical ground based sensors. Such an approach should
aim in reducing the radar complexity and associated production/maintenance
costs.
Budget Ref.: 100111 - SSA Core Element
Spec. Prov.: B+F+D+I+E+CH+GB+A+N+POR+GR
Programme Ref.:
C
09 NO
Q2
50-100
Page 182
Ref. No.
09.112.18
N4
ESOC
OPERATIONAL DATA OFF-LINE ANALYSIS, CORRELATION AND
REPORTING SYSTEM
TT Q
PP
Price
The Mission Control System infrastructure at ESOC supports the storage of
mission operations data in dedicated archives designed in order to manage
specific types of data, namely the Packet Archive (PARC), the Engineering
Data Archive (DARC) and the File Archive (FARC). Generic user applications
support the retrieval and visualisation of this data but not their
post-processing nor any sort of correlation between heterogeneous data (e.g.
commands, events, monitoring parameters, configuration variables). This
represents a significant gap in the support of mission data systems as there
is an increasing demand of a powerful off-line environment where operational
data can be analysed in order to support the following main use cases (nonexhaustive list): i) troubleshooting and investigations of operational
events; ii) evaluation of space and ground systems performance; iii)
generation of periodic and specific reports. Another important driver is the
fact that access to the data analysis environment shall be granted from
operational areas as well as from non-operational areas, either co-located
with the mission operations center (e.g. ESOC offices) or remotely connected
via Internet. This activity will concentrate on the design and
pre-operational implementation of an off-line environment supporting the
analysis and reporting of operational data. The use cases to be supported
will be identified in detail by involving a representative group of end
users. User interface mock-ups will be produced such to demonstrate the
possibilities offered by the candidate architecture and technology. It is
envisaged that the final architecture will include at least the following
main components: i) data interface, supporting the access to the relevant
storage of the operational data transparently and with high-performance; ii)
data post- processing, supporting the generation of e.g. statistics and/or
derived engineering data simplifying the data analysis and reporting; iii)
data analysis tool, supporting among others the visualisation and correlation
of heterogeneous data in integrated displays and iv) data reporting tool,
supporting the generation of reports embedding the outputs of the data postprocessing and/or of the data analysis tools. The main tasks of the activity
are: 1) Identification of the main use cases related to the post-processing
and analysis of operational data; 2) High-level architectural design of the
off-line environment supporting the access, post-processing, analysis and
reporting of all relevant operational data; 3) Selection of the most
appropriate technologies supporting the implementation of the main components
(e.g. data post-processing, data analysis, data reporting); 4) Implementation
of the main components forming the off-line data analysis and reporting
environment; 5) Pre-operational deployment of the activity deliverables.
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP GSTP-5 - G517-087GI
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YAC 200-500
Q2
Page 183
Ref. No.
09.112.19
N4
ESOC
PARALLEL COMPUTING FOR FAST TM PROCESSING DURING SHORT
PASSES
TT Q
PP
Price
The Earth Observation Satellites download their stored House Keeping data at
a high rate during very short passes. The Mission Control System is not able
to cope with such a rate and this leads to cumbersome storage and re-playing
processes. The result is that the stored TM is only available for display
much after the pass. The objective of this study would be to analyse whether
SCOS-2000 TM processing can be modified to use parallel computing in order to
increase as much a possible the processing speed, and eventually cope with
the mass memory dumps TM in real-time. The study has two phases. In a first
phase the problem is analysed and a technical solution derived for the
parallelisation of the tasks related with the TM processing (Packetiser,
distributor, Behaviour Limit Checker, Saved Synthetic Parameter calculation,
Storing into the archive). In a second phase, a prototype is developed,
covering at least the packetiser and injection into the archive. Note: This
activity is currently in the GSTP-5 workplan but will only be implemented
after confirmation of financial support from delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
Page 184
Ref. No.
09.112.20
N4
ESOC
GROUND-STATION AUTOMATION AND OFF-LINE OPERATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The main objective of this study is to identify a scenario for automated
Ground-Station. Based on the scenario, the study shall focus on the required
functionality that would support automation and allow the provision of TC and
TM off-line services. Description: This study aims at analyzing possible
scenarios for automated operations such that the control-centre would not
need to be permanently connected. Typically, this kind of operation is needed
for missions having short Passes over the Stations (e.g. Earth Observation):
automation would allow optimal provision of services. The following
capability should be considered: - automatic configuration of the
Ground-Station and capability; - off-line telecommanding allowing the control
centre to download in advance the stack of Telecommands required for one or
more passes, and subsequent transmission of time-tagged Telecommands to the
Spacecraft, with guarantee of delivery - capability to automatically receive,
store and prepare off-line transmission of Telemetry to the control centre; capability to automatically acquire the signal and track the spacecraft. capability to automatically execute mission configuration and spacecraft
acquisition tasks to cope with short passes (typically, Earth Observation
spacecraft). The study shall as well look into automatic recovery in case of
problem: loss of signal, retransmission of Telecommands. Finally the study
shall identify the information required for post-pass analysis and correction
of possible misbehavior. The Study shall produce a prototype implementing an
initial set of functions. Tasks to be performed: 1.- Identification of the
various possible scenarios and possible operational approach; this includes
the definition of the Protocols (within the SLE services) for off-line TC
services and for operations reporting. 2.- Identification of the existing
functions that would be affected; 3 - Analysis of the recovery capability
that would be required. 4.- Prototype implementation, with the objective of
demonstrating operational Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP-5
workplan but will only be implemented after confirmation of financial support
from delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 185
Ref. No.
09.112.21
COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION FOR SCHEDULING APPLICATIONS
N4
Applicability of combinatorial optimization approach for scheduling purposes
and in particular for the efficient allocation of ground station passes. The
combinatorial optimization approach is not only linked to the allocation of
ground station passes, it could also be applied in other domains, as example
for payload operations where scientific opportunities or usage of channels
would have to be allocated in an optimal way. Expected benefits: - best use
of ESA ground station assets and resources for the benefit of the ESA and
non-ESA user community, - increase in efficiency for mandatory planning
processes within ESA mission operations, - better and faster service and
access for ESA mission operations customers. Description: Satellite
operations require ground stations, from which the communications (Telemetry,
Telecommand and Tracking) with the spacecraft can be conducted. The
identification of the ground station passes to be selected is still primarily
a manual process, which seems to be the case as well for several other Space
Agencies. It is obvious that this manual process of selecting station passes
becomes easier when more ground stations are available or when spacecraft
dedicated ground stations are used. However, maintaining a larger network of
ground stations has a cost implication. The optimal and automated allocation
of ground station passes would require less ground antennas and furthermore
less scheduling effort. It is proposed that a combinatorial optimization
approach for the efficient allocation of ground station passes is applied. It
is proposed to study various methods in the area of combinatorial
optimization including aspect as: - relaxation based mixed-integer approach
providing lower and upper optimality bounds, - fast branch-and-bound and
branch-and-cut algorithms, - advanced enumerative schemes, - constraint
programming techniques, - acceleration by polyhedral and general cutting
plane techniques. For the selected method there should be mathematically
founded guarantee that a feasible solution will be found under the assumption
that one exists. In case there is no feasible solution then approximate
solutions will have to be computed according to user specified priorities.
The selected method should be able to cope with additional requirements such
as: - treatment of larger number of satellites and ground stations, - fast
check if requests by additional customers can be satisfied, - efficient short
term and long term prediction capabilities, - effective re-optimization for
real-time changes e.g. of user requirements or availability of resources.
Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP-5 workplan but will only be
implemented after confirmation of financial support from delegations.
ESOC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
TT Q
C
PP
09 NO
Q2
Price
200-500
Page 186
Ref. No.
09.112.22
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION ENVIRONMENT FOR
OPERATIONS AUTOMATION
N4
The objective of this activity is to enable the efficient production of
formalised procedures supporting the spacecraft operations automation. The
added value of the pre-operational implementation that will be delivered is
in the capability to define and completely validate automation procedures
within one single environment. Description: Now that generic tools supporting
the deployment of operations automation are available, the main effort to
actually automate the spacecraft operations will be in the definition and
validation of the automation procedures. The objective of this activity is
therefore to provide the users with a pre-operational implementation of a
comfortable environment which supports the definition and just-in-time
validation of the automation procedures. The intention here is to bridge the
gap between procedures definition and procedures validation in the run-time
execution environment. It is envisaged to capitalise on the existing generic
products used by all missions at ESOC to define procedures (MOIS), to execute
them automatically (MATIS), to interface with the automated system (SMF) and
to simulate the behaviours of Ground Data Systems (SIMSAT and GSTVi). Note:
This activity is currently in the GSTP-5 workplan but will only be
implemented after confirmation of financial support from delegations.
ESOC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
TT Q
C
PP
Price
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 187
Ref. No.
09.112.23
N4
ESOC
UBIQUITOUS ALERT AND OPERATIONS MONITORING SYSTEM
TT Q
PP
Price
Previous studies have provided an analysis of technologies compatible with
mobile phones to implement a ’remote operators alert system’. While the
analysis has proved the feasibility of the approach, a formal validation of
the different technologies involved has yet to be done in the various
operational environments, covering both spacecraft and ground station
operations. In addition, it is required to extend the monitoring capabilities
of remote operators by enabling them to access the most relevant operational
data in order to properly handle the received alerts. Description: The
increase of the space segment autonomy and the need to reduce the running
costs of spacecraft operations have recently lead to the adoption of
operations concepts that do not rely on the continuous presence of operators
in the control rooms. Similarly, on the side of ground stations control, an
increasing level of automation is being implemented, thus enabling the
relaxation of the continuous monitoring approach adopted so far. However, a
full deployment of ’lights-out’ operations of space systems can only be
achieved by a) having a monitoring system that can trigger an alarm in case
of problems, b) having a system to contact on call engineers in case of
anomalies and c) enable the alerted operator to properly assess the status of
the controlled system and thus react to the received alert (e.g. accept,
forward, disregard). The monitoring of the controlled system status
(spacecraft or ground station) and associated alarms generation is already
part of the relevant control system (the Spacecraft Control System or the
Station Computer). However, the functionality to notify alerts to on-call
personnel and to enable their remote access to the operational data is still
missing. A previous GSTP study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a
number of technologies to implement these tasks. The deployment and roll-out
of such a system, however, cannot be done unless a thorough validation in the
relevant operational environments is performed. This study will perform such
validation. In addition to this, the capability to collect and visualise a
minimum set of essential data on personal (ultra-light) devices that can
communicate via standard mobile networks will be implemented and
Demonstrated. This will require the definition of highly portable and
optimized data visualization and presentation techniques which enable the
remote operator to acquire an appropriate amount of details using devices of
very limited size. The security implications of such an application will also
be carefully assessed. Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP-5
workplan but will only be implemented after confirmation of financial support
from delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 188
Ref. No.
09.112.24
N4
ESOC
09.112.25
N4
ESOC
GNSS PROCESSING STRATEGIES FOR LEO CONSTELLATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Improve methods for precise orbit determination of LEO satellites
and especially constellations of such satellites using GNSS receiver data
Description: Precise orbit determination for low-Earth orbiting satellites
can be based successfully on ground-based measurement systems (SLR, Doris),
GNSS data processing or both combined. Other techniques are possible when
several LEO satellites are orbiting in formation or independently of each
other. Models and algorithms have been defined, for example, based on
differencing data between transmitting satellites, receiving satellites,
ground antennas and/or consecutive data epochs. This activity will start with
an overview of existing methods from literature, and investigate the
feasibility of implementing these concepts in existing operational or
prototype software. Several concepts may be implemented in a prototype
manner, and tested using data from existing LEO satellites with on-board GNSS
receivers. Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP work plan but will
only be implemented after confirmation of financial support from delegations.
Responsible: Mr DOW
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP GSTP-5 - G516-02GN
Status: INTENDED
IMPROVED RADIATION MODELLING FOR GNSS SATELLITES
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Objectives: To improve further on the radiation pressure modelling in highprecision orbit determination for navigation satellites. Description: Among
the forces affecting GNSS satellite motion, and therefore orbit determination
accuracy, the radiation pressure force is considered the one with the largest
remaining uncertainty. The most performing models used nowadays are purely
empirical, and consist in estimating a number of coefficients of constant or
cyclic acceleration components. This has the disadvantage that other
perturbations or error sources are partly absorbed in this. A dedicated
activity is proposed to analyse the empirical models in more detail, and in
parallel to explore models based on detailed geometry / radiation flux
interaction. Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP work plan but will
Responsible: Mr DOW
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
Page 189
Ref. No.
09.112.26
N4
ESOC
KA-BAND KLYSTRON POWER AMPLIFIER PROTOTYPE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: 1) Analyze and determine the way to implement the Ka-band uplink
with special focus on the phase stability and Allan deviation (ADEV)
performance. 2) Develop a Ka-band transmitter compatible with the movable
feed requirements of the Ka Aberration subsystem starting from the Ka Band
KPA (Klystron Power Amplifier) developed by ASI (that does not consider the
movable feed) Description: The contractor shall perform a trade off between
the different architectures to implement the Ka-band KPA (Klystron Power
Amplifier) compatible with a movable feed for compensating the Ka-band
aberration. Architectures ranging from fixed Ka up-converter plus KPA and
flexible waveguide, to the feed to moveable KPA plus up-converter connected
with rigid waveguide to the feed (plus intermediate and others envisaged by
the contractor) shall be analysed and their performances evaluated in terms
of power handling, reliability, phase stability, Allan deviation, etc.
breadboard developed for ASI, in order to meet the specific requirements of
ESA (specially concerning phase stability and feed movement). A prototype
representative of a production unit shall be manufactured and tested with the
final objective (if the rest of elements are available) of mounting the
prototype in ESA Cebreros station to validate on site the overall
performances of the Ka transmit subsystem. The activities to be executed are:
* Trade off between the different architectures to implement the Ka-band KPA.
Special focus on performances on power handling, reliability, phase
stability, Allan deviation shall be considered. * Design, manufacturing and
test of a KPA prototype representative of an operational production unit (HW
plus design documentation, test results and user documentation). Note: This
activity is currently in the GSTP work plan but will only be implemented
after confirmation of financial support from delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP GSTP-5 - G517-075GS
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q2
Page 190
Ref. No.
09.112.27
IMPROVED AUTOTRACK AND SEARCH PERFORMANCE FOR ESTRACK
ANTENNAS
N4
Objectives: Enhancement of the search approach leading to reduced search
times at X/Ka-band in the Deep Space environment. Development, implementation
and validation of additional features and functionalities for ESTRACK Antenna
Control Units. Improvement of the Autotrack performance for LEO spacecrafts
at X/Ka-band. Description: The Antenna Control Units (ACU) in the 15m and 35m
stations of ESA ESTRACK network are key components ensuring the required
pointing and tracking performances. Starting from the current status of
development it is proposed to develop the ACU further in order to implement
additional functionalities and features with the aim to: - improve the
autotrack performance. The current autotrack controller concept is not
suitable for LEO spacecraft operated at Ka-band due to the large position
errors in case of high accelerations (high elevation passes). Pre- studies
have indicated a very promising way to improve the tracking accuracy for such
cases leading also to a benefit at S/X-band. - improved search leading to
shorter search time, which are in particular important for X/Ka-band and in
the Deep Space environment, where the antenna beam is smaller. - allow
auto-tuning of the controller parameters - improve the tracking performances
by e.g. employing accelerometers at reflector and subreflector level (already
installed in ESA Deep Space antennas), as additional feedback information in
the tracking control loops in order to achieve a better wind gust disturbance
rejection. Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP work plan but will
ESOC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
TT Q
C
PP
09 NO
Q2
Price
200-500
Page 191
Ref. No.
09.112.28
N4
ESOC
HOLOGRAPHY SYSTEM FOR DEEP SPACE ANTENNAS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Extension, implementation and validation of holography system
developed for VIL-4 Ka-band antenna for ESTRACK Deep Space Antennas
Description: A holography system, which measures the reflector accuracy of
the VIL-4 Ka-band antenna, has been developed already. The holography
measurements are based on the simultaneous reception of the downlink signal
of a geostationary spacecraft with the antenna under test (AUT, here deep
space antenna) and the reference antenna. From the measurement results
(amplitude delta and phase delta between both antennas), the surface accuracy
of the antenna reflectors (AUT) can be derived. The available system should
now be extended for its usage at the ESTRACK deep space antennas. In
particular the measurement approach has to be refined and the signal
acquisition unit has to be adapted to the downlink equipment used within the
deep space antennas. The reference antenna delivered in the frame of the
VIL-4 holography development will be used also for the deep space antenna
measurements. The deep space antennas are equipped with movable
sub-reflectors. The extended holography system will be able to optimize the
sub-reflector position with respect to maximum G/T. As the CEB DSA is already
mechanically prepared to host a holography system, the validation shall take
place at CEB. Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP work plan but will
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 192
Ref. No.
09.112.29
N4
ESOC
HIGH ACCURACY REFLECTOR PANEL
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of a new reflector panel design for DSA3 with
improved performances compared to DSA1 and DSA2. Description: ESA plans to
establish a third Deep Space Antenna similar in design to the already
existing antennas in New Norcia and Cebreros. With the experience gained from
the New Norcia antenna, the accuracy requirements for the reflector panels
were tightened for the Cebreros antenna in order to achieve the overall
desired performances in the Ka-Band. Due to schedule constraints, the
approach chosen at that time was to keep design changes to the minimum
compared to the New Norcia panels. The only modification in the design was
the addition of insulation of the panel backside in order to limit the
thermal gradient across the panel thus limiting its deformation due to
thermal loads. Although this approach is working satisfactorily for Cebreros,
the following aspects could become critical for the next DSA. - Reflector
surface accuracy marginally fulfilled for Cebreros, for more severe thermal
environments this could no longer be the case. - Due to the additional weight
of the insulation, the improvements achieved in the thermal behavior were
partially compensated by a higher gravitational deformation in Cebreros Long-term stability of the insulating material, cost in case of refurbishment
- The chosen approach is only reducing one contributor in the overall surface
accuracy budget, with a different approach like change of panel materials,
change of panel manufacturing technologies or change of the panel design more
contributors could eventually be reduced. - Furthermore it is expected that
with newer manufacturing technologies now available, highly stable panels can
be produced at reasonable cost. It is thus proposed to develop a new
reflector panel design aiming to improve the performance of the next DSA
reflector panels with the following scope of work: Review and Consolidation
of Draft specification already elaborated Technology Survey and Panel Design
Trade-off Detailed Design of a DSA 3 Representative Reflector Panel
Manufacturing of Prototype Prototype Validation Note: This activity is
currently in the GSTP work plan but will only be implemented after
confirmation of financial support from delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 193
Ref. No.
09.112.30
N4
ESOC
DEVELOPMENT OF AN RF TEST BED FOR HIGH POWER TESTING
OF GROUND STATION FEED SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Develop and validate an RF test bed for high power testing of
ground station feed systems. Description: Feed systems composed by dichroic
mirrors and radiating horns operating up to 100 KW will be required in the
next future for Deep Space Missions application. It is presently not feasible
testing the feed systems in anechoic chambers (absorbing panels are not able
to handle very high power). Currently the testing is performed by radiating
directly into the sky. In Europe is not possible to perform direct radiation
tests due to frequency and power restrictions thus very often such a tests
have to be performed outside Europe at very high costs. It is thus proposed
to develop an RF test bed for high power testing of ground station feed
systems with the aim to develop a compact structure that can be
used/integrated into any European anechoic chamber. With such a test bed all
the RF high power transmitted by the feed system will be focused into water
cooled dummy load. Additional measured will be adopted to reduce the thermal
noise into the receive chain. In order to achieve this overall objective the
following activities are envisaged: Requirements analysis Design of RF test
bed Manufacturing of hardware Assembly, integration and validation of test
bed in X-Band (Deep Space Mission band). Note: This activity is currently in
the GSTP work plan but will only be implemented after confirmation of
financial support from delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 194
Ref. No.
09.112.31
N4
ESOC
DEMONSTRATION OF SIMULTANEOUS TRANSMISSION AND
RECEPTION OF DATA IN KA-BAND
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Integrate beam waveguide mechanisms and RF elements developed
under TRP into one of our Deep Space Stations and validate them in an
operational environment. Description: Future Deep Space Missions are expected
to simultaneously transmit and receive in Ka-Band. At these frequencies
antenna gains are higher than for the currently used S- or X-Band thus the
beam widths are very narrow, in the order of 20-30mdeg. These small beam
widths in combination with the long distances involved in Deep Space Missions
require to have a variable squint between the receive and transmit beam. This
beam squint is necessary due to the relative movement of S/C and ground
station while the RF waves are propagating between both, similar to a hunter
targeting ahead when trying to hit a moving object. In the frame of preceding
TRP study two prototype mechanisms have been developed and tested at
breadboard level that allow to move BWG elements and thus to realize the beam
squint necessary for a simultaneous transmission and reception in Ka-Band.
Parallel to that also Ka-Band RF elements (dichroic mirrors, feed) have been
developed and tested component level. The GSTP activity now proposed aims to
integrate the developed these RF elements and prototype mechanisms into one
of ESA ESTRACK Deep Space Antennas (Cebreros) and to demonstrate the overall
concept and validate all elements in an operational environment. In order to
achieve this overall objective the following activities are envisaged: Software upgrade/modification of the controller of the prototype mechanisms
to communicate with the Antenna Front End Controller - Corresponding
adaptation of the Antenna Front End Controller software - Physical
integration and alignment of the RF elements, the prototype mechanisms and
the related controller in the DSA - Commissioning and testing of the new
system, demonstration of the concept. The on-site activities will have to be
performed without interfering with operational passes. Note: This activity is
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 195
Ref. No.
09.112.32
N4
ESOC
PHASE CENTRE CALIBRATION OF GNSS ANTENNAS IN LEO
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: to define and set up an application to calibrate a LEO satellite
GNSS antenna in orbit, by processing of real GNSS data. This will lead to a
more realistic and accurate calibration than can be achieved on ground. The
antenna calibration requires high-accuracy orbit determination of both the
GNSS constellation(s) used, and the LEO spacecraft. This activity will define
optimal algorithms to perform this calibration, and establish the achievable
accuracy of the phase centre calibration in space by implementing a prototype
application in existing software. It can be extensively tested on existing
GNSS antennas of operational satellites in LEO. Note: This activity is
Responsible: Mr DOW
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 196
Ref. No.
09.112.33
N4
ESOC
DEEP SPACE RECEIVER FOR SUPPORT DURING SUPERIOR SOLAR
CONJUNCTIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To develop and test a receiver which is optimum in a channel
where Rician fluctuations are dominant, which is the typical scenario
applicable to deep space missions during superior solar conjunctions.
Description: Deep space missions incur periodically in superior solar
conjunctions, i.e. phases during which the telecommunication link between
Earth and Spacecraft transits through the solar plasma. This is causing
impairments to the quality of the link, in terms of amplitude and phase
fluctuations, spectral broadening and other effects, in turn causing loss of
telemetry on ground reception side. The impact is significant in terms of
science data return, which is interrupted for periods of time ranging between
days and weeks, depending upon the level of solar activity. The deep space
receivers of the ground stations are generally optimized for reception of
signals through Gaussian channels, i.e. channels where the unique
perturbation is given by additive Gaussian noise, with generally assumed flat
power spectrum. However the Gaussian model is not adequate for describing the
telecommunication channel during a superior solar conjunction: in such phase
a Rician model describes more effectively the amplitude and phase
scintillation effects which are observed, and which are due to the transition
of the communication signals through inhomogeneous plasma medium. The
objective of the proposed work is to study receivers which are optimum in a
Rician channel, and which can be used during a superior solar conjunction to
improve as much as theoretically achievable the quality of the telemetry
reception. Work in this direction has been made in mobile telecommunications;
however, this technology has to be introduced in deep space communications,
especially for the ESA deep space network. The input to the activity is a
large set of data, representing the downlink signal transmitted by an ESA
Deep Space Spacecraft (Venus Express) and received at ESA deep space ground
stations during a superior solar conjunction. The signal is recorded in open
loop by using a wide bandwidth, covering the whole telemetry spectrum. As
part of the study, a software receiver is designed, developed, and tested
over the recorded data. The selection and procurement of the COTS hardware
platform where this software will run efficiently is also part of this
development. The receiver is designed taking in to account the
characteristics of the telecommunications channel, and its performances are
compared with the performance of the available standard deep space
receiver, suitable for a Gaussian channel and acting on the same data. The
output from the study consists of the prototype receiver, of demonstrated
superior performances in respect to the standard deep space receiver, as well
as all associated documentation. The prototype has a sufficient level of
operability allowing its use during a subsequent solar conjunction of a deep
space mission, for validation of its superior performance during an
operational support. Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP work plan
but will only be implemented after confirmation of financial support from
delegations.
Spec. Prov.:
C
09
Q2
200-500
Page 197
Status:
INTENDED
Page 198
Ref. No.
09.117.01
PROVISION OF MAINT. SERVICES COVERING THE ESOC GENERIC
CONTROL CENTRE INFRASTRUCTURE, REMOTE OPERATION SERV.
FROM ESOC OF THE ESTRACK GROUND STATION NW & ESTRACK
INTEGRATED LOGISTIC SUPPORT SERV.
TT Q
PP
Price
The subject of this procurement proposal is a mixture of the re-tender of the
current Maintenance and Operations Services for the ESA Operations Control
Centre contract albeit slightly restructured into two separate elements
(first two bullets below) and the inclusion within this Service of an
additional Support Service element (last bullet below). The Services to be
tendered are as follows: - maintenance of generic control centre
infrastructure, - remote operation of the ESTRACK ground station network and
- ESTRACK Integrated Logistics Support. It is intended to allow bidders to
make partial or complete offers for one, two or all of the Service elements
listed above, which will result in the placing of one or several contracts.
The Executive intends to initiate a competitive tender early in the first
quarter of 2009 with the aim to place one or several new contract(s) in due
time so as to allow for a service continuation effective 1st November 2009
with a phase-over period to start 1st August 2009. The Maintenance of the
Generic Control Centre Infrastructure comprises support to the engineering of
common technical infrastructure like voice, video, timing, mechanical systems
and the actual maintenance thereof. It also comprises the planning and
steering of control centre reconfiguration work as for instance required
prior to the launch of a new mission. Remote Operations of ESTRACK comprises
the central and remote operations of the ESTRACK ground station network from
ESOC. This service, delivered around the clock, covers the supervision of the
largely automated ESTRACK operations with manual interventions as required
e.g. in case of failures or incidents. An associated service element is the
planning (long term) and scheduling (short term) of ESTRACK resource
assignments to users and engineering units as well as interaction with
scheduling entities of external tracking service providers. Integrated
Logistics Support (ILS) comprises the management, supervision and execution
of logistics activities of the ESTRACK ground stations network. This service
covers logistics analysis activities like RAMS (Reliability, Availability,
Maintainability, Safety) Analysis, LORA (Level of Repair Analysis), spare
parts stock sizing and management and the traceability of any ESTRACK
inventory item. An associated element is the maintenance, the evolution and
enhancement of the logistics and configuration control support tools.
Logistic activities comprise the management of spare parts, the coordination,
handling and follow up of repairs and calibration requests as well as
intensive support to the configuration control and inventory handling
processes.
ESOC
MISSION OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT / OPS-O
GROUND FACILITIES OPERATIONS DIVISION / OPS-ON
Responsible: Mr LUGERT
C
Budget Ref.: 100933 - Operations Support; 100953 - Basic
Maint. & Managt Inv.Plan
Spec. Prov.: A+B+CDN+CH+D+DK+E+F+FIN+GB+GR+I+IRL+LUX+N+NL+POR
+S
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 199
Ref. No.
09.119.01
N4
ESOC
INTEGRATED MONITORING & DIAGNOSTIC OF END-TO-END
COMMUNICATION LINK
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this project is to implement a pre-operational
prototype application that monitors in near real-time the complete
communication link in order to detect anomalies and interruption of services
in the various elements and to support the identification of the root cause.
Description: The end-to-end communication link consists of many different
elements that are managed and operated separately. Starting at the
spacecraft, going over the ground-stations to the ground communication
network, the NIS, to the control centre and finally to the operator’s console
and to the archives, the complete chain is managed by different control units
and responsibility is split. No end-to-end situation awareness is available
in one single monitor and in case of degradation or disruption of service the
root cause analysis is not straight forward. Relevant data will be
automatically collected in near real-time from available interfaces and/or
repositories. The data will then be analyzed using appropriate technologies
such as machine learning and other artificial intelligence techniques. The
data will be processed and compiled in order to present to the user a global
view of the status of the end-to-end communication link through a graphical
user interface. This activity is a continuation of the TRP study CESADS,
which addressed the end-to-end communication link in the case of ENVISAT with
an early prototype system. The proposed study consists of two phases: - Phase
1: System design and prototype implementation using prepared data sets
offline - Phase 2: Application of the prototype system in the real
environment using available data sources at infrastructure level in near
real-time Note: This activity is currently in the GSTP-5 workplan but will
STUDIES & SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION / OPS-HS
Responsible: Mr DODSWORTH
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP GSTP-5 - G517-085HSI
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 200
Ref. No.
05.120.07
LARGER INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS - FRAME CONTRACT
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity concerns the execution of larger infrastructure works at ESTEC.
ESTEC
08.120.01
ESTEC INFORMATICS & FACILITY MNGMT DIV / OPS-ET
Responsible: Mr CANNOCK
C
Budget Ref.: 100926 - Site Services
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.: ESTEC-M-05-122
Status: INTENDED
FRAME CONTRACT FOR MEDIUM SIZE INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS
ON-ESTEC SITE, NOORDWIJK (NL) (PREVIOUS TITLE: FRAME
CONTRACT FOR MEDIUM SIZE PROJECTS)
09 DAC > 500
Q1
The facility management of ESA-ESTEC requires various refurbishment works and
installation changes. In order to facilitate the definition and ordering of
work from contractors, ESA-ESTEC, by means of this tender, intends to preselect contractors within 3 different domains of activity: * Prime contractor
work that include a leading contractor and may have several sub-contractors
of various disciplines for specific infrastructure activities. * Electrical
installation work. * Mechanical installation work. These pre-selected
contractors who understand and agree with the terms and conditions for work
at ESA-ESTEC will be contacted as and when work arises to provide offers in
line with a fast bidding procedure. The process is designed to reduce the
schedule from offer to completion. ESA-ESTEC will then select one bidder for
the execution of the work from the offers received.
ESTEC
08.120.07
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr SAUGERE
C
Budget Ref.:
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
EXTENSION OF GALILEO ACCOMMODATION: INSTALLATION OF
SECURITY MEASURES IN COMPLIANCE WITH SPECIFIC GALILEO
REQUIREMENTS
Responsible: Mr MASSARO
C
Budget Ref.: 100937 - Site Services - variable support
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
08 NO
Q1
< 50
09 NO
Q1
> 500
Page 201
Ref. No.
09.120.01
N4
ESTEC
09.120.02
N4
ESTEC
09.120.03
N4
ESTEC
REFURBISHMENT OF CORRIDORS IN BF3, CF3 & DF3 AND
REPLACEMENT OF OUTSIDE FACADES WITH ASBESTOS FREE
MATERIALS
TT Q
PP
Price
Demonlition & refurbishment of office corridors at ESTEC, and the removal of
asbestos containing materials. Removal of the asbestos to be carried out by
a mandatory certified asbestos removal company.
C
Budget Ref.: 100952 - Investment; 100977 - Asbestos Removal
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
PROVISION OF GAS TO ESTEC
09 DAC > 500
Q3
Summary to follow.
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
PROVISION OF ELECTRICITYTO ESTEC
09 DAC > 500
Q3
Summary to follow.
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC > 500
Q3
Page 202
Ref. No.
04.123.18
FACETTED THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM (TPS) PANELS
TT Q
PP
Price
Within the last 20 years in Europe several different TPS types have been
developed and at least ground-qualified. The assemblies are used to insulate
the cold vehicle structure from the high external aerodynamic heat loads
during the re-entry phase and to keep them within their temperature limits.
The TPS design generally has to consider the outer mold line of the vehicle,
which is usually defined by the aero-thermodynamic design. Consequently the
TPS has a curved and sometimes complicated three-dimensional shape, where
basically each panel is unique. This requires e.g. complex tooling and drives
considerably the cost of the TPS. A system with a small family of in them
identically shaped facetted TPS panels approximating the outer mold line
might have the potential of considerably reducing the effort and cost for the
Taste objective is the development of a facetted TPS system consisting of
identical small panels with a limited number of different shapes. The
facetted TPS system shall be based on already existing TPS assemblies, e.g.
CMC standoff panel TPS. A possible demonstrator vehicle might be the German
Shefex demonstrator. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
05.123.04
THERMAL AND STRUCTURES DIVISION / TEC-MC
Responsible: Mr KLEIN
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G401-02MC
MULTIPHYSICS VALVE MODEL
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
The objective of this activity is to acquire functional models for all types
of valves. This will enable the valve designer to reduce the design leadtime. The activity will conclude with the development of a concurrent stage /
engine / equipment) engineering tool. The activity can be defined as follows:
i. Functional modelling for engine/stage modelling; actuator parameters and
performance; simplified flow equations. ii. Flow control investigations;
analysis of hydraulic torque in ball valves; pressure drop database for space
valves; engine level integrated flow control strategy. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
PROPULSION & AEROTHERMODYNAMICS DIVISION / TEC-MP
Responsible: Mr SACCOCCIA
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G601-01MP
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q1
Page 203
Ref. No.
05.123.06
CARBON-CARBON GRIDS FOR THRUSTERS
TT Q
PP
Price
The acceleration grid of current ion thrusters show an excellent life
performance, but special care has to be given for large grid diameters, so
that the grids are able to withstand launch loads and operational
temperatures without critical deformation. Erosion measurements on various
material samples, showing an excellent stability, allow the conclusion that
Carbon-Carbon (CC) should be the optimum candidate for future large
thrusters. It is not clear if CC grids with diameters above 20 cm can meet
the strong requirements to thruster grids like flatness, alignment, sputter
effects, stability and wall thickness. Consequently the feasibility to build
such grid has to be investigated, and limited life testing should be
performed. The following tasks will be included: design of a large grid (>20
cm diameter) based on CC material, selection of CC raw material,
manufacturing of base material, manufacturing of grids, manufacturing process
optimisation; manufacturing and integration of a grid package and a
thrusters; performance verification testing; design review /
update-manufacturing and integration of a grid package and a thrusters;
performance verification testing; durability test. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 204
Ref. No.
05.123.07
ADVANCED TANK IN COMPOSITE MATERIAL FOR ELECTRIC
PROPULSION
TT Q
PP
Price
Electric Propulsion (EP) is nowadays considered a strategic technology that
is rapidly becoming available for commercial applications both in the GEO and
LEO satellites market. The most significant EP tasks foreseen on medium/high
size commercial satellites concern the orbit transfer from the parking orbit
to the operational orbit and the orbit control, once the operational orbit
has been achieved. In addition, the EP applications for planetary exploration
are now gaining a strong momentum. In view of a massive utilization of EP on
near future commercial satellites (e.g. based on Alphabus platform) and
scientific spacecraft (ref. BepiColombo mission), the availability of low
cost, low weight, high produce ability EP components will play a key role for
the definitive EP use. In this regard, the tank for the containment of the
propellant gas (Xenon) is identified to be a key component of an EP
sub-system. This activity aims at improving the manufacturing, at a high
throughput rate, of Xenon composite tanks for EP applications (although this
shall also provide opportunity to manufacture tanks for Chemical Propulsion),
without using autoclaves and ovens for composite curing. The activity will
address in particular the tank technology based on an internal liner
fabricated with light material and an external vessel realized in composite
material filament wound around the liner and polymerized, layer after layer,
with a low energy (about 300 keV) electron beam accelerator. The potential
advantages identified are: no practical limitation in the final thickness of
the tank; lower cost of tank manufacture; homogeneity in material growth;
possibility to lay the impregnated fibres along "non-geodetic" lines; freedom
of choice of the optimum patterns for maximizing the product mechanical
strength; and production of small pressure vessels. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 205
Ref. No.
05.123.08
UNIFIED PROPELLANT MANAGEMENT ASSEMBLY
TT Q
PP
Price
An integrated or Unified propellant Management Assembly (UPMA), employing a
mechanical based HPR could reduce overall system mass, increase reliability
and allow for full EP system testing at Thruster Module Assembly (TMA) level.
The objectives of the proposed activity are to identify and investigate the
most promising technologies available for implementing a UPMA. This would
include HPT and LPT’s, Isolating pressure regulators, pressure sensors, flow
meters and thermo-throttles. A breadboard should then be constructed and
characterised for environmental compatibility and operational performance
leading to the manufacture of a Qualification Model designed to take the UPMA
and associated technologies to a high Technology Readiness Level. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
05.123.09
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
CERAMIC MOUNTING INTERFACES FOR TANKS
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
The mounting brackets of satellite tanks are presently made of titanium. The
use of fibre reinforced ceramic material can improve the mechanical and
thermal interface of the tank with the spacecraft, by providing a higher
stiffness and by acting as a thermal barrier. Brackets made of ceramic
material have been developed for several applications. This activity will be
devoted then to adapt this technique to the requirements of satellite tank
mountings. It will include the manufacturing and development testing of
mounting brackets with an existing tank (including vibration, shock and
determination of thermal behaviour). NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP4 G601-34MP
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 206
Ref. No.
05.123.10
DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN VERIFICATION OF A 20N
MONOPROPELLANT THRUSTER FLOW CONTROL VALVE
TT Q
PP
Price
Availability of European Flow Control Valves for European thrusters is
considered strategic in order to avoid export restrictions of non-European
components, which affect the competitiveness of European thrusters and
propulsion systems. The proposed activity shall cover the development of the
flow control valve, and the design verification testing (including
environmental and life testing) of a flight representative model. Special
attention shall be given to physical, chemical, mechanical and magnetic
characteristics of materials; magnetic actuation performance; welding
parameters selection; sealing and valve seat resistance; particles
contamination limits; avoidance of sliding surfaces; compatibility with space
environment; reproducibility of valve performance; reliability; single point
failure modes; low cost manufacturing; and possibility to use commercial
piece parts. The performances of the final design shall be compared to that
ones relevant to the valves to be replaced. Type of tender C(1) - activities
in open competition limited to non-primes. For additional information please
go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 207
Ref. No.
05.123.12
PUMP PRESSURISATION OF PROPULSION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity will consist of a study of application of pumps for
pressurisation of propulsion systems for spacecraft, with the objective to
identify the benefits in terms of performance, mass, volume, cost, etc. It
will include an assessment of S/C propulsion systems with pumps, usage of
pumps, effect on propulsion system design and operations, foreseen effect on
other S/C subsystems (e.g. power); definition of pump driven propulsion
system concepts for selected missions; assessment of pros and cons, and
ultimate benefits; and identification of required technology and hardware
development. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
05.123.13
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTRIC PRESSURE REGULATOR
C
09
Q1
50-100
Despite the advances in "high tech" propulsion, many missions still require
cold gas (or warm gas) nitrogen or xenon systems. Typically these systems use
mechanical pressure regulation, often from US sources. For example CRYOSAT
uses a mechanical regulator from Mu Space Components. The objective of this
activity is therefore the development of a European source for the regulator.
The activity will result in the development of a European source for the
regulator with the following characteristics: electronic "bang-bang"
regulation has benefits as the control pressure and hence thrust levels can
be varied; the use of Polyflex’s SV-14 series valves will give a mass
reduction on mechanical regulators (each valve weighs around 45 grams); low
cost design and manufacturing. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 208
Ref. No.
05.123.14
DEVELOPMENT AND FLIGHT QUALIFICATION OF A SOLID
PROPELLANT MICROPROPULSION MODULE FOR NANOSAT
APPLICATION
TT Q
PP
Price
A technology for micropropulsion based on the combustion of an energetic
material stored in a micromachined chamber of silicon or Foturan has been
developed. Currently, the solid propellant technology has reached a good
level of maturity. This technology presents evident capabilities for
micropropulsion application. For low dV impulse requirements, solid
propellant thrusters offer many assets: low power consumption, no moving
parts, low fabrication cost, simple device so minimizing the risk of failure,
easy operability and safety requirement, different thrust levels possible in
one matrix. This activity shall be devoted then to the development and Flight
Qualification of a Solid Propellant Micropropulsion Module for Nanosat
Application and to validate the technology in space environment by the
participation to a NANOSAT validation flight. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 209
Ref. No.
05.123.15
LOW COST FABRICATION TECHNIQUES FOR TITANIUM
PROPELLANT TANKS
TT Q
PP
Price
The current technology for the manufacturing of propellant tanks made of
titanium 6AlV4 is based on relative thick forgings (25mm) machined to the
final wall thickness (0.8 - 2mm) and welded to form a complete tank. The
objective of the activity is to avoid forging and machining by forming of
sheet material to tank domes and cylinders. This avoids nearly every
machining operation except the weld area and the ports integration.
Optimisation has to be done to reach the final required wall thickness by
careful analysis of the pre-contour. This activity will include a trade-off
study between the forming technique and the classical forged-machined
technique in respect of cost influence depending on the dimensions, mass
influence depending on the tolerances, and technical influence depending on
the PMD configuration. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09
Q1
100-200
Page 210
Ref. No.
05.123.16
KERNEL FOR TURBINE OPTIMISATION
TT Q
PP
Price
A general-purpose optimizer will be developed and aligned to the special
needs of supersonic turbines common in launcher engines such as the Vulcain
engine family. The first step will be the development. The optimization
kernel based on artificial intelligence techniques will be developed along
with the communication protocol requested for the different existing tools
used in the work-chain (pre-processor/solver/post-processor). The optimizer,
the work-chain and the methodology need first to be evaluated on typical
Vulcain-like turbine blade requirements (e.g. minimum nozzle length for a
certain expansion) and compared to results obtained with presently used
methods (method of characteristics). In a second step the potential of the
methodology can be tested on a limited number of design parameters by
focusing on a specific geometrical part e.g. trailing edge for reduced shock
losses. The second step will be the demonstration of capabilities. The
optimization tool will be tested for multiple design variables describing a
complete turbine blade (e.g. stator) at a typical design point. Also, the
generic character of the optimizer into different analytical environments
needs to be demonstrated. The design system capabilities can be extended to a
variety of other turbomachinery blades as well as to multi-point and
multi-stage turbomachinery design in a subsequent activity. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 211
Ref. No.
07.123.04
CHARACTERISATION OF ADJUSTABLE TWO-THROAT COLD-GAS
MICRO-PROPULSION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Among the micro-propulsion technologies developed to prepare future space
missions, cold-gas systems are part of the more reliable and safest. Their
architecture has evolved to integrate mass flow regulation proportional
valves that can be commended to open, to close or to have intermediate
positions to control accurately the thrust vector. The cold-gas micropropulsion systems that integrate a proportional valve followed by a cavity
and a nozzle (which purpose is to accelerate the gas out of the system and to
create the thrust) are sometimes referred as adjustable two-throat cold-gas
micro-propulsion systems. The two-throat appellation refers to both the valve
opening and the nozzle throat. For such smaller scales, the actual process
for on-Earth characterization of propulsion systems has to be updated and
improved. In particular, the manufacturing and testing activities have to be
re-evaluated as they are intensive and costly activities. Hence, the
objective of this activity is to provide a complete, robust and repeatable
characterization of a two-throat system from the paper drawings to the
measurement of the system s performances such as thrust, mass flow rate and
specific impulse. By doing so, well defined hardware has to be manufactured,
tools for performance prediction and performance optimization have to be
designed, implemented and validated and a database of numerical simulations
generated. The following main tasks are envisaged for this activity: Hardware selection: the contractor shall propose a set of selected two-throat
hardware to be manufactured. Focus will be put on collecting and using stateof-the-art manufacturing, experimental and numerical techniques. - Hardware
manufacturing, testing and numerical validation: The hardware selected in the
previous task shall be manufactured and characterized. - Performance
prediction and optimization tools: the contractor shall design and implement
tools for performance prediction and performance optimization. Type of tender
information please go to EMITS News : "Industrial Policy measures for
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 212
Ref. No.
08.123.02
LAUNCHER STAGE SEPARATION AND PLUME INTERACTION
VALIDATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to enhance our tools for stage
separation load assessment by performing dedicated experimentation in
suitable facilities and address flight extrapolation and scaling. The broader
scope is to 1. to address the absence of a suitable validation database. 2.
to provide an initial evaluation of current software. 3. to support to
post-flight analysis for current and future launchers. Description: Stage
separation shows itself to be an area of risk in relation to past, current
and future launch vehicles. The process of stage separation at high Mach
numbers involves complex flow interactions and multi-body motion and, thus,
the process is not fully verifiable on ground. Therefore; in order to
mitigate against risk, approaches to stage separation are traditionally
conservative and non-optimal from a cost and performance perspective.
Improving the current state of the art for stage separation should therefore
focus on a combination of ground based wind tunnel testing and simulation.
Tests are a pre-requisite in order that numerical tools can be properly
validated before application to flight scale. Currently, such problems may be
modeled but the validity of the results (in the absence of a thorough
knowledge of the true flow physics) is questionable. During the course of the
activity it is foreseen: The contractor shall review available data on
stage separation from past experimentation ( e.g. A4) and define a strategy
for validation experimentation including flight extrapolation and scaling
with the objective to enhance present day knowledge as well as taking into
account recent lessons learned from the VEGA working group on stage
separation. The contractor shall define in agreement with the agency the
windtunnel model(s) for aerodynamic testing in transand supersonic facilities
representative of a selection of stage separation approaches (including both
current and potential future configurations). The contractor shall perform
sub-scale wind-tunnel testing with variation of the major aerodynamic and
geometrical parameters in order to construct a database against which
numerical tools shall be validated. The contractor shall perform CFD
activities in order to evaluate them w.r.t the generated experimental
database (including parametric variations). The contractor shall perform
CFD activities to investigate the sensitivity of the CFD results w.r.t
extrapolation to a flight representative scale and boundary conditions. An
assessment of the uncertainties introduced due to parameters that are not
possible to fully reproduce on ground shall be included. Where windtunnel
results are obtained in relation to current/historic configurations the
contractor shall ensure that a comparison with post flight data is possible.
Based on the results obtained, a synthesis and recommendations for future
work shall be given.
ESTEC
C
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Programme Ref.: TRP T417-004MP
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 213
Ref. No.
08.123.03
PLANETARY PROBE STANDARD MODEL TESTING IN HIGH
ENTHALPY FACILITIES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Background: (including previous related studies)Planetary probe
model testing in high enthalpy facilities such as F4 ( lessons learned from
MSRo) in air and Co2 as well as recent experimentation on similar probes at
Tsagi revealed the need to enhance our knowledge for a series of critical
issues for planetary probe design such as - existence of supersonic wake
closure - wake shear layer transitional flow - shoulder heating - influence
of sting on base flow and this in air as well as in Co2 environments.
Objectives of the study and expected results: Creation of an experimental
data base using 2 types of standard models and testing in different high
enthalpy facilities for the study of critical aerothermodynamic phenomena
such as - base heating, - sholder overheating including boundary layer
transition as well - data on hypersonic stability and trimming. The 2
standard models shall be tested in different hypersonic facilities in air as
well as in Co2. The purpose is to use where possible existing models;
attention shall be placed on appropriate instrumentation and provision of
free stream condition shall be made. The first standard model shall be an
axisymmetric blunt cone simulating a ballistic entry (the existing 70 degree
planetary blunt cone) and the second standard model shall be the Apollo like
(EXOMARS) shape configuration (simulating a 20 degree trimmed reentry). The
outcome shall be experimental data on pressures, heat flux, flow field
densities as well as nozzle free stream characterization. CFD workshop type
of validation exercises shall be performed and conclusion drawn on
uncertainties associated with above listed critical phenomena. Description:
The contractor shall perform the following activities : - Review of past
experiments on planetary probes and capsules, analysis, quantification and
prioritization of critical phenomena - Definition of 2 type of instrumented
standard models, taking into account availability of existing models and
proposing new ones pending budget constraints. 1 to study ballistic planetary
probe phenomena and a second one simulating trimmed capsule Apollo type
phenomena - Execution of appropriate hypersonic test campaigns in Air and Co2
- CFD validation workshops - Analysis of data, conclusion on remaining
uncertainties associated with the critical aerothermodynamic phenomena listed
above including assessment on flight extrapolation. - Consolidation of
lessons learned, synthesis and recommendation.
ESTEC
C
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Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 214
Ref. No.
08.123.04
INNOVATIVE PED BLADDER TECHNOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To demonstrate feasibility an innovative propellant expulsion
device (PED) concept compatible with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide
propellants and suitable for demanding mission requirements such as LV upper
stage bi-propellant storable propulsion systems, Small-medium Bi-propellant
spacecraft, Space exploration missions, Orbit transfer vehicles. The
activities shall focus on PED technologies including selection of base
materials, functional and environmental testing and manufacturing at material
sample level. Description: In the area of satellite applications, European
Industry accumulated appreciable experience in the development of
bi-propellant compatible diaphragm materials for propellant tanks. Material
formulation and manufacturing technologies were investigated and initial
works performed on diaphragm design and manufacturing. All the activities
shall be addressed to the identification of suitable material and its
development testing to verify its usability on a wide range of space
missions. To this end, the following main tasks shall be carried out: Task1:
definition of high level requirements Task2: survey of candidate materials
Task3: sample candidate material manufacturing Task4: laboratory level
testing of candidate materials Task5: material trades and selection,
assessment of space mission applicability Task6: definition of material
development test specification Task7: material development test program
Task8: preliminary manufacturing plan at diaphragm/bladder level
ESTEC
C
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Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
Page 215
Ref. No.
08.123.05
DEFINITION AND VALIDATION OF TRANSFER FUNCTIONS FOR
INTRUSIVE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES IN RE-ENTRY AND ENTRY
ENVIRONMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Among the intrusive measurement techniques for in-flight experimentation in
entry vehicles, classical instruments such as thermocouples of various type
and heat flux sensors are extensively used. They are easy to procure and
relatively cheap, but it has been recognised that they could fail to provide
accurate aerothermodynamic data unless an extensive characterization activity
of their transfer functions is carried out prior to in-flight
experimentation. It is to be noted that each sensor reading available to the
experimenters for post-test rebuilding activities is only the final output of
a measurement chain significantly affected by the properties of the material
on which the sensor is integrated, the adopted integration technique and
obviously the characteristics of the sensor itself. In specific cases such as
thermocouples in pyrolizing ablative materials it has been seen in the U.S.
that not only the integration of sensor heads but also the layout of the
whole sensor has an impact on the final sensor reading. Although each Thermal
Protection System material (ceramic, metallic, ablative) features different
properties (thus requiring different integration techniques), it is
considered possible to identify for each sensor of interest (e.g.
thermocouples, heat flux sensors) a generic transfer function formulation
containing within well confined parameters the dependency onto materials and
associated integration techniques. A set of basic experiments on selected
materials/sensors would allow to determine the quantitative impact of the
dependency parameters on the final sensor reading and to identify engineering
ways to mitigate this impact. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 216
Ref. No.
08.123.06
AERODYNAMICS OF DOWN LOAD SYSTEMS: PARACHUTES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The present TRP will enhance the PADSA capabilities by augmenting
its data base with new windtunnel experiments simulating as a priority
supersonic deployment scenario s. The experiments will be performed taking
into account past experimentation, lessons learned and focus on the upcoming
DLS agency needs. These basic experiments will be used to update PASDA for
the supersonic DLS design and analysis. Priority shall be put on improvements
associated with supersonic deployment. This new experimental data base shall
be used to enhance the Agency PASDA tool. Description: The performance of
Down Load Systems (DLS) especially the deployment of supersonic parachutes
have recently shown to be inadequately mastered (lessons learned Genesis).
Note that even subsonic deployment is still today without risk (lessons
learned USV). The expertise on supersonic parachute deployment resides mainly
(with the exception for Huygens ) in Russia and in the US. The Agency
invested in the past in the PASDA tool development; PASDA stands for
Parachute System Analysis and Design tool and contains mainly engineering
routines for subsonic parachute operation and deployment. It was used for
post flight analysis of the ARD The contractor shall perform the following
activities : - Review state of the art in parachute design and analysis and
address the limitations and short coming of the Agency PASDA tool especially
for the supersonic regime. - Propose experimental strategy taking into
account agency needs, select appropriate wind tunnel models for transand
supersonic windtunnel testing. - Improve PASDA tool by enhancing engineering
routines for supersonic DLS deployment and perform validation exercise using
present new experimental data base. - Apply updated tool to some agency
defined test cases such as e.g. EXPERT and Huygens. - Provide synthesis and
recommendations to expand PASDA tool to include other type of decelerators
such as ballutes, inflatable systems or other types of drag chutes.
quantity) of non- primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information
ESTEC
C
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Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 217
Ref. No.
08.123.10
ASSESSMENT OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SPACECRAFT AND
ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of the activity is to create an experimentally
validated model for thruster interaction with the S/C subsystems.
Description: Smart-1 with a Hall-effect thruster (HET) on board and an
Electric Propulsion Diagnostic Package (EPDP) has demonstrated the good
functioning of electric propulsion for interplanetary missions. Nevertheless,
possible interaction of the backflow of the thruster or even the primary ions
in telecommunication satellites could produce some interactions (erosion,
contamination, electromagnetic compatibility issues, etc.). Diagnostics and
modelling are the main tools to assess this issue.This activity should look
at all the possible models employed in this work and assess the design of
specific experiments to tackle this issue. Flight data of some spacecraft
such as Smart-1, Artemis, etc. shall be used to demonstrate that the current
models have been validated and that the experiments can give a good insight
in the problem. Furthermore several tests will be performed durng this
activity in order to fully validate and assess the use of these models in
this specific matter. In detail, following tasks shall be performed: o
assessment of the impact of on-ground testing conditions on the main physical
properties of EP thrusters compare to in-flight conditions - specifically on
the external environment induced by the EP thrusters (backflow,
back-sputtering. o Analytical quantification of this impact and comparison
of flight-data to on-ground testing of EP thrusters (Hall effect, HEMPT,
Ion, FEEP), o Identification of possible diagnostics for performing
measurement relevant to the thruster-S/C interaction in a test facility
during on-ground testing o Selection of a specific set of diagnostics
providing a full characterisation main physical parameters of EP thrusters
relevant to thruster-S/C interaction, o Design of an experiment(s) in which
the diagnostics will be used and identify the models required to assess this
problem, o A test using diferent thrusters, validation of the identified
models with the test data and finally comparing the results with the flight
data available.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 218
Ref. No.
08.123.11
THROTTABLE FLOW CONTROL VALVES FOR SPACECRAFT CLASS
THRUSTERS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objectives of this study is to evaluate the different valve
concepts and mission scenarios as well as performing a market evaluation. The
study will focus on evaluating valves for thrusters of 500N or less. Once the
most promising concept has been selected a breadboard model will be
constructed and tested to demonstrate the key technologies/operating
principles of the valve. A way forward will then be defined to take the
design forward to future design completion and qualification. Description: A
number of spacecraft/lander systems are considering different thrust ranges
for different mission phases. The current generation of bi-propellant
thrusters have limited ranges in thrust variation and this change in thrust
can only be achieved by the controlling pressure conditions in the propellant
tanks. The purpose of this activity is to control thrust ranges by throttling
the engine flow control valves, thus adding flexibilty to the propuslion
system that is not achievable by pressure regulation. There are several cases
where this would be desirable - 1. Exploration where a throttable engine
would be useful for planetary descent/ascent and 2. Next generation
science/telecommunication spacecraft which envisage 20N and 10N thrusters for
ACS systems. These could be replaced for example with a single choice of
thruster eg a 20N thruster with a 50% throttablity range. In both cases this
will lead to a sub-system reliabilty increase and reduction in cost by the
reduction in the number of components required. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
08.123.13
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
EUROPEAN MEDIUM THRUST ENGINE CONCEPT
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
The aim of this activity is to develop the needed propulsion technologies
enabling the implementation of a medium thrust engine suitable for space
transportation purposes that encompass launcher, transfer vehicle, planetary
transfer and descent/ landing applications.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
Page 219
Ref. No.
08.123.14
KINETIC SHOCK TUBE FOR RADIATION DATA BASE FOR
PLANETARY EXPLORATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of a European shock tube dedicated to kinetic studies
for high temperatures (more than 6000K). At present there is no facility
available in Europe. Description: Shock and expansion tubes are important
elements for the investigation of chemical kinetics and radiation associated
with planetary entry. Facilities exist in the US, in Russia, Japan, Korea,
Australia etc... In Europe, the only facility useful though not optimised for
this task (TCM2) was developed for the Hermes program, was used for Huygens
and Aurora studies, but it has closed. There is a need for a new facility,
allowing to perform investigations at a moderate cost, for the conditions
foreseen in our future Earth entry missions and Mars entry missions,
including aerocapture and aerobraking. A dedicated shock tube shall be
specified, developped and instrumented. Tests will be performed for various
gas mixtures, to provide spectrally resolved emission and absorption
spectra, as a minimum. More advanced techniques shall also be assessed, and
demonstrated. The obtained results will be compared with documented results.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 220
Ref. No.
08.123.16
COLD GAS PROPULSION SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT FOR PROBA-3
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to define a fully European cold gas
propulsion system suitable for the Proba-3 application. Current systems are
limited to thrusts below 1 mN, and the objective of this development is to
increase the thrust range to the 10s of mN range needed for applications such
as Small GEO and Proba-3. The system shall include development and
pre-qualification of thruster technology to meet the specific Proba-3
requirements. The following key activities are foreseen: 1. Consolidation of
the propulsion system requirements. 2. Definition of the system architecture
needed to meet the Proba-3 requirements while minimising mass and power
budgets. 3. Design development of the thruster technology to meet the
specified Proba-3 requirements. 4. Manufacture of 2x EQM units: one unit to
be subject to pre-qualification function and performance testing, the other
to be subject to pre-qualification cycle life testing. 5. Based on the output
from the above, recommendations shall be made for completion of the system
development, leading to full system qualification. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 FF05-08MP
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 221
Ref. No.
09.123.01
ABLATION RADIATION COUPLING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives : - Improvement of windtunnels and flight MT. - Demonstration of
miniature ablation and convective/radiative heat flux sensors. - Radiation
code development. - Physical model validation activities. - CFD validation
with ablation and radiation. - Development of coupling techniques, influence
of absorption by C3. Description: Background: Need for high speed ablation /
radiation and induced transition. LL Viking and Fire 2. LL of ESA WG on
ablation and radiation. Traditional thermal protection system design approach
neglects coupling of the radiation flux with the ablating surface energy
balance condition, to simulate the response of ablative heat shields in
hypersonic flows. When a gas mixture passes through a strong shock wave, it
is first dissociated. At still higher velocities some of the atoms and
molecules are electronically excited. When the excited electrons make a
transition to a lower state a photon is emitted, resulting in shock layer
radiation. Under certain entry conditions this radiation field can be strong
enough to significantly impact the heating rate at the surface of the entry
vehicle. It is therefore critical to measure the response of the TPS
materials in extreme conditions via experimental campaigns, and to further
develop existing physical models, CFD and radiation simulations in order to
have higher fidelity model for aeroheating predictions.Of particular concern
is the strong coupling between different processes, that needs to be
addressed specifically in this study.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 222
Ref. No.
09.123.02
HIGH EFFICIENCY INERT GAS THRUSTER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Proof of Concept and Characterisation of a low power / high
efficiency inert gas Resistojet. Description: There is increasing interest in
the use of very low thrust inert gas thrusters for pointing and
stationkeeping applications for sensitive optical spacecraft, and also for
several missions requiring accurate formation flying. The use of an inert gas
is often mandatory to prevent deterioation of the optical surfaces of the
on-board instruments. This activity builds on the experience of micro- and
milli-Netwon class thrusters typically using Nitrogen (Isp ~70s) and combines
it with resistojet technologies (such as capillary heaters) to improve the
performance of such thrusters. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted
ESTEC
09.123.03
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
LAUNCHER BASE FLOWS AND SHOCK INTERACTION REGIONS
IMPROVED LOAD CHARACTERISATION
09 NO
Q3
100-200
09 NO
Q3
200-500
The objective of this activity is to enhance the tools (facilities,
instrumentation and CFD modelling) simulating the heat flux and pressure
loads for Ariane and Vega launchers. Priority is given to revisiting base
flow regions and regions with strong pressure gradients (SWBLI) as these are
the regions which are usually strongly over dimensioned. In addition present
day facilities have been improved and more knowledge has been obtained as to
the influence of the hot plume onto base flow regions thereby allowing a more
accurate assessment of the design loads. The outcome of the study should be
improved modelling of loads at e.g. regions around the batimoteur of A5 or
around the DAAR/DAAV regions reducing the required TPS mass and therefore
optimize the complete launcher as well as saving recurrent cost. (as an
example: today 600kg Prozial is used in A5 base region which most likely can
be reduced).
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 223
Ref. No.
09.123.04
DYNAMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF CAVITATING TURBOPUMPS AND
INDUCERS FOR POGO SUPPRESSION
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the present proposal consists in experimentally
characterizing the dynamic transfer matrices of typical cavitating inducers
for rocket propellant feed turbopumps operating under fluid dynamic and
thermal cavitation similarity, in order to investigate the influence of the
frequency and amplitude of the excitation, the potential impact of thermal
cavitation effects, the system-independence of the results and the intensity
of the ensuing forces on the rotors. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
09.123.05
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE VALIDATION STRATEGY OF
GAS-SURFACE INTERACTION MODELLING FOR RE-ENTRY
APPLICATIONS
09 NO
Q3
200-500
09 NO
Q3
200-500
The proposed activity shall include the following tasks: Identification of
the gas-surface interaction phenomena of interest for re-entry application
including as a minimum catalysis and oxidation for ceramic and metallic
Thermal Protection System in typical re-entry ranges. Extensive survey of the
currently available modelling approaches for the selected phenomena,
classification and selection. After having established a number of modelling
categories, the Contractor shall provide an exhaustive description of each
modelling approach highlighting in particular the underlying physical
rationale, the driving parameters, the targeted applications and the
potential weak areas. The Contractor shall moreover propose a set of
modelling approaches for further validation to be approved by the Agency.
Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 224
Ref. No.
09.123.06
EXTRA LIGHT NOZZLE EXTENSION FOR UPPER STAGE ENGINE
AND IN SPACE PROPULSION
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the activity is mature the technology from the current TRL2
to TRL3 before it can be considered for such technology demonstration
programs such as FLPP. the proposed activity is as follows: Perform an
assessment / trade-off of potential applications of the extra-light weight
nozzle. Define a generic nozzle extension with relevant singular areas such
as attachment flange, integrated stiffener, aft stiffener, wall construction
and wall thickness (use of existing tooling to concentrate the effort on the
technology only). Manufacture one generic extra light Carbon-Carbon nozzle.
Material characterization on coupons from part or plates. Perform
preliminary margin evaluation for generic sizing loads. Procurement Policy:
C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of
ESTEC
09.123.07
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
SOLID MODULATED PROPULSION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION
09 NO
Q3
200-500
09 NO
Q2
200-500
The main objective of the proposed TRP activity is to demonstrate thrust
modulation capacities (based on solid propulsion technology) for ascent and
possibly accurate and soft landing. The activity is expected to demonstrate
the technology feasibility of thrust modulation in solid propulsion motors
for application to missions on other planets. The proposed activity shall
include: - mission requirements establishment, for the definition of a
representative thrust modulation profile and behaviour; - trade-offs on
candidate thrust modulation techniques for solid propulsion; - motor design;
- development of breadboard(s); - testing activities for thrust, performance,
and modulation ratio capacities demonstration; - technology development plan
for future activities.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 225
Ref. No.
09.123.08
LAMINAR TO TURBULENT TRANSITION IN HYPERSONIC FLOW
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: to improve bypass transition correlations for hypersonic space
vehicle design. Description: The present activity shall focus on advances of
transition correlations by performing experiments in hypersonic facilities
thereby improving wind tunnel to flight extrapolation and scaling by
advancing the Hot Experimetal Testing Techniques (HET) so as to improve
T-wall over T-recovery effects. In addition special will be given to the
measurememts of the unsteady components such as pressures and temperatures to
augment the data base for follow up analysis using advanced methods such as
LES or DNS. Finally,where possible, synergies with potential passenger flight
opportunities should be proposed.
ESTEC
09.123.09
C
Z
MULTI-PHASE ASPECTS IN PROPULSION SYSTEMS
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objective": to improve the understanding of multi-phase phenomena occuring
during transients, start-ups and shut-downs in propulsion systems. This
entails waterhammer effects or pre-combustion where propellants undergo
drastic changes due to sudden exposure to near-vacuum conditions. To allow
proper modelling, detailed experiments need to be created for typical
multi-phase, multi-component flow phenomena: waterhammer during priming,
flash atomization and vaporization. Description: The activity shall include:
- evaluation of the liquid front behaviour during waterhammer prior, during
and after impact for different operational conditions; - evaluation of
atomization processes in flashing conditions at different conditions; evaluation of vaporization rates in flashing conditions at different
conditions; - extension of correlations for flash atomization; extension/validation of correlations for flash vaporization. Procurement
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 226
Ref. No.
09.123.10
PRELIMINARY CHARACTERISATION TEST CAMPAIGN OF EP
TECHNOLOGY WITH NON CONVENTIONAL PROPELLANTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: to perform a characterization test campaign with existing
Electric Propulsion Thrusters (HET, GIE) propelled with non-conventional
gaseous propellants. Description: this activity activity has the objective of
verifying the thruster performance, when the thruster is required to operate
with different propellant. A mixture between the selected propellant and the
conventionally used Xe will be also considered. Earth upper atmosphere for
given solar activity shall be examined to obtain information about the
densities, pressures, temperatures and composition for an altitude ranging
between 150km and 500km. Since the concept is also applicable to orbiting
manoeuvres around different planet, an investigation of the Martian
atmosphere composition will be also performed in order to assess the
feasibility of using its gaseous components as possible propellant.
05/02/2001) ’Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities
in ESA programmes’.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.:
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 227
Ref. No.
09.123.11
PREPARATION FOR CHEMICAL MICROPROPULSION DEVELOPMENT /
EXPLORATION
TT Q
PP
Price
The goal of the present activity is the elaboration of specification for
liquid micro chemical propulsion systems in relation to the mission and
platform requirements; the design, manufacturing and operation of a
microchamber demonstrator based on principle of catalytic decomposition of
hydrazine and MEMS based technologies; and further build-up of technology and
research network covering aspects of modelling, fabrication mission and
system analysis. The activity will include the following tasks:
specification of requirements for future CPS to create a system
specification file; Set-up a demonstrator for CPS with existing MEMS
components; Investigation of catalytic decomposition working principle of
microChamber; Manufacturing and test of MEMS based microchamber for
monopropellant chemical micropropulsion system. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
09.123.12
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
MULTI-PHASE FLUID HAMMER: MODELISATION, EXPERIMENTS
AND SIMULATIONS
C
09 NO
Q4
50-100
The objective is the construction of a test facility to simulate the storage
conditions and the propellant lines of spacecrafts in order to reproduce the
occurrence of multi-phase fluid hammer during priming operation. The new
facility will allow optical measurements and high response pressure and
temperature measurements in the test elements. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 228
Ref. No.
09.123.13
MEDIUM DELTA-V, LOW-POWER, LOW-VOLTAGE MICROTHRUSTER
MODULE BREADBOARDING
N1
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to demonstrate the feasibility
of a Hollow Cathode Thruster for micro S/C. Description: The proposal aims to
achieve a micro-thruster suitable for stand-alone use or as an enabling
technology for all-electric spacecraft ready for space qualification. In
particular, the microthruster should be adapted to use on a modular
nanospacecraft platform, for medium delta-v manoeuvres and possibly attitude
control and free-flying operations. The limitation when considering the
application of micro-propulsion technologies to small spacecraft,
particularly for attitude control, is constraints in volume, mass and power.
While larger satellites (>200kg) may be able to incorporate high performance
systems for such as mono-propellant, bi-propellant and conventional electric
propulsion systems, smaller spacecraft face severe resource limitations which
place these systems beyond their reach. The inability to suitably scale
conventional high performance systems down means these satellites are
generally forced to operate with only the simplest of propulsion systems,
such as cold gas or resistojets and leave these spacecraft unsuited to
anything other than low earth orbit operations. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
TT Q
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
PP
Price
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 229
Ref. No.
09.123.14
N2
ESTEC
09.123.15
N2
ESTEC
SIMULATION MODELS FOR SOLID ROCKET MOTOR (SRM)
IGNITION TRANSIENT (IT) (RE-ISSUE)
TT Q
PP
Price
The present activity shall be devoted to achieving the following two
objectives: to increase the knowledge of the more relevant phenomena
involved in the SRM ignition transient (IT), their interactions and their
dependencies from the main design parameters (igniter configuration and
operation, propellant grain geometry, pressurization level, pressurizing gas
typology etc.); to develop and /or validate a simulation model able to
reproduce the SRM IT behaviour for a large variety of SRM configurations.
This simulation model shall be characterized by high reliability, flexibility
and low computational time. The expected outcomes, with respect to the
previous objectives, are: i) to provide general and specific indications to
address the SRM design process toward the achievement of proper ignition IT
behaviour; ii) to develop a computer code to be used to analyze and predict
the SRM IT.
C
Z
ELECTRONIC PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR SMALL GEO ELECTRIC
AND-COLD GAS PROPULSION SYSTEM APPLICATIONS (RE-ISSUE)
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Objectives: The design from a BB to an EM level of an Electronic Pressure
Regulator based on proportional valve for Small GEO Electric propulsion
system and cold gas system. Description: Small GEO Propulsion system will be
based on Electric propulsion system and a cold gas system. Due to the wide
range of mass flow rate demand from 1 g/sec for a 0.25 N Xenon cold gas
thruster to 0.5 mg/sec for an a ion engine, this range is prohibitive for a
mechanical pressure regulator. Electronic bang-bang regulator might not be
able to operate successfully. It is proposed the development and
manufacturing of a pressure regulator based of a proportional valve realised
with new technologies (e.g. piezo) in closed loop with suitable transducers
(pressure or mass flow) able to cope with this large range of mass flow
requirement. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
C
Z
Status: EX ITEM 08.123.07 COMPLETED 1-6056
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 230
Ref. No.
09.123.16
N4
ESTEC
LATCH VALVE DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The purpose of this activity is to develop a new propellant latch valve. The
primary target for this latch valve is the Automated Transfer Vehicle
Propulsion and Reboost Sub-System, although this valve will also be relevant
for future applications requiring a high flow propellant latch valve. The
main focus of the activity will be the valve development/design up to PDR
level. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY
BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM DELEGATIONS. AT
THAT TIME A PLANNED QUARTER FOR TENDER ISSUE WILL BE CONFIRMED AND BIDDERS
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 231
Ref. No.
09.126.01
REFURBISHMENT OF THE LARGE SPACE SIMULATOR (LSS)
MIRROR SEGMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
ESA’s Large Space Simulator (LSS), which provides close simulation of
in-orbit environmental conditions for spacecraft thermal balance testing, is
equipped with a 6-meter diameter solar simulator. The 7-meter diameter
spherical collimation mirror is built up with 109 full hexagonal segments and
12 half segments. The mirror segment coating substrate is made of polished,
electroless Nickel-plated (Kanigan). The reflective coating is composed of an
Aluminium-layer sandwiched between two layers of silicon dioxide (SiO2).
During the last 22 years of operation it has been noticed that the mirror
reflective coating was showing degradation signs in form of stains, clouds
and local delaminating of the coating. Furthermore, stains started to develop
from tiny holes in the SiO2 top layer. This degradation of the mirror coating
may have an impact on the overall performance of the solar simulator due to
reduced reflectivity and alterations in the spectral composition of the
light. Thirty brand new mirror segments have been purchased and will be
replacing thirty old mirror segments. These thirty old mirrors will have to
be refurbished, i.e. the reflective coating will have to be renewed. The
activity shall cover the refurbishment of thirty mirror segments.
ESTEC
09.126.02
ESTEC TEST CENTRE DIVISION / TEC-TC
Responsible: Mr POPOVITCH
C
Budget Ref.: 100952 - Investment
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
REPLACEMENT OF LSS SUN SIMULATOR LAMP REFLECTOR
N2
ESTEC
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q2
> 500
ESA’s Large Space Simulator (LSS), which provides close simulation of
in-orbit environmental conditions for spacecraft thermal balance testing, is
equipped with 19 Xenon lamps. Each lamp is mounted in a reflector collecting
the lamp emitted light. The reflector is made of a water-cooled 8mm-thick
electro-formed Nickel substrate on which the reflective coating is deposited.
The reflecting coating is composed of an aluminium-layer sandwiched between
one chromium (Cr) layer and one silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer. During the last
22 years of operation it has been noticed that the reflective coating was
showing degradation signs. This degradation of the reflector coating may have
an impact on the overall performance of the solar simulator due to reduced
reflectivity and alterations in the uniformity of the image flux. The
intended activity shall cover the procurement of twenty two new reflectors.
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Page 232
Ref. No.
09.126.03
N2
ESTEC
REPLACEMENT OF HYDRA PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER
(PLC)
TT Q
PP
Price
The Hydraulic Shaker Facility (HYDRA) located at ESTEC is used to perform
mechanical vibration tests of spacecrafts, over all axes of motion
(translation and rotation), before they are launched into orbit. The facility
is equipped with an Electrical Equipment subsystem based on PLC: the
function of the Electrical Equipment is to control the hydraulic facility;
The replacement of the PLC is necessary because the components are obsolete,
therefore it must be upgraded and made it compatible with the next
generation of PLC already installed at other facilities of the ESTEC Test
Centre. The objective of the work of the contract is the replacement of the
PLC subsystem. The software shall be ported from the existing computer
system to the new control hardware, and the control architecture shall be
updated accordingly. The Visual Display Unit (VDU) subsystems are the user
interfaces of the subsystem Electrical Equipment. They are connected to the
communication processor of the PLC. The PLC interface to the VDU subsystems
shall be also upgraded to a modern communication interface.
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 233
Ref. No.
04.127.08
FOOD PREPARATION INSTRUMENTATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Study the concept and design of a modular food preparation system. Based on
selected longterm diet, the instrumentation required to perform the recipes
will be studied, a preliminary list of necessary instrument will be
identified the potential technologies will be studied and trade-off. An
overall instrumentation concept will be proposed. This proposed
instrumentation will take into account life support constraints (production
planning, harvesting, storage, ..) and manned mission constraints
(ergonomics, crew time, ..). Recommendations for higher plant selection will
be provided. Whenever possible, guidelines for development will be given.
ESTEC
04.127.16
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T303-04MC
Status: DELETED
NON-DESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION METHODS FOR RLV STRUCTURES
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Secure non-destructive inspection (NDI) methods for CFRP structures are
mandatory to guarantee re-use of reusable launcher structures such as CFRP
LH2-tanks or to identify maintenance or repair needs. Ultrasonic inspection
(US) is a widely used baseline technology but it has some limitations (exact
damage detection and location, damage detection in complex and large
structures, mobility of inspection system, accuracy of information). Other
inspection technologies meanwhile reached respective maturity and are
interesting alternatives. It is proposed to perform non-destructive
inspection of structures for RLV, in particular: identification typical
re-usable launcher structures for inspection, Technology Review of Existing
Methods, NDI Methods Evaluation Programme (Damage Sample Test Program),
Damage Classification for Re-Usable CFRP Structures, CFRP structure test
programme (e.g. tank structure), Recommendations and Synthesis.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 234
Ref. No.
04.127.24
NOVEL, COMPOSITE WICKS (FOR TWO-PHASED LOOPS)
TT Q
PP
Price
The present generation of capillary wicks used in two-phase loops suffer from
a number of limitations. It is therefore necessary to improve the wick design
by looking into new methods to produce wick structures (e.g. based on the
lost wax method), to develop methods to reach a graded porosity wick or to
investigate methods to produce composite wicks consisting of e.g. an outer
layer of fine pore size metallic wick with an inner core of plastic wick
assuring a thermal decoupling. Based on such novel type wicks, current
limitations of two-phase loops (limited pumping capabilities under 1-g, need
for subcooling, etc.) can be solved. This activity will develop novel types
of wick structure for the next generation two-phase loops, perform an
extensive trade-off taking into account all possible wick materials and wick
producing methods, supported by experimental activities, and test selected
wick structures in a realistic two-phase loop.
ESTEC
04.127.28
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
REGENERATIVE LIFE SUPPORT: GREENHOUSE MODULE
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Study the concept and design of greenhouse module for a planet base. Taking
into account current ESA studies in structure, the concept of the greenhouse
module will be studied. Depending on the mission scenario (i.e. transit or
planet base), a trade-off addressing the structure, material selection, and
design will be performed. Within this study the constraints of life support
processes (selected crop, hydrodynamics, thermal control, humidity control,
pressure control, light utilization, plant harvest, water recovery ?) as well
as the space one (reduced gravity, mass, radiation effects,..) will be
considered. Preliminary tests on material will be performed. When possible,
the production process of the material selected will be described. When
appropriate, in situ resources utilization will be considered (i.e. CO2 )
based on the results.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.: E
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 235
Ref. No.
04.127.32
PAYLOAD ADAPTORS WITH INTEGRATED SHOCK AND VIBRATION
DAMPING
TT Q
PP
Price
Payload adaptor is a key element to reduce and filter shock and vibration
excitation inside the spacecrafts with an associated cost and mass saving at
satellite level. Some developments are presently running in this area, but
are more S/C oriented. Main idea of the present proposal is to develop a
fully integrated adaptor, which includes the attenuator device. Relative
displacements being larger on the adaptor side, this solution exhibits in
theory a better potential. This payload adaptor will reduce the induced
excitation levels at the spacecraft with the associated cost and mass saving
at satellite level by a passive system. Description of sub-activities and
Planning: - Trade studies to select the most adequate mechanical
configuration. - Modification of a standard adaptor to add damping
capabilities by a passive system. - Qualification by test of the adaptor to
verify the shock / vibration attenuation capabilities. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 236
Ref. No.
05.127.01
ADVANCED LOW TEMPERATURE RADIATORS FOR LEO
TT Q
PP
Price
Hyperspectral detectors in the short wave infrared (SWIR) require an
operating temperature of around 170K. Passive radiators, even in low earth
orbits, can obtain this temperature. But these radiators are quite voluminous
and their accommodation, specifically on small spacecrafts is difficult or
not possible (e.g. Spectra). A potential way to reduce the volume of such
radiators is to combine them with Peltier cooler to increase the operating
temperature of the radiator. A major design driver for this solution is the
low performance of classical Peltier elements in the temperature range 170K 220K. Recent developments in Peltier coolers showed major improvements in the
performance, by e.g. new materials (CsBi4Te6) with a better performance at
170K-250K or low dimensional structures. The expected gain is between
40%-100% in power consumption and heat to be rejected, which would be
sufficient to use passive radiators instead of active cooling systems (e.g.
Spectra) The objective of this study is to develop a compact low temperature
radiator in combination with an advanced Peltier element to cool down
passively hyperspectral detectors (below -100 deg. C) in LEO for Earth
observation. In the frame of this activity concepts shall be established for
compact low temperature radiators and the performance of the Peltier coolers
shall be optimised at this low temperature by e.g. using new materials or
manufacturing technologies. The performance of the cooler shall then be
verified by breadboard tests and the implementation of this technology in
future applications shall be discussed. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 237
Ref. No.
05.127.03
MANIKIN VIRTUAL IVA/EVA SUIT
TT Q
PP
Price
In general the virtual design environment is providing more and more support
in all phases of design and verification (Virtual Spacecraft Design
Activity). In manned space activities it is obvious that the human should be
in the loop immediately at the start of the design and verification
processes. By doing this in the virtual environment of the design, it will be
possible to identify human factor related problems and solutions early in
that process. In the cases where humans travel to and live in space with and
without suits for EVA (Extra Vehicular Activities) or IVA (Intra Vehicular
Activities) there are specific needs and limitations that need to be
introduced into the design process. This will have an impact on the
Spacecraft design as well as for a future European need to develop space
suits, for instance for autonomous European crew transport capabilities. The
objective is to provide a parameterized database of space-suit and
environmental suit classes that can be used in combination with virtual
manikins for design, human factor analysis and verification, and in future
for education and training. Type of tender C(2) - activities in open
competition, where a significant participation of non-primes is requested.
For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy
measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09
Q1
100-200
Page 238
Ref. No.
05.127.04
TT Q
MEMBRANE GAS TRAP TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR FOR COLUMBUS
PP
Price
Under ESA contract, an MGT has been developed and tested against Columbus
water loop degassing performance requirements. The technology looks very
promising. However, the achieved performance was only at 33% of the flow. The
proposed activity is a follow-on activity covering the development of a MGT
gas trap TD in form, fit and function (FFF) meeting the Columbus water loop
degassing requirement. The technology demonstrator shall include all Columbus
imposed safety features and shall also be subjected to environmental testing
(vibration test) and extended lifetime performance testing (resistance to
micro biological growth) using the real coolant water quality. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
05.127.05
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
HIGH TEMPERATURE LIGHT WEIGHT CMC ROLLER BEARING WITH
LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
CMC sliding bearings developed for X-38 body flap show high coefficients of
friction (COF) resulting in high wear rates, heavy load introduction and high
activation forces. Considering this technology at the basis of any movable
control surface for future space transportation systems (attachment and
movement of hot control surface like body flaps, rudders and elevons), it is
considered of utmost importance to investigate in this innovative direction.
The objective of the proposed activity is to develop and manufacture a CMC
high temperature roller bearing with low COF and experimental qualification
in a thermo-mechanical test (max. 1600 ”C in air) with dynamic movements.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 239
Ref. No.
05.127.06
LAYER BY LAYER, LOW ENERGY ELECTRON BEAM CURING
PROCESS FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
TT Q
PP
Price
There is a growing interest of European and US aerospace communities for
curing processes based on Electron Beam Radiation. This interest is mainly
focused on the manufacturing of large and thick composite structures, due to
the main following advantages: low cost tools can be used due to limited
thermal rises during curing, very low production of volatile compounds,
Energy savings. The objective of the activity proposed is to develop out of
autoclave processes for composite structure curing by optimising and
developing the layer-by-layer low energy curing process. The activity will
include also an economical analysis based on the evaluation of materials,
tooling and machines NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
05.127.07
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
VCHP THERMAL SYSTEM-LEVEL MODELING
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
C
09
Q1
The objective is to develop a generic software module to carry out the
analysis of Variable Conductance Heat Pipes (VCHPs) at system-level. The
module shall be used to simulate the impact of VCHPs on the overall Thermal
Control System (TCS) of a spacecraft. This will thus require simulating in a
simplified yet representative manner the interaction of VCHPs mathematical
models with a (large) Thermal Mathematical Model (TMM). The module shall be
compliant with ESATAN either as a pre-processing tool generating ESATAN
language, or as a tool interacting directly with ESATAN at run-time, or as an
ESATAN subroutine or submodel template.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.: POR
Status: INTENDED
100-200
Page 240
Ref. No.
05.127.08
MINIATURE PYROTECHNIC CONNECTOR/DISCONNECTOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Miniature pyrotechnic initiators have been demonstrated in recent contract
activities. The objective of this activity is to develop miniature connectors
/ disconnectors according to user needs. This will include the definition of
requirements and design; and as a second step the manufacture and the
performance measurements. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 241
Ref. No.
05.127.10
NDE TECHNIQUES FOR APPLICATIONS IN COMPOSITES
MANUFACTURING
TT Q
PP
Price
In recent years, the Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) of structures has
proven beneficial in the improvement of manufacturing processes as well as in
the assessment of the integrity of structures. While many of the available
NDE techniques are capable of assessing a homogeneous component on a
qualitative level, research is still underway in the area of NDE for
improving the capability of quantifying subsurface flaws in terms of
orientation and size.The objectives of this work are summarized as follows:
1.The initial phase of the project will involve the exploration of computed
x-ray microtomography (micro-CT) as an NDE technique for composite materials.
The objectives of this exploration will be to investigate the use of micro-CT
for direct detection of micro-cracking and debonding in composite structures,
and to develop micro-CT as a research tool in the development of a coupled
experimental and computational non-destructive testing methodology for
assessing subsurface fractures within structures. 2. The next phase of the
project has the objective of developing an analytical model relating surface
displacements to subsurface flaw size and shape in composite structures. This
would be an extension of current work that concentrates on using such methods
for characterizing embedded flaws such as sensor for monitoring cracks in
homogeneous materials. 3. The final phase of this project will be to combine
these tools into a non-destructive evaluation technique capable of assessing
the integrity of composite structures and improve health monitoring in
composites manufacturing. Description of sub-activities and Planning:
Technique of monitoring of the integrity of the structure in field conditions
especially in the launch environment will be addressed. Type of tender C(2) activities in open competition, where a significant participation of
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 242
Ref. No.
05.127.11
FOLDED CORE STRUCTURES FOR FLAT AND CURVED
SANDWICH-PANELS
TT Q
PP
Price
The IFB ("Institute of Aircraft Design") developed during the project LuFo II
a process of manufacturing lightweight core structures by folding thin plane
materials. Those structures are candidates for future passenger airplane
bodies as spacers for a planed double-skin concept. This technology possesses
a high cost-reduction-potential for sandwich-materials compared to e.g.
honeycombs. A specialty of folded core structures is, that material
properties like longitudinal, width-wise or perpendicular stiffness and
strength can be tailored for a plate or shell by calculating a fitting
geometry. In that way the core structure can be fitted to a specific
loading-case. Almost every foldable material like thin metal sheets, paper,
etc. can be folded with the same machine. Today folded core structures can
be manufactured for applications like panels, lightweight wall constructions,
etc. The objectives of this activity are to further develop the process for
spacecraft aeronautical structures and components and materials; to
investigate inspection methods (NDE) for CRFP structures with folded cores;
to manufacture and test a demonstrator panel; to develop and test methods to
introduce inserts into panels with foldable cores; and to develop analysis
guidelines and failure criteria for folded core structures. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 243
Ref. No.
05.127.13
PIEZO-POLYMER TRANSDUCERS FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
AND HEALTH MONITORING
TT Q
PP
Price
The piezo-polymeric transducers present many advantages, the most significant
of them are: - production cost: due to the intrinsic low cost of the polymer
support and of the process of shaping the transducer (by " laser scribing"
process on a piezo-polymer film metalized with gold or other conductive
metals); - conformability: due to the elasticity of the polymeric structure
of the support this type of sensors can be adapted (glued, bonded) to the
body under test also in concave or convex surfaces- reliability and
mechanical robustness: due to the intrinsic polymer characteristics; - direct
coupling without the necessity to use other matching materials; - wide
spectrum of applications compared to piezo-ceramic transducers. Piezo-polymer
Transducers can be developed to be used during the all phases of space
missions. This activity aims at developing new piezo-polymer sensors suitable
to generate and receive acoustic guided waves in composite materials,
employed in structures, elements or components for space applications (such
as tanks, boosters, parts of launchers, elements of a spacecraft or of a
space infrastructure, large antennas). This activity will include the
engineering, manufacturing and validation of PPT’s (both at engineering model
level and at proto-flight model level) for defects detection/monitoring on
composite Materials, first in simulated launch / space conditions and later
during a selected space mission or within an in-flight experiment on the ISS.
Due to the different environment conditions, different type of transducers
and different type of coupling to the Composite Material could be implemented
and validated during a dedicated test campaign. It could also be evaluated
the possibility of embedding this kind of sensors directly into the Composite
Material during the manufacturing phase according to different production
processes. Type of tender C(3) - activities in open competition, restricted
to SMEs and R&D entities. For additional information please go to EMITS news
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 244
Ref. No.
05.127.15
LIFETIME EXTENSION OF SMALL ROTARY COOLERS FOR
MICROSATELLITES AND INTERPLANETARY MISSIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Propose design changes to coolers, which would increase lifetime without
major increase in cost, mass or required power. Modify cryocoolers and
undertake performance characterisation of the cooler. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
05.127.16
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
LIFETESTING OF NEW CONCEPTS
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
The objective of this activity is to assess the long-term behaviour of the
new generation of two-phase loops through a dedicated lifetest programme. The
activity shall start with the design and manufacturing of the appropriate
number of two-phase loops for a comprehensive lifetest programme, taking into
account all materials which will be used in real loops, the design and
manufacturing of the appropriate test set-up, the definition of a lifetest
programme and the execution of this programme. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q1
Page 245
Ref. No.
07.127.05
CRYOGENIC HARNESS FOR DETECTOR ARRAYS
TT Q
PP
Price
There is a major need to reduce the cryogenic cooling power needed by a
detector array, leading to significant reductions in payload mass, power and
complexity. This in turn leads to a corresponding reduction in the
susceptibility of detector arrays to EMI and microphonics. Current cryogenic
harnesses have a number of problems. The electrical requirements on future
harnesses will be the same as for current ones. However, new harnesses will
need to carry much larger numbers of signals, and have higher immunity to the
presence of magnetic fields. In addition, there has been no significant
attempt to model the harness architecture and accurately predict the coupled
electromagnetic and thermal performance of the harness. This activity focus
on the design, development and testing of a cryogenic harness using new
materials and manufacturing techniques. It will also develop an
electrical/thermal model to support the design. The final harness will also
be tested with S-Cam 4 at ESTEC.
ESTEC
THERMAL DIVISION / TEC-MT
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 246
Ref. No.
07.127.09
NANOTUBE REINFORCED STRUCTURAL MATERIALS FOR
SPACECRAFT APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
With strength and stiffness properties several 100 times better than that of
steel and conductivity better than copper, Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) have
extraordinary intrinsic electrical and mechanical properties making them
potentially attractive materials for use in lightweight spacecraft structures
and subsystems. Research on the possibility of using such materials for
improving the properties of known materials such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Plastics (CFRP), has been performed, and the results indicate that some
improvement is indeed possible. The objectives of the proposed activity are
to identify and investigate possible improvement of spacecraft structural
materials, near term as well as long term. For what concerns near term the
work shall focus on the reinforcement of the CFRP resin material. Realistic
improvements shall be defined based on literature data and specially
manufactured test samples, and shall address improvements related to: tensile, compressive and shear (ILS) strength; - stiffness; - structural
damping; - failure mechanisms; - conductivity;. Relevant manufacturing
methodologies shall be investigated and documented. For what concerns long
term, (>2015) possible applications of CNT in spacecraft structures shall be
evaluated. This shall include the identification of possible new materials,
e.g. development of new CNT reinforced fibres and resins, and their possible
application areas, including highly loaded spacecraft structures, lightweight
flexible deployable and inflatable structures, membranes etc. In addition,
the perspective of availability of CNT for European activities shall be
considered taking into account the required European non-dependence target,
and a related survey document shall be produced.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: EX ITEM 07.1QC.05 ISSUED 1-6023
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 247
Ref. No.
08.127.01
DEVELOPMENT OF A CRYOCOOLER LIBRARY FOR ECOSIMPRO
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of the proposed activity is to develop a cryocooler modelling
library for EcosimPro. A link with a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool
shall also be developed. EcosimPro is the agency’s standard software package
for the modelling of environmental control and life support systems. More
generally, however, it is actually a completely generic simulation tool that
can be used to model any system that can be described using
differential-algebraic equations (DAE), ordinary-differential equations (ODE)
and discrete events. Thus over recent years many libraries have been
developed for EcosimPro that enable modelling different types of problems
such as thermal, control, electrical and hydraulic systems. The objective of
the proposed activity is to develop a cryocooler library for EcosimPro. As
far as possible, this library would re-use components and algorithms from
existing libraries, however, where necessary, new components would also be
developed. The following types of components are envisaged: - Fluid flow
components - Thermal / heat transfer components - Mechanical components e.g.
pistons, drive linkages - Electro/Mechanical components e.g. motors, linear
motors, drivers The models developed in using this cryocooler library could
be used for design phase analyses and the optimisation functionality
available in EcosimPro could be extremely useful for this purpose.
Furthermore, the models could be integrated in spacecraft system level
thermal analyses by linking ESATAN with the C++ class that is generated by
every EcosimPro model. For more detailed analysis of multi-dimensional flow
effects in cryocoolers, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models are often
developed. The proposed EcosimPro developments would therefore also include a
link with a CFD tool so that detailed fluid analysis of specific components
can be combined with the cryocooler system model in EcosimPro. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G605-44GM
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q1
50-100
Page 248
Ref. No.
08.127.02
ADVANCED LASER INSTRUMENT THERMAL DESIGN
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective is to develop an integrated, optimised thermal
design concept for future (high-power) laser-based instruments. Description:
Solid-state laser instruments are very demanding with respect to thermal
control. On one side the actual laser diodes have to be thermally controlled
fullfilling stringent requirements; e.g. high thermal flux densities, high
temperature stability and uniformity (over lifetime), increased dissipation
over lifetime. On the other side, the optical medium needs to be also
thermally controlled with requirements on temperature stability and
uniformity, while - at the same time - being a quite fragile optical element.
Current thermal designs are based on a ’box-level’ approach, where heat pipes
(or potentially in the future loop heat pipes) are attached on the outside of
the actual laser-box, i.e. quite away from the actually to be thermally
controlled items. Therefore such an approach results in rather low radiator
temperatures due to a number of thermal resistances in the heat path
resulting - especiallly in LEO - in large radiators which complicates the
accommodation of such instruments. The activity shall - based on one of the
two currently existing laser design (i.e. ADM or ATLID) - critically review
the current thermal design. All potential areas for improvement of the
thermal design shall be clearly identified, taking into account advanced
thermal control tools. Based on this, an advanced new thermal design concept
shall be proposed resulting in reduced temperature drops, high temperature
stability and uniformity as well as temperature controllability. This
activity shall be supported by adequate thermal modelling to predict the
performance of the new concept. A demonstrator of the selected concept shall
then be built and fully tested. Based on these activities, thermal design
guidelines and recommendations shall be issued for future laser designs.The
implementation of this activity is conditional on the selection of the
A-SCOPE mission.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: ON HOLD
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 249
Ref. No.
08.127.03
WINDOW DESIGN FOR MANNED SPACECRAFT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To establish a feasible structural integrity approach for
critical pressurized windows in manned spaceflight application. Description:
European experience in designing and manufacturing pressurized glass windows
for human spaceflight applications(spacecraft and payloads) is limited. The
fact that small cracks tend to grow as a function of time, rather than
pressure cycles, and the sensitivity to brittle failure due to stress
concentration, makes safe design for long lifetime challenging. Currently
pressurized glass of payloads is designed to relatively low stress, and
definition of acceptance criteria for defects can be problematic. The study
should address: * detailed definition of design criteria and specification
for candidate materials for pressurized windows; * development of inspection
methods, proof test methods, other acceptance test methods and criteria for
acceptance of detected defects; * determination of relevant strength,
fracture toughness and crack growth parameters of candidate materials
applicable environments; * analysis, design and test of breadboard
pressurized window, candidate materials include: fused silica, MgF2 (TBC),
sapphire (TBC). This activity will specifically focus on the structural
integrity aspects of windows /viewports in payloads/experiments and habitats.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 250
Ref. No.
08.127.05
CHARACTERISATION OF A NITROGEN RECYCLING UNIT FOR
WATER RECOVERY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Study of static mass balances and hydrodynamics of a nitrifying
process. Description: Nitrogen recycling is a well known difficulty in the
ECLSS domain and so far technologies are mainly aiming to a N complete
removal. Unfortunately, the only known technology is energy costly and
bi-phasic. Alternative approaches would require a specific pre-treatment of
Nitrogen. Preliminary trade-off has allowed to identify the nitrification as
a very promising pre-treatment, but this possibility needs to be confirmed by
a higher level of process characterisation (mass balance, oxygen needs,
volumetric mass transfer coefficient KLa,..). This characterisation will
allow to issue recommendations for a preliminary design. Procurement Policy:
C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of nonprimes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to
ESTEC
08.127.06
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
REMOVAL OF SPECIFIC CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IN WATER
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Objectives: To study, test and select best-suited technology, establishment
of a technology development plan. Description: In order to increase water
loop closure in future planetary habitats, a condensate, urine and grey water
recovery unit is being defined (C 19857). This unit combines nitrification
and advanced filtration techniques. Heavy metals originating from condensate
(leaching from heat exchanger, piping) will certainly accumulate in the
recovery unit and become toxic for the nitrification. Today, minerals
(including heavy metals) are absorbed in ORU multi-filtration beds. Part of
the minerals, which could be further used in other LSS elements (i.e. food
production unit) are consequently wasted. In order to allow maximum
recycling, it is necesary to develop a new technique for specific removal of
heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ag, Ni, Na). Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 251
Ref. No.
08.127.07
PRELIMINARY DEFINITION OF ON-LINE CHEMICAL WATER
QUALITY ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To study and test analytical methods to monitor water quality and
select the best-suited methods for on-line application. Description: Today,
aboard ISS, monitoring of the quality of recovered water is mainly performed
using on-line pH and electroconductivity measurement. Contamination by
organics is not monitored. Electroconductivity is a lump parameter, which
indicates the amount of minerals present in the water but does not allow
understanding the origin of any mineral contamination. As mission duration
increases, water loop closure shall also be increased by considering
recycling of urine and hygiene water. In order to better monitor the quality
of recovered water and to be able to determine the origin of contamination,
the development of an on-line analytical system is necessary. Preliminary
attention will be paid to , NH4, NO3, Na, K, P and generic technologies. this
study will include bibliography review, preliminary tests of analytical
techniques, selection of the best suited techniques for on-line application.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 252
Ref. No.
08.127.09
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF PRESSURIZED STRUCTURES:
ADVANCED NON-LINEAR METHODOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To improve non-linear fracture mechanics models for application
in damage tolerance evaluation of pressurized launcher structures including
welded structures and other high performance applications where LEFM is too
conservative or inadequate. Description: Pressurized structures, such as
launcher tanks, booster cases and pressure vessels are generally optimized
for mass and therefore operate at relatively high stresses. Application of
the traditionally applied Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) for safe
life evaluation is in some cases inadequate for such applications: depending
on the situation it may be both too conservative (resulting in mass penalty)
or potentially unsafe. The need for more advanced, non-linear or
Elastic-Plastic Fracture Mechanics (EPFM) is therefore recognized, and will
be reflected in e.g. the next version of the ECSS fracture control standard
(ECSS-E-32-01). EPFM methodology has been applied successfully on e.g. a
number of European launcher structures, based on the results of the
Structural Integrity of Launchers Study performed by ESA in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, EPFM methodologies have evolved, e.g. in European (SINTAP, FITNET)
and American studies. The need to evaluate the suitability and potential of
the improved methods for highly loaded space (pressurized) structures, and to
provide guidelines and better integration with the existing software tools
used for damage tolerance verification on ESA projects (ESACRACK, FRAMES-2)
is identified. In general, current damage tolerance analysis methods relies
on LEFM for safe life evaluation. For high performance structures, including
pressure vessels, for the next generation of RLV or ELV structures such
evaluation may be too restrictive or even inadequate. Damage tolerance
evaluation, which may take into account material plasticity becomes
necessary. This activity will include several tasks: Establishment of
advanced methods for analysis of crack extension and strength under static
load (e.g. R6, SINTAP, strip yield), including development of relevant new
J-integral solutions for structural details containing surface cracks;
Assessment tools for void creation, extension and strength under static load
(e.g. Gurson models); Establishment of advanced methods for analysis of
fatigue crack and void growth in plastic conditions, incl. investigation and
improvement of existing models; implementation in damage tolerance analysis
and database software tools (ESACRACK, FRAMES2), or to link/integrate them
with suitable existing non-linear fracture mechanics software, as
appropriate. Guidelines on how to implement more advanced finite element
analysis in case simplified analysis using the standard software tools is
considered inadequate. These tasks will include tests on cracked samples of
representative materials (e.g. Al2219, Al-Li, D6AC steel, Inconel, titanium)
to verify the analytical models, where necessary. Procurement Policy: C(2) =
A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 253
Programme Ref.:
TRP T419-013MC
Status:
INTENDED
08.127.11
HIGH CONDUCTIVE CFRP SANDWICH TECHNOLOGIES FOR
PLATFORMS
Objectives: Development of CFRP spacecraft panel structures using conductive
CFRP fibers in order to reduce mass, where conductive fibers are need for
thermal reasons. The design shall show clear mass benefits with limited cost
and impact. Description: Design/ manufacturing and qualification of
demonstrator radiative panel using high conductive CFRP. Material screening
and selection. Manufacturing of samples as well as a demonstrator breadboard.
ESTEC
08.127.13
C
Z
Status: ON HOLD
MECHANICAL DESIGN AND VERIFICATION METHODOLOGIES FOR
CERAMIC STRUCTURES
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Objectives: Development of design and verification methodologies for highly
stable structures manufactured from ceramic materials. Analysis
methodologies as well test methodologies shall be defined. This shall
include: appropriate methods for derivation of allowables; numerical analysis
methodologies e.g. effect of stress concentrations, failure criteria etc;
test methodologies, e.g. for prooftesting. Description: Ceramic materials
are being used in larger and load carrying structures and subsystems,
however design and verification methodologies to assure the reliability of
such structures are lacking. The characteristics of such materials, e.g. the
variation in properties, brittleness, low damping etc makeing the
application of conventional design and verification approaches questionable
- and in some cases unconservative. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 254
Ref. No.
08.127.14
VERIFICATION OF NEW SOURCES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR
SPACECRAFT STRUCTURES APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objectives of this activity is to identify and verify
European sources for fibres and resin. Description: European manufacturers of
space structures are mainly using materials from the US and Japan. Although
European providers of resins and fibres are available their acceptance for
space projects is limited. Typical reasons are a lack of familiarity and
missing confidence in those materials. Also costs, risks and efforts for
performing individual qualification programs is discouraging European
manufacturers to select local suppliers. However, within the last year the
availability of "space proven" composite materials has become critical and
may soon require to have reliable alternatives. Therefore, during the course
of this activity following tasks are foreseen: a) Researching the European
market w.r.t. available resins and fibre materials (e.g. UMS 3536 carbon PAN
fiber), b) identifying two or three materials of each category, which are
mostly used by all manufacturers of space structures (eg. RS-3, RS-9, T300,
M40J, M55J), c) identifying the advantages of European "new generation
materials" compared to older, certified materials, e.g. ACG LTM123 low
temperature moulding cyanate ester resin or novel spreading technology, which
enables production of very lightweight (80gsm) fabrics from more
available/affordable large tows (12k and higher), d) performing Qualification
Tests according to ECSS and other standards and directly comparing the
performance of the materials under otherwise identical conditions (stiffness,
strength, CTE, outgassing, thermal cycling, degradation by radiation).
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: ON HOLD
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 255
Ref. No.
08.127.15
INNOVATIVE CURING SYSTEMS FOR POLYMERISATION IN SPACE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To improve existing concept or find innovative solutions of
curing system for rigidization by polymerisation, of an inflatable composite
structure. Description: In the frame of TRP "Ultra-Light Structures",
specification of curing system requirements (lighting characteristics,
temperature, inflatable structure geometry, polymerisation duration) and
review of the available technologies for lighting and/or heating system have
been undertaken. During the course of the proposed activity, this will be
updated taking into account lessons learnt from the TRP project and problems
identified on the current solution.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 256
Ref. No.
08.127.16
LINEAR FLUID PUMP
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective is to develop a highly reliable longlife pump for
liquids based on the existing flexure bearing linear compressor technology
developed for Stirling/Pulse Tube coolers. Description: Compressors based on
flexure bearings have been successfully developed in Europe for driving
Stirling and Pulse Tube coolers and have shown a lifetimes of up to 16 years
during ground tests and 8 to 10 years of in-orbit operation. For pumping
liquids as for example in heat transport loops (single or two-phase), the
pumps are mainly based on rotary types, with the need for dynamic seals and
bearings. As potential alternative to such pumps, an existing longlife
compressor (based on flexure bearings and hence not needing any dynamic
bearings) shalll be adapted to allow the use of liquids instead of gases as
working fluid. As this design does have the potential for scaling, potential
applications for such pumps in cooling loops (single- and/or two-phase) can
cover a large range, from the thermal control of Rovers, dedicated thermal
control of laser instrument, up to pumped thermal control loops for future
telecom S/C. The activity shall start with the establishment of a list of
liquids compatible with the compressors and with thermal properties needed
for thermal control loops and potentially also in heat pumps. The existing
compressor design shall then be adapted for such fluids if and where needed,
however without changing any of the design features which are related to
lifetime issues. The adapted compressor shall then be tested with various
fluids, mainly focussing on fluids suitable for thermal control purposes.
After evaluation of the results, an improved, preliminary design of a liquid
linear longlife compressor shall be established and performance estimates
provided. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 257
Ref. No.
08.127.18
THERMO-ELECTRIC COOLER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective is to develop a European highly reliable
thermo-electric cooler for detector and sample cooling compatible with the
Space Environment. Description: A number of instruments and payloads for
Earth Observation, Exploration and Science require active solid state cooling
of detectors or samples up to 30K below the environment to either achieve the
operating temperature or to stabilise the temperature. Such a technology
could also be used as add-on stage to a passive cooler/radiator to reach
cryogenic temperatures without the use of Stirling or Pulse-Tube coolers
(e.g. for SWIR detectors). Thermoelectric (Peltier) coolers can provide an
effcient and compact solution for such applications. However, there is
currently no European source for such items for use in space applications.
Within the activity, a thermo-electric cooler, suitable to cool detectors or
sample 30-40 K below the environment in Space shall be developed, taking
advantage of existing technologies and capabilities developed in Europe for
ground and military applications. Various staging concepts shall be
investigated. The packaging and I/F shall be compliant with standard space
procedure/standards and a suitable electronics concept to operate the
Thermo-Electric Cooler shall also be established. A prototype of such a
cooler shall then be manufactured and tested to establish its perfomance map.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 258
Ref. No.
08.127.19
NEXT GENERATION REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING AS A BASIS
FOR MBSE AND E2E PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Establish a mechanism for the specification, use and verification
of complete, computer-interpretable requirement specifications using a
combination of structured natural language and formal language. Description:
Background: A complete and consistent set of verifiable requirements form the
basis for MBSE and End-to-End performance analysis. Wherever possible
requirements should be quantified in the form of constraints (mathematical
formulae) w.r.t. properties, i.e. relating a quantity to a (range of) desired
values. Also the logical relationship between requirements should be made
explicit. Where needed uncertainty margins and probability distributions
should be taken into account. Such requirements then form in principle a set
of equations to be satisfied during verification and validation. This
activity should build on earlier studies on requirements specification such
as SpecRight. Inputs: MathML (content and presentation), OpenMath, OCL,
SysML, Structured Natural Languages, Formal Languages, ... Tasks: (1) Analyze
common patterns in requirements specification and develop/document methods to
transform test based requirements into property- based requirements; (2)
Develop automated transformation of sets of property-based requirements into
SysML Parametric Diagrams or similar notations; Feed into non-causal
mathematical solver engines such as Ecosim or Modelica; Link with MBSE for
automated computer executable verification of design models w.r.t. the
property based requirement specifications; (3) Integrate and demonstrate in
at least two requirements engineering tools. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A
relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non- primes
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 259
Ref. No.
08.127.20
MICRO HEAT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective is to identify suitable thermal control means for
micro/nano satellites, identify suitable standard thermal hardware (e.g.
thermistors, MLI) and design tools compatible with the mass and volume of a
micro/nano sat and identify any novel technology required to enable a
passive, low power thermal control system for a multipurpose micro/nano
satellite. Description: Within the activity a thermal control system for a
micro/nano sat shall be established, with the goal to minimise the heater
power required, specifically during eclipse times, when no power from the
solar arrays are available. For this purpose, coatings with variable
epsilon/alpha shall be analysed and the use of PCM s shall be considered. In
addition, it shall be assessed whether the use of heatswitches, micro heat
pipes or other thermal technologies are required to simplify the thermal
control system of a Micro/nano sat. After this, an equipment list for the
micro heat management system shall be established and suitable suppliers
shall be identified. In case no existing hardware can be identified, a
development plan for the missing items shall be established. In parallel, the
applicability of thermal design tools and margins philosophies used in
classical Spacecraft shall be critical assessed for micro/nano spacecraft
technologies. If required, alternative tools shall be investigated and a new
margin philosophy shall be established.
ESTEC
08.127.22
C
Z
Status: ON HOLD
AIRBAG FOR SMALL PAYLOADS
09 NO
Q1
100-200
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Objectives: Design airbags for small payloads. Description: Review of the
requirements, and previous studies on airbags. Define trade-off criteria for
the type of airbag (vented, non-vented) depending on the mass/landing
velocities of the payload. Investigate the scale effect from Exomars to
smaller payloads and the need for delta developments. Trade-off the
possibilities to vent the airbag. Design an airbag for a given mission
(Netlander type). A second phase (not part of this proposal) should cover the
manufacturing and testing of a breadboard of the airbag.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 260
Ref. No.
08.127.23
CRUSHABLE TPS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Integrate the insulation and damping function between TPS and
structure. Description: Investigate a design of heatshield that has crushing
capabilities, for example by inserting a crushable insulating foam between
TPS and cold structure, thus reducing the TPS thickness. Trade-off, design,
manufacture and test a breadboard.
ESTEC
09.127.01
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
15K PULSE TUBE COOLER
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Objectives: The objective is to develop a multistage Pulse Tube cooler
capable to pre-cool the advanced JT cooler at a temperature of 15K.
Description: 2-4K Joule Thompson cooler require pre-cooling at 15K. For that
purpose, a 10K Stirling cooler is currently under development, providing more
than 200mW at 15K. As an alternative a Pulse Tube cooler starting from cold
temperatures is currently under development, but still requires either
passive pre-cooling or another active cooler. To overcomee this complexity
and to provide an alternative to the Stirling cooler under development, a
multistage Pulse Tube cooler, starting from room temperature shall be
designed, manufactured and tested. A suitable long-life linear compressor
shall be developed.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: CTP C220-032MC
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 261
Ref. No.
09.127.03
MICROBIAL PATHOGEN IDENTIFICATION IN WATER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Study and selection of technologies for automatic and fast
identification of pathogen in water. Description: The need to close the water
loop on board considerably increases the microbial risk. This risk has been
recently confirmed by the modification of the ISS Medical Operation
Requirement Document, which now requires to identify potential pathogens in
water. The proposed activity will exploit the experience of terrestrial
industry to develop a system for continuous monitoring of microbial
contamination in the water on board manned spacecraft. The basic idea is to
take advantage of gene based techniques and to study the implementation of
all the steps versus space applications requirements. Within this study it is
proposed to review, select and test potential technologies for a fast and
automatic identification of pathogens in water. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 262
Ref. No.
09.127.04
EXTRACTION OF SPECIFIC CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IN THE
AIR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To review and study existing techniques wrt targeted
contaminants, perform preliminary tests, select best-suited extraction
technology, establish a development plan. Description: The LSS for a future
planetary habitat shall allow maximum recovery of consumables from the wastes
generated by the crew in order to increase water and gas loops closure. Such
a LSS will be composed of several interlinked sub-systems, from waste
treatment to food production. To date, all waste treatment systems under
development mainly generate CO2 and gaseous contaminants, the nature of which
depends on the selected waste treatment technique. Currently, photo-oxidation
processes are used to transform volatile organics into re-usable CO2.
However, such processes are not able to cope with contaminants such as NOx,
SOx, H2S, skatole, furans, phenols and other conjugated organics. These
gaseous contaminants need to be removed in order to allow re-use of the
produced CO2 in a closed life support systems. Procurement Policy: C(3) =
Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional information please
go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001) "Industrial Policy measures for
ESTEC
09.127.05
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
FRACTURE CONTROL/DAMAGE TOLERANCE METHODS FOR HIGHLY
LOADED LAUNCHER COMPONENTS
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Establishment of advanced fracture/damage tolerance tools and methodologies
for highly loaded launcher structures such as engine components, tanks,
skirts etc. Such methods shall make use of recent advances in stochastic
analysis and defect propagation retardation models.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 263
Ref. No.
09.127.06
METHODOLOGY FOR ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL BORN
MICRO-VIBRATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of a methodology for analysis of micro-vibration
transmission through spacecraft structures. Description: Equipment like
Reaction Wheels, Gyros and Coolers are sources of micro-vibration in
spacecraft. Often such payloads/instruments onboard spacecraft have
restrictions wrt the allovable micro-vibration disturbance allowed. The
verification is generally based on analysis, in some cases supported by
source characterisation tests and tests to define the transfer function in
the structure. However, methodologies on how to perform the required analysis
is missing. Often the higher/mid-range frequencies are disregarded due to
shortcomings in the FE models, and often the dynamics and damping of the
structural models are not verified for micro-vibrations (the dynamics and
damping of the structure can be different when very small amplitudes are
applied). In this study methodologies for micro-vibration analysis will be
developed, addressing details of the math models to be used as well as tests
needed to characterize the structure.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 264
Ref. No.
09.127.07
INTEGRATING THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD INTO THE SPACE
THERMAL ANALYSIS PROCESS
TT Q
PP
Price
The use of the Finite Element Method (FEM) for space thermal analysis
promises many benefits compared with the current Thermal Lumped Parameter
(TLP) method used today. Thermal engineers would have access to state of the
art FEM pre-processors, providing more modelling functionality and increasing
their efficiency. The fidelity of thermal models, and their applicability for
high accuracy and thermo-elastic applications, would also be improved.
Furthermore, the use of FEM modelling tools, and the link with CAD that they
provide, would bring advantages for the mechanical engineering design process
(e.g. sharing of models with structures). The objective of the proposed
activity is to attain these potential benefits by addressing deficiencies,
for S/C thermal analysis, in current FEM tools, such as: FEM modelling of
specific hardware for space thermal control such as multi-layer insulation
(MLI), heat pipes, fluid loops and heaters. FEM modelling of phenomena
crucial for space thermal analysis e.g. thermal contact resistance.
Modelling of radiation exchange in an efficient way using FEM tools and
solvers. Implementation of thermal control logic in FEM models e.g.
different operational modes of equipment. Integration of traditional TLP
models and FEM models e.g. how to plug in a subsystem level TLP model into a
S/C level FEM model or vice-versa
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 265
Ref. No.
09.127.08
SMALL SCALE COOLER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective is to develop and test a small scale cooler for the
temperature range down to 80K for small payloads. Description: For Earth
Observation, Science and Exploration, there is a need for small scale coolers
(mass of less than 1 kg) providing cooling capacities of 0.5 W down to 80K to
fulfil the needs of small payloads, experiments and piggy-back missions. A
small, compact and competitive cooler shall be developed. In addition, such a
cooler shall also provide a standard I/F towards the detectors as e.g. used
for military ground aplications to allow the potential use off COTS detectors
and dewars in the future. In the first part of the activity, a detailed
design of the cooler shall be performed, supported by a detailed modelling
study on miniaturisation, based on an existing proven cooler design. In the
second part, the cooler shall be manufactured and performance tests shall be
carreid out. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
09.127.09
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
HEAT PUMP CONCEPTUAL STUDY AND DESIGN
09 NO
Q3
200-500
09 NO
Q4
100-200
Objectives: Establish a conceptual thermal control design based on a heat
pump system to enable future ESA Exploration missions subjected to "warm"
environment and/or to enable future very high-powered telecommunication
satellites. Description: The study will be divided into several tasks: - To
perform a complete review/assessment of all terrestrial heat-pump
technologies resulting in an extensive heat-pump database; - To review the
compliance of all heat-pump technologies with respect to space environment in
general and to lunar and martian specific environment; - To perform an
extensive trade-off between the selected heat-pump technologies; - To
establish a conceptual design and a Development Plan based on the most
promising technology/technologies, clearly indicating all steps to be taken
in order to reach space-useable/qualified heat pumps.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 266
Ref. No.
09.127.10
SIMPLE INTERFACE FOR NEAR REAL-TIME PROVISION OF EGSE
SENSOR DATA TO TOOLS OF OTHER ENGINEERING DOMAINS
TT Q
PP
Price
A simple telemetry query interface shall be developed for use by clients from
outside the EGSE LAN (e.g. DynaWorks) to get sensors readings in near realtime. SCOS2000 EGSE will be an important reference. Background: Many nonelectrical subsystem tests (structural, thermal, RF, EMC, optical/payload
integration, ...) need sensor readings (telemetry) that are only available in
EGSE. Today mostly dedicated project specific interfaces are developed to
provide this data. Often data is not available in real-time. Procurement
ESTEC
09.127.11
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
DEVELOPMENT OF NANO-STRUCTURED CRYOGENIC FOAM
INSULATIONS
09 NO
Q2
200-500
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Objectives: To assess the potential of advanced nano-structured foam
insulations and to pre-develop an insulation system for cryogenic tanks of
launchers and potential long-term missions. Description: New advanced nanostructured foam materials based on PU and PI have been developed in recent
years. At the same time previous materials selected as promising candidates
for such applications became unavailable due to the lack of sufficient
industrial interest. The newly developed materials are expected to be good
candidates for the insulation of large cryogenic tanks of future launchers.
Further, new advanced insulation systems will be required for long-term
missions to the Moon or Mars. Within this activity newly developed nanostructured materials shall be screened and assessed in view of their
suitability for cryogenic tank insulations. Relevant screening tests shall be
performed in the applicable temperature range. Relevant aspects concerning
integration, cryo-pumping and sealing shall be investigated. Procurement
Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For additional
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 267
Ref. No.
09.127.12
N1
ESTEC
09.127.13
N1
ESTEC
MULTIFUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To combine the primary and secondary structure, integration
microsystem functions into the structure. Description: The main aim of this
activity would be to combine the roles of primary and secondary structures.
Currently primary structure carries the loads and secondary structure is
attached to the primary structure and houses electronics. This would
introduce significant mass savings, but the focus of interest would be on
developing structure which perform both roles: To act as the load path and
also to protect the electronics and microsystems. Current studies into small
self deploying structures could be advanced to a flight demonstrator concept.
Foldable structures which would achieve low volume and good performance in
the launcher environment could be investigated. Compact structures with the
ability to self deploy, such as Silicone based materials, could have
electrical subsystems integrated into them. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT THERMAL COATINGS
09 NO
Q2
100-200
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Objectives: To develop thermal coating which change their thermo-optical
properties with temperature such as to minimise the need of electric heater
power. Specific emphasis will be on coatings which minimises the need of
electrical power during eclipse times. Description: Materials with thermooptical materials changing with temperatures are known already. Within the
activity, the dynamic range epsilon (alpha) with temperature shall be further
increased and the long term behaviour in space shall be assessed. The
application of the coatings on various structural materials shall be tested
and the physical performance parameters shall be measured. Procurement
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 268
Ref. No.
09.127.14
N4
ESTEC
09.127.15
N4
ESTEC
HYBRID CRYOSTAT DEMONSTRATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: develop a small hybrid cryostat compatible with European launchers
to provide a vibration free cryogenic environment in orbit and verify
operations at breadboard level Small sfHe (superfluid Helium) cryostats,
which would be sufficient for in-orbit operations do not provide sufficient
capacity to survive the launch on European launchers, since no late access is
possible. Hybrid Cryostats offer the possibility to create a cold environment
before launch, therefore minimising the loss of Helium during LEOP. Based on
the sfHe cryostats already build (Herschel/ISO), all elements for building
such a crystat should be available, but there is no experience in Europe, how
such cryostats can be conditioned (i.e creating solid hydrogen ) and how this
can be performed at the launch pad, to gurantee that the time between last
acces and actual launch does not lead to crystat conditions which could lead
to a loss of mission. A small hybrid cryostat shall be developed and build at
breadboard level. Cryostat operations required for a future flight/launch
campaign shall be tested and compatibility with current European launch
operations shall be verified. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G512-002MC
Status: INTENDED
HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAND-ALONE LHP-BASED RADIATOR SYSTEM
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Develop an integrated "stand-alone" cooling system consisting of two Loop
Heat Pipes (LHPs) and an associated radiator to provide a thermal building
block, i.e. a flexible cooling system allowing to e.g. integrate a
dissipating unit (instrument, electronics, etc.) at a certain distance from
the location where the associated waste heat can be rejected. NOTE: THIS
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G527-001MC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 269
Ref. No.
04.129.04
SAMPLING DRILL TOOLS FOR ROCKY AND GRANULAR SOILS
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity will develop and demonstrate three alternative tool designs
(ca. 20 mm in diameter) to be mounted on a drill, to collect soil samples
(sand or rock) at a desired drilling depth, the Mars surface being considered
as reference. Operation of the soil sampling tools is based on opening and
closing the sample chamber in the tool at the desired depth. Operation of a
rock sampling tool is based on a wedge-type core cutter ring or a conical
core catcher. A combined rock and granular soil sampling tool will be able to
sample both sandy and rocky soil with negligible losses. Tool actuation force
will be traded-off: it may be generated either by electric actuators (motor,
solenoid, shape memory alloy), or it may passively take advantage of drill
rotation or reversal of the drill rotation.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T213-03MM
Status: DELETED
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 270
Ref. No.
04.129.08
PASSIVE OPTICAL COMPONENTS FOR INTERFEROMETRY
TT Q
PP
Price
The first objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test
passive optical components for interferometry. This includes the development
of achromatic beam splitters, dichroic filters, compensation and polarization
plates, wide band antireflection coatings, etc. The second objective is to
establish manufacturing techniques and technologies to achieve a constantly
high optical quality of the above-mentioned components, such that differences
between the interferometer arms are minimized. The functionality and
performance of the components shall be demonstrated by means of a breadboard
that shall be subjected to a verification test campaign in an environment
compatible with DARWIN mission (e.g. Cryogenic Interferometry Facility).The
broadband infrared beam (6-18 micron) has to be split in a specific ratio and
accurately over the full wavelength range. Current technology for beamsplitters does not allow such accurate beam splitting over wide spectral
ranges. Furthermore a number of dichroic plates, polarization beam splitters,
compensator plates, antireflection coatings (e.g. multilayer dielectric
stacks or sub-nm gratings, etc. on bulk and optical waveguides), reflective
mirrors (with special metallic and associated protected coatings) are also
used in the interferometer. The selected contractor will investigate and
define techniques to guarantee and control minute differential effects
between the arms of the interferometer during the manufacturing process, and
will propose techniques capable of measuring such very small differences
(e.g. differential spectral response, differential polarization effects,
differential chromatic dispersion, etc).
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100061 - Techno Res/Core Activities; 100462 CTP - BepiColombo
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T203-06MM; BC-OP-01
Status: DELETED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 271
Ref. No.
04.129.24
COMBINED COMPACT RAMAN SPECTROMETER & MICROSCOPE
TT Q
PP
Price
Develop a compact, fibre optic delivered, combined system for microscopic
Raman spectrometry and microscopic imaging for use on future planetary
missions operating in the range 100-4000cm-1. The sensor head shall allow
surface scanning compatible with the microscopic resolution for the Raman
spectrometry within the microscopic field of view. The head for the
instrumentation will be delivered via a surface penetrating mole, necessary
due to oxidisation of the surface layers by solar UV radiation. The
connecting tether will contain fibre-optic cables to irradiate the target
area and return microscope images and spectra to lander based analysis
instrumentation. Calibration is envisaged via a diamond film deposit on the
probe end, which would allow Raman spectra to be compared against constant
reference peaks. The scanning microscope function will allow spectral versus
spatial information to be obtained. The work will identify suitable
detectors, for instance InGaAs, which operates to 3.5 micron. Laser pump
sources at wavelengths avoiding auto-fluorescence, and providing good
resolution, must be traded-off; wavelengths >850nm provide spectra from
bio-molecules of interest, whereas lower wavelengths are more suited to metal
oxides. Fibre optic cables need to be identified with viable transmission
losses at the required wavelengths. Environmental compatibility will be
considered. Trade-off for inclusion of LIBS, desirable but considerably
increasing mass and volume of the instrument will be considered. Analytic
computational techniques for the deconvolution of spectra need to be
developed. The study will build and test a laboratory breadboard device.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G213-01MM
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 272
Ref. No.
05.129.03
ROVER AUTONOMY TESTBED
TT Q
PP
Price
Robots autonomy is being improved by maturation of "high level" technologies
like vision control or decision processing techniques. A study "Mobile Robot
Control Architecture" MORCA has been performed anticipating such improvement
in the autonomy of robots. Since then, major bricks of a rover mission have
been developed like the autonomous navigation system of CNES. The aim of this
activity is to refresh MORCA, and implement in this controller framework, the
latest software technologies in terms of autonomy and decision making
capabilities into a software testbed. The work will be focused to other
autonomy aspects than navigation, which is fully handled by the CNES
application. The testbed shall be linked to this application. Then the
Contractor shall demonstrate the maximum autonomy achievable for a planetary
rover mission, typically based on AURORA programmes, with an ideal target of
full robot autonomy. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 273
Ref. No.
05.129.09
NEXT GENERATION SOLAR-BLIND UV LIDAR DETECTOR
TT Q
PP
Price
All Lidars are required to operate in an eye-safe spectral region. One
solution consists in the operation at UV wavelengths offering the advantage
over also possible IR wavelengths of being "cleaner" of the Earth’s albedo as
well background emission. However, to fully exploit this advantage, the
detector must be "solar blind", i.e., inherently insensitive to visible and
longer wavelengths. Wide-bandgap semiconductors are the primary choice as the
photosensitive material for high-energy (i.e. short wavelengths beyond the
visible: in the (EUV) photon detection. Thanks to a recent and on-going
intense development effort, the GaN material is becoming mature enough to
foresee an industrialization of transistors by 2005. By its nature, GaN is
insensitive to visible light, has a much lower thermally induced dark current
component, and is a direct-bandgap semiconductor (as opposed to SiC).
Furthermore, heavy ion radiation tests have proven its virtual immunity to
several Mrad level (limited by the source). The activity shall focus on the
optimization of the Nitride material for detection, the optimum detector
structure (APD or PIN or even a PMT with a (Al)GaN photo-cathode) manufacture
and characterize a laboratory demonstrator of the (one or several) chosen
structure(s). NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 274
Ref. No.
05.129.10
NEW RADIOMETER FOR OPTICAL CALIBRATION
TT Q
PP
Price
The ultimate objective of this activity is to increase the accuracy of
radiometric calibrations of optical space instruments. For (absolute)
radiometric calibration of optical instruments, calibration standards are
used. The output of these sources has a relatively large uncertainty (few
percent). Furthermore these sources are unstable, resulting in a limited
lifetime of the validity of their calibration. The initial radiometric
calibration of the optical space instrument is, therefore, beforehand of poor
quality. Improvement (to sub-percent level) of this calibration accuracy
calls for improvement of the initial calibration of these standards as well
as an improved and more frequent monitoring of the output during calibration
of the instrument. In the scope of this activity, a portable system will be
developed to perform on site radiometric calibration and monitoring of
radiance and irradiance sources. The calibration will be directly traceable
to optical standards. Using this system it will be possible to do cross
checks between different institutes and instruments, in order to improve
consistency between the calibrations. Furthermore, models will be developed
to analyse the spectral properties of the calibration sources as well as
methods to correct for ageing. To validate and model the measured data, the
radiometer system will be characterised in combination with commonly used
calibration sources and measurement configurations. Finally an analysis will
be made of the improvement in terms of user data uncertainty. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 275
Ref. No.
05.129.11
IMPROVED UV GRATING TECHNOLOGY (IUVGT)
TT Q
PP
Price
Recent experience with UV gratings procured for the GOME-2 instrument (METOP)
has shown that there are still problems with the coating stability and
therefore performance of these critical components. This proposal addresses
the issue by the development, test and qualification of a production process
for high-line-density UV gratings with thin (nm level) reflective coatings.
The goal is to ensure that the entire process is understood, from design and
modeling through to production and performance testing of the gratings (under
representative conditions and over the long term). All failure and
degradation modes shall be fully explored, understood and mitigated against.
Critical is that an ensured coating stability be achieved such that component
gratings shall survive long procurement, AIV, calibration and storage cycles
without degradation of (on-orbit) performance. Type of tender C(1) activities in open competition limited to non-primes. For additional
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 276
Ref. No.
05.129.14
DARWIN LASER METROLOGY PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION
TT Q
PP
Price
The aim of this activity is using the ViRGO gravitational wave detection
facility to test the High-Precision Optical Metrology (HPOM) systems
developed for the DARWIN mission (and its precursor mission SMART-3). ViRGO
will enable HPOM system verification at the nominal distance between
satellites of the DARWIN constellation. Within the frame of High-Precision
Optical Metrology (HPOM), two absolute-distance measurement interferometers
(a frequency scanning interferometer and a dual-wavelength interferometer)
and a fine lateral sensor are being developed. The HPOM systems are required
to maintain the extreme geometrical accuracies required in the DARWIN
satellite constellation over distances between 25 and 250 meters. To meet the
accuracy requirements of the DARWIN technology demonstration mission SMART-3,
it is necessary to measure distances with nanometric accuracies. Thus the
optical path stability of the distance measurement system needs to be in the
order of 10E-12. Such stabilities can only be demonstrated in very long
vacuum tubes, because the transmission properties of a medium other than
vacuum (such as optical fibers) will fluctuate by several orders of magnitude
stronger than the measurement accuracy requirement. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
05.129.15
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
INDEX GUIDED PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBER FOR DARWIN
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Type of tender C(1) - activities in open competition limited to non-primes.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 277
Ref. No.
05.129.18
PERIPHERAL QUANTITATIVE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
TT Q
PP
Price
Determining the effect of prolonged microgravity on bone histology is
identified a key scientific objective. This will require analysing inner and
outer structures of leg and arm long bones, in complement to wrist and heel
bone assessment. Important additional data can also be yielded from bone
marrow analysis, to get information on bone cell activity. Based on the
results of the related TRP activity " pQCT preparation study", the aim of
this activity is to specify, build and evaluate a demonstrator of an ISScompatible pQCT (peripheral quantitative computed tomography). Type of tender
ESTEC
05.129.19
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
DIFFERENTIAL THERMAL ANALYSIS
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
The ESA topical team supporting the Material Science Lab (MSL) formulated the
demand for a specific insert for the MSL utilizing the Differential Thermal
Analysis technique. The method is appropriate to check complex phase changes
as usual in ternary and even quaternary melt systems. Such systems are often
industrially relevant as for example perovskites (High temperature
superconductors!) and garnets (Laser host crystals!) reveal with certain
compositions such complex behaviours. The proposed activity shall relate to a
feasibility analysis as to how such this technique can be applied within the
MSL as a dedicated insert. Further this activity will deliver breadboards on
the technology needed for such an insert. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 278
Ref. No.
05.129.21
ADVANCED BALL BEARINGS FOR EXPENDABLE CRYOGENIC ENGINE
TURBOPUMPS
TT Q
PP
Price
In order to improve the reliability and performances of cryogenic TurboPumps
(TP) ball bearings for future expendable engines and, based on outcomes of
last developments performed on bearings (Cronidur-30 rings + Silicon Nitride
balls), this activity is intended to investigate 3 identified further
developments axes:- Optimisation of inner rings heat treatments; Heat
induction or nitride solution will be investigated in order to achieve the
optimum performances of the Cronidur-30 material between, the fatigue of the
ring, wear and Stress Corrosion Cracking resistance.- New cage material,
design and dynamics; Design, manufacture and test of several bearing cages
under cryogenic environment. Materials, such as pure Teflon, Rulon or Salox,
having superior lubricating and wear properties than traditional ones will be
investigated and integrated in a specific cage frame.- Investigation of
Hybrid bearing configurations; Assessment of roller bearings suitability for
requirements of TP environment. A Hybrid bearing configuration consists on
combining pure axial pure radial load bearings. Then, stiffness, dynamics and
load capacity are improved. In addition, this configuration leads to
integration time reduction and assembly phase simplification. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 279
Ref. No.
05.129.22
HIGH TEMPERATURE, HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE, FAST RESPONSE
PRESSURE SENSORS FOR THE SPACECRAFT AND LAUNCHER
PROPULSION SUBSYSTEM
TT Q
PP
Price
The requirements for pressure sensing in the combustion chamber and nozzles
of space launchers shall be defined and a special pressure sensor operating
in high temperature (2000 C), with high dynamic range and with fast response
shall be designed, developed and tested under pragmatic tests conditions. The
work program of this activity will involve the definition of the sensor
requirements and of the conditions of operation (operational temperature,
range of pressure measurements, accuracy of temperature measurements etc);
the development of a sensor device and the performance of initial tests
including assessment of the materials to be used; the manufacture of the
sensor prototype; the• implementation of the interrogation unit with
redundancy•; and the test and assessment of the performance of the sensor
arrangement in a relevant environment. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY. Type of tender C(2) - activities in open competition, where a
significant participation of non-primes is requested. For additional
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 280
Ref. No.
05.129.25
ROTARY PIEZOELECTRIC MOTOR - PREQUALIFICATION
TT Q
PP
Price
The proposed activity is aimed at designing, manufacturing and
pre-qualification testing of a European ultrasonic piezo motor (rotary
piezo-electric actuator) for space applications. The work shall comprise:
-identification of present technology status and critical design featuresconceptual design update- development testing on critical design featuresdetailed design of a qualification model -testing to qualification levels,
Critical issues identified before include: -suitable friction layer materials
for the required temperatures- piezo components/material qualification miniaturised and low-power drive electronics. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
05.129.26
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
SMALL ROTARY ACTUATOR DEDICATED FOR SMALL ANTENNA
DEPLOYMENT AND POINTING OPERATIONS
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
The proposed activity main goal is to develop and qualify a small rotary
actuator dedicated principally for small Antenna Deployment and Pointing
Mechanism (ADPM). Targeted deployable and steerable beam antenna reflector
size and mass are: 80cm to 100cm; <3kgAt least two actuators are required at
ADPM level to allow full deployment and pointing functions. The actuator
design shall take advantages of the recent new European technology
improvements in the field of Reducer (Harmonic Drive), Lubrication (Fluid),
Sensor (Potentiometer). Emphasis shall be put on decreasing the mass (7Kg) of
the existing ADPM (today designed to drive big antenna reflectors). Mass
saving concerns the actuator itself, but may also concern the Hold-Down and
Release Device (HDRD), where for such small antenna mass and inertia, it
should be possible to achieve this function at actuator level (preloaded
system during launch) instead of using dedicated HDRD attached to the
reflector. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.: CH
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 281
Ref. No.
05.129.27
HIGH RESOLUTION OPTICAL METROLOGY SYSTEM (HROMS)
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity is linked to a series of activities undertaken previously for
application to satellite and structure testing under thermal vacuum
conditions in the LSS. The major driver at present to achieve a required
resolution at the 10 ppm level, or better, is the necessity to develop vacuum
compatible high resolution imaging systems with a minimum pixel count of 2k x
2k. This activity aims at either, the development and production of a
prototype imager from commercial off the shelf components, or the custom
specification, manufacturing and testing of a device to enable the high
resolution imaging requirement to be met. Type of tender C(1) - activities in
open competition limited to non-primes. For additional information please go
to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
06.129.05
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
SOLAR BLIND SENSOR
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Detectors based on a Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor (WBG) as most likely
candidate for the development of Solar Blind imaging sensors. These materials
provide the following advantages over narrower-gap semiconductors: visible
blindness, radiation hardness, VUV and EUV improved response etc. Alternative
back-up solutions include MCP converters with APS readout.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 282
Ref. No.
06.129.06
LOW BANDGAP EUV SENSOR
TT Q
PP
Price
UV/EUV and soft X-ray sensors based on low bandgap compound semiconductors
are an ideal development to improve performance (efficiency and resolution)
beyond sensors based on silicon. This development will concentrate on the
material science of high quality films couple to the fabrication of the basic
diode and small arrays.
ESTEC
06.129.10
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
FIR LINEAR DETECTOR ARRAY
09 DIPC 200-500
Q3
The purpose of this activity is to develop a novel detector technology to
realize the linear focal plane array (FPA) for the DARWIN mission
spectrometer. The linear array must cover the wavelength band going at least
from 6 to 18 m with state-of-the-art sensitivity and take into account the
mission thermal budget. The wavelength band and sensitivity requirements are
essentially constrained by extra-solar planet contrast considerations. In
addition, system design issues favour higher operating temperatures than
those offered by existing detector technologies. Phased contract. C(1) :
Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs).
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 283
Ref. No.
07.129.02
NEXT GENERATION PANCHROMATIC DETECTORS
TT Q
PP
Price
Hyper-spectral imagers for EO covers both the visible and the infra-red (with
varying long-wavelength cut-off)spectral region. MCT is the "workhorse" in
the IR with adjustable cut-off wavelength, Silicon detectors (CCDs) cover
the visible band. While these established detector technologies used for each
wavelength region have very good performance, it requires the costly
development /qualification of two (or more!) detectors and associated
front-end electronics as well as a complex accommodation in the instrument’s
focal plane. MCT as a material has a very good response in the VIS, it is the
substrate in these hybridized, "back-illuminated" detectors which is opaque
at short wavelengths. The substrate removal (backside thinning) of this
rather unforgiving material (in contrast to Silicon) is recently considered
very prosing by the relevant industry. The development of such a
"panchromatic" detector will allow the use of a single detector covering the
entire spectral range of interest with the corresponding tremendous
advantages (substantial simplification and savings in power, mass and size)
including elimination of cross-calibration and co-registration problems for
(Hyper-) spectral imagers as the primary instruments in EO. The activity
shall consist in the development of a technology / performance demonstrator
of modest dimensions, focussing on the optimization/mastery of the metallurgy
and post-processing of the detector material and its electro-optical
performance. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of
quality and quantity) of non- primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 284
Ref. No.
07.129.07
HIGH STABILITY OPTICAL BENCHES FOR DARWIN
TT Q
PP
Price
The functionality and the performance of future science interferometric
missions like DARWIN are based on the availability of ultra-high stability
optical benches capable of maintaining dimensional stability of picometers
over periods of hours without active control. This activity aims to assess
the optical system technologies and materials suitable for achieving these
stability and design, develop and test a representative scaled optical bench
under cryogenic conditions demonstrating picometer stability over periods of
up to 3 hours.
ESTEC
07.129.10
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP MMO-634
Status: INTENDED
NIR LARGE FORMAT SENSOR ARRAY
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
The main application is WFI (Wide Field Imager) with a strong requirement on
high signal/noise. The WFI is an optical-near-infrared mission that was
studied in the frame work of the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 technology
reference missions. It is dedicated to the observations of Type Ia supernovae
in order to model the changing rate of expansion of the universe and to
determine the contributions of the decelerating and accelerating energies,
such as mass density and dark energy density. To achieve the missions
scientific goals, the following instrument reference suite has been assumed:
- A camera consisting of two photometers: one for the visible and one for the
Near Infrared (NIR). - An imaging spectrometer providing a spectrum
simultaneously for each spatial sample of extended two-dimensional fields.
The present activity will result in a unique detector, potentially covering
both visible and NIR bands. Some of the development directions required for
this application are slightly different from the developments required for
EOP, in particular the noise and readout speed requirements are very
stringent. Nevertheless, the refinement of the technology for hyperspectral
purposes (covering from near-UV up to Near-IR) and the improvement of the
substrate quality, lowering the thermal currents and hence enabling higher
operating temperatures, are beneficial for both Science and Earth Observing
programmes.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 285
Ref. No.
07.129.16
BACK-ILLUMINATED THINNED CMOS IMAGER FOCAL PLANE
TT Q
PP
Price
The suitability of Active Pixel Sensors (APS) with the on-chip capabilities
of the CMOS technology for numerous detector / sensor application is
presently uncontested. Furthermore, since charge is not being clocked, their
susceptibility to proton-induced lattice damage is negligible (ionizing
damage must be - and can be - mastered). The main drawback of monolithic APS
is their electro-optic / radiometric performance disadvantage wrt modern,
back-illuminated CCD’s (a.o. uniformity, noise, QE): In particular,
hyper-spectral imagers for Earth Observations (EO), which would otherwise
strongly benefit from the system-on-a-chip capability of APS’s, need the
performance levels of the latter. The present activity aims at developing the
back-illuminated (BI), thinned solution, offering a cost advantage over the
hybrid-Silicon approach (as well as monoliticity) together with the same
electro-optical performances as BI CCDs it is intended to eventually replace.
Main challenges are the back-surface accumulation (as in the BI CCDs;
mastered well here) and the optical inter-pixel isolation. Type of tender
non-primes is requested. For additional information please go to EMITS News :
programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T103-10GD
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 286
Ref. No.
07.129.17
WAVEFRONT TILT SENSOR
TT Q
PP
Price
In this activity the wavefront tilt sensor shall be designed, breadboarded
and tested. The testing shall be performed in a representative environment.
Optimum wavelengths and operating points shall be specified. In the DARWIN
mission a telescope pointing error will cause a tilt of the interferometer s
input beam, which translates into an amplitude error after wavefront
filtering. The interferometer s nulling performance is proportional to the
square of the wavefront tilt angle, and already small tilt values will cause
unacceptable amplitude differences. The baseline system design foresees high
accuracy star trackers mounted in the focal plane of each telescope
spacecraft with a large CCD detector. An alternative design is to sense the
wavefront tilt as received in the central beam combiner spacecraft. The
wavefront sensor is to be mounted in the cryogenic payload module of the
telescopes or the beam-combiner spacecraft. This shall be done coherently and
complementary with the Fringe Sensor developments.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T203-09SC
Status: DELETED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 287
Ref. No.
07.129.18
DEVELOPMENT OF KEY OPTICAL CLOCK TECHNOLOGIES
TT Q
PP
Price
The development of a full optical clock has important bearing on Space
Science, Navigation, Earth Science, Secure Communications, etc. Optical
clocks in space are considered essential tools for the exploration the limits
of contemporary phyics (e.g. general relativity). They would allow, for
example, the direct observation of Gravitational waves, direct measurement of
fundamental physics constants, redefinition of the second, etc; or provide
highly accurate long-term (days or more) time referencing as needed for
precise positioning and navigation (future Galileo satellites). Despite the
various world-wide effort going into optical clocks for ground applications,
no yet any serious effort has been initiated into the definition and
development of a space-compatible optical clock. The activity here proposed
will address the critical technology of the basic components of an optical
clock (clock laser, atom/ion/molecule cooling unit, laser trapping unit,
detection and measurement unit) with the aim of identifying a design suitable
for space. Environmental aspects, as well as critical design and
qualification issues will be addressed. The output of this actvity will be a
breadbord of critical parts of an optical clock capable to prove the
feasibility of optical clock in space.
ESTEC
07.129.20
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
ADAPTATION OF INDUSTRIAL MOTOR TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPACE
APPLICATIONS (PHASE 1)
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
The proposed activity is aimed at creating a procedure concerned with
selection, characterisation, modification, testing and supply of low-cost
commercial-off-the-shelf devices for general and specific space applications.
It will include several tasks: market, performance and quality assessments;
review of COTS already used in space projects; assessments on compatibility
to space applications/requirements (vacuum, tribology, materials, loads,
lifetime, reliability....); upgrade procedures for different motor categories
(brushed and brushless DC, stepper, piezo, linear...); standard procurement
specifications; and definition of a "motor upgrade service" approach.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: DELETED
07
Q2
100-200
Page 288
Ref. No.
07.129.22
ADVANCED SIDE-PUMPING TECHNIQUE FOR DOUBLE CLAD FIBER
LASERS
TT Q
PP
Price
Double-clad fibre lasers allow for very improved pumping (optical to optical)
efficiencies as well as higher absolute powers by maximizing the pump active region overlap and matching to both pump and output wavelength. This
activity is aimed to investigate an advanced side-pumping technique by using
small coupling grooves in the cladding allowing elegant redundancy
implementation of the pump system and system miniaturization.
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 289
Ref. No.
07.129.30
RADIATION TESTING OF HIGH SPEED OPTO-ELECTRONIC LINK
TT Q
PP
Price
Nowadays, there is increasing interest in the development of high-speed
interconnects to transfer large amount of data generated on board at high
rate (>10 Gigabit/sec). VCSEL-based optical interconnects provide the ideal
approach for >10 Gigabit/sec range. In the frame of a previous GSTP contract
"Multigigabit Optical Backplane Interconnections" a high-speed link has been
demonstrated and a laboratory technology demonstrator has been built. The
proposed work intends to extend the technology approach further toward a
system by addressing the behaviour and the resistance of the proposed
technology towards radiation. The goal of this activity is the radiation
test and evaluation of the high-speed digital optoelectronic transceivers for
space applications. This will be performed by evaluating the influence of
radiation on the different compents which comprise the link, namely
serialiser/deserialiser, laser driver, laser diode (VCSEL), photodiode and
transimpendence amplifier. Total dose degradation, displacement damage and
single event effects will be studied and their influence on communication
quality, maximum achievable bit-rate and link power budget will be evaluated
with reference to a worst case telecommunication satellite orbit. Radiation
test shall be performed according to ESA standards ESCC 22900 and ESCC 25100.
Two types of testing are forseen: - Displacement damage testing using
protons. Proton energies between 1-200MeV shall be included making use of at
least 3 different energy levels. Low energy proton tests might be conducted
using a linear accelerator (available energies at least in the range from 1
to 8 MeV, flux up to ~1.2 x10E13 protons s-1 cm-2). For higher energy proton
irradiation tests an ESA supported facility shall be used. - SET tests shall
be conducted using ESA approved heavy ion test facilities such as UCL or
RADEF. At the conclusion of this activity the use of the appropriate error
correction codes for improvement of link performance will be investigated.
The link will be built using off the shelf components for the mux-demux and
the transceiver modules, while the FPGA based Bit-Error-Rate tester developed
in the context of the "Multigigabit Optical Backplane Interconnections" will
also be used. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 290
Ref. No.
08.129.01
HIGH-BANDWIDTH, BROAD-SPECTRUM MODULATION AND
DETECTION IN THE VIS AND NIR
TT Q
PP
Price
The present activity aims at the development and full performance
characterisation of a high-bandwidth communication transceiver breadboard
with a data rate of at least 20 Gbps, based on the use of femtosecond laser
fast spectral modulation. The activity shall also comprise a study
investigating on system level the implications of the novel communications
scheme and a trade-off against conventional technical approaches. The demand
for ever increasing data rates and data processing capabilities in spaceborne
communications and data handling is requesting novel technological approaches
both in terms of general feasibility and system complexity. It appears that
the use of photonic system implementations for high-bandwidth communication
and data processing can overcome the performance and overall efficiency
limitations of RF communication systems and purely electronic circuitry.
Splitting up the broad frequency spectrum of femtosecond laser pulses (e.g.
in the NIR at 800 nm or 1550 nm) into discrete channels and modulating the
resulting spectral channels with a spatial light modulator array, it is
possible to achieve very high data rates in either coherent mode or
incoherent OOK mode. In OOK mode the detection side can be as simple as a
PIFSO with integrated avalanche photodiode array that is used to demultiplex
the signal. With a typical laser repetition rate of 1 GHz and a wavelength
multiplexing into 100 channels, modulated at 1 GHz, a data rate of around 100
Gbps seems achievable. The concept is applicable to intra-satellite, intersatellite or deep-space links. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 291
Ref. No.
08.129.02
LOW DARK CURRENT 2D TIR CMT DETECTORS BASED ON P/N
TECHNOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of a breadboard to a higher maturity level (~EQM)
targeting the concrete needs of TRAQ. Description: Earth observation missions
are placing more demanding requirements on long wave TIR performance, in
terms of both spectral and imaging response. The majority of MCT PV arrays
are currently manufactured using n on p technology where the n-type region is
created by ion implantation into a p- type epitaxial substrate. Reversing
this structure using an n-type substrate with p-type implantation has the
possibility to reduce dark current and/or increase detector operating
temperature, both desirable improvements. This activity aims to develop a
high maturity demonstrator. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 292
Ref. No.
08.129.10
HIGH-PERFORMANCE LOW-STRAYLIGHT GRATINGS FOR COMPACT
HIGH RESOLUTION OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY: IMMERSED GRATING
TECHNOLOGY FOR COMPACT HIGH RESOLUTION OPTICAL
SPECTROSCOPY IN THE NEAR-INFRARED
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Study and exploration of high resolution grating technologies for
future EO missions. Short list selection of a few realistic high resolution
grating technologies. Bread boarding of a promising approach. Description:
Spectrometers equipped with conventional diffraction gratings have a spectral
resolution inversely proportional to the telescope aperture and the angular
slit width. To increase the spectral resolution while maintaining the
instrument dimensions, immersed gratings for instance have been proposed in
the literature. Other techniques, based on new optical structures and
materials (meta-materials, photonic crystal structures etc.), might also
contribute to a spectral resolution improvement in future space borne
spectrometers. The activity shall therefore initially investigate all
imaginable materials and techniques to achieve an increase in spectral
resolution and to reduce the level of straylight generated. Samples shall be
produced and tested to assess the suitability of the materials and
technologies. The most promising approach shall then be selected for the
detailed design and the production of a full-size grating. Optical
performance and environmental tests shall be executed to assess the
performance in space. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".\
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100061 - Techno Res/Core Activities; 100682 Instrument Pre-Development (IPD)
Z+CDN
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 293
Ref. No.
08.129.16
APPLICATIONS OF OPTICAL-QUANTUM LINKS TO GNSS
TT Q
PP
Price
The improvement of the estimation of the orbit parameters and the on-board
clock is of paramount importance in next generation navigation systems. The
combination of (classical) optical communications and quantum communications
can enhance the knowledge of these critical physical parameters, by
integrating a quantum transceiver in an optical terminal (i.e., an opticalquantum terminal), and implementing optical-quantum intersatellite links
(ISLs) and space-ground links in the satellite constellation. This activity
shall start with an assessment of the potential of optical- quantum ISLs and
space-ground links for next generation navigation systems, to complement
ground-space measurements for orbit and time synchronization. The benefits
and drawbacks of optical-quantum links compared to a navigation system with
only ground-space measurements or also with RF ISLs shall be critically
assessed (e.g., potential complexity reduction for disseminating a clock
reference in space = towards a single clock in space, improvement of clock
synchronization accuracy between ground and space clocks). The impact on
overall architecture shall be outlined and the requirements for the
optical-quantum link and terminal derived. The design of an integrated
optical-quantum terminal shall be carried out. This terminal shall encompass
multiple functionalities: distribution of quantum keys for confidential
data encryption (including remote control access to satellite);
synchronization of on-board clocks by means of a quantum channel (including
the quantum protocol); high speed optical communications for time / orbit
information transfer; high precision optical (classical) metrology.
Particular attention shall be paid to the accommodation of the quantum
subsystems as part of the optical (classical) terminal. Technical solutions
in the optical bench to fulfil isolation requirements (between quantum and
classical channels) shall be investigated in depth. Impact of moving targets
shall be assessed and solutions to correct the effects of relative motions
proposed. To evaluate the predicted performances (i.e., position accuracy,
time synchronization, key rate), a laboratory proof-of-concept demonstrator
of an optical-quantum link (i.e. end-to-end including relative motion
effects) shall be developed and tested using as much as possible
off-the-shelf technology and breadboards available at the Contractor s
premises. Experimental validation of the predicted performances in a scenario
"representative" of a space-ground link (e.g., inter-island experiment) is
out of the scope of the present activity and will be executed in a follow-on
contract. This activity shall include: assessment of the potential
applications of optical-quantum ISLs and space- ground links for next
generation navigation systems; consolidation of optical-quantum link
requirements (for both ISL and space- ground links); design of a
multi-functional optical-quantum terminal; development of a laboratory
proof-of-concept demonstrator of an optical- quantum link (including two
"representative" optical-quantum terminals); performance validation of the
proof-of-concept demonstrator (including testing); appraisal and
recommendations. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in
ESTEC
C
09
Page 294
DAC
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.:
Z
Programme Ref.:
TRP T616-012MM
Status:
INTENDED
08.129.18
200-500
Q3
ARCHITECT OF THE SYSTEM-OF-MICROSYSTEMS NANOSPACECRAFT
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to adopt the role of an
eventual systems architect and potential systems integrator for the future
system-of- microsystems nanospacecraft. Hereby, a consistent evaluation of
the concept and technology needs and performance shall be obtained.
Description: Within this activity, the contractor shall keep track of the
progress of other relevant developments within ESA, particulartly those
associated with the Disruptive technologies theme, in order to evaluate the
performance of the developed technologies from the perspective of an
would-be system architect and systems integrator for a
system-of-microsystems nanospacecraft. Particular emphasis shall be on the
general applicability, a Near Earth Micro Explorer mission (NEOMEx) and an
early LEO demonstrator mission. The activity shall roadmap future necessary
developments with the goal of a real mission with use of an intermediate
in-orbit demonstration. The roadmap shall build on the experience gained
from the associated evaluated activities. The activity is also expected to
identify additional necessary activities during the progress, and the
contractor shall report such items continuously. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
C
Z
09 NO
Q1
100-200
Page 295
Ref. No.
08.129.19
STANDARD MODULAR MICROSYSTEMS INTERFACE DEFINITION AND
PROOF-OF-CONCEPT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Trade-off, definition and proof-of-concept of a standard
micro-interface to be used to the modular microsystems of the
system-of-microsystems. Description: Trade-off, definition and proof of
concept of a microsystem interface to be used to the modular microsystems of
the system-of-microsystems. The activity shall prove the concept for data
and command, power distribution, and propellant management. It is recognised
that it may be difficult to obtain a true standards interface for
everything. The activity shall trade-off and define the requirements and
designs for interfacing between microsystems, microsystems to circuit
boards, microsystems to fluidic systems, and microsystems to power
electronics. The following items shall be addressed within the activity: Modularization guidelines: How to define interfaces between power, data,
communications, payload, AOCS, and propulsion in the system-of-microsystems?
- For true modularity, local/distributed micro power conversion (dc/dc/stepdown), power control (solid state power controller (SSPC), latch-up
protection, must be included. A trade-off between the recommended unit size
and level of power distribution should be investigated. - Top-level module
interfaces requirements definition and module interfaces conceptual designs.
Trade-off and critical items identification. - The activity shall also
perform proof-of-concept demonstrations of the critical interface items,
separately and in a breadboard setup. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 296
Ref. No.
08.129.21
RADIONUCLIDES AS X-RAY SOURCE FOR XRD/XRF INSTRUMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
For the surface analytical methods, generally, on any matter and especially
on celestial bodies such as the Moon, Titan, Enceladus (c.f. Tandem), Mars
(c.f. ExoMars) X-ray techniques are the primary choice. In particular, for
search of traces of existing or former life, X-ray techniques like
diffraction (XRD to analyse the crystallinity) and fluorescence (XRF to study
the element composition) represent vital scientific methods for this goal.
Due to severe restrictions on mass, volume, and power (low solar constants),
radionuclides are mandatory as X-ray sources. New radionuclides with life
times of more than 3 years (to cope with those mission trajectory times) are
required. The intensities shall be in the range of 10
9 ph/s, which are at least some 2 order of magnitudes higher than the one for
the source 55Fe which is e.g. amongst foreseen for the Exomars mission. The
objective of this activity is to produce a high brilliance X-ray source
appropriate for in-situ diagnostics (XRD/XRF) of solid matter for long
trajectory times by a instrument demonstrator. This activity shall establish
validity of the most appropriate avenue of four potential routes to produce
the identified radionuclides: i. Neutron activation from stable isotopes, ii.
Separation from fission products, iii. Utilisation of commercial radioactive
sources, iv. Nuclear reaction in an accelerator (p, n). In addition, the most
critical parameters for the X-ray source will be systematically evaluated; i.
the photon flux, ii. the half life, iii. the photon energy iv. the production
of the nuclide. Further, the following three subjects will be completed: i.
validation of identified concept for production of preferred radioisotope,
ii. performance tests of this isotope source in a XRD/XRF breadboard, iii.
realisation of full technology demonstrator. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 297
Ref. No.
08.129.23
OPTO-MICROWAVE BASED FRONT-END FOR A MULTI-BEAM LARGE
DIRECT RADIATING ARRAY ANTENNA
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To design, manufacture and test a proof-of-concept demonstrator
of an innovative opto-microwave based front-end for a large direct radiating
array antenna with multiple beams, with the main target to demonstrate (a)
the expected mass / volume / power consumption savings and (b) the enhanced
performance (e.g. capability to generate additional beams without increasing
complexity) compared to a pure-microwave or a digital beam-forming
implementation options. Description: Recent accomplishments (in the ESA ITI
program) in microphotonic device fabrication (Buttler matrices) pave the way
for considering constructing large feed array antennas using optical BFN. In
this activity, the Contractor shall carry out the design of an optical
assembly suited to be included in the front-end of a very large transmitter
direct radiating array, taking into account the end-to-end system level
requirements of a broadband multi-beam communications mission in Ka-band
(e.g. multimedia via satellite, HD-TV). In particular, it shall include:
The passive beam-former network (with optical architectures to reduce the
number of input ports and the BFN complexity). Frequency up-converters
(from I.F. to microwave downlink frequency in Ka- band). Fast optical
switches able to provide very fast beam-hopping (if required). Options for
integrating various functionalities into a single device, or even a single
chip shall be assessed. RF performances (e.g. C/I+N, RF gain, directivity
degradation due to fabrication tolerances) shall be validated by
manufacturing and testing a representative proof-of-concept demonstrator of a
fully operational opto-microwave based front-end for a multi-beam large DRA
antenna with optimised opto-electronic interfacing to the payload.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 298
Ref. No.
08.129.25
ADAPTIVE DEFORMABLE MIRRORS FOR SPACE INSTRUMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Adaptive deformable mirrors are optical components needed for science
(DARWIN, Large Space Telescopes), telecommunications (optical space-ground
links, optical links from unmanned aerial vehicles to satellite), and for
high power laser beam shaping (e.g. for LIDARs). The critical part which
needs further development is the deformable membrane (deformable, but
providing a certain stiffness). In addition there is a need to develop an
improved actuation principle. Two phases are envisaged for this activity:
Phase 1: Technology assessment, technology and design trade-offs, actuator &
membrane technologies; Phase 2: Design, manufacturing and testing of a
Proof-of-Concept Breadboard. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 299
Ref. No.
08.129.26
DIAMOND TURNING OF ALUMINIUM ALLOYS FOR ASPHERIC
OPTICS
TT Q
PP
Price
Diamond machining of aluminium optics has progressed over the past decade.
High quality optics can be made now with very exotic aspherical shapes. With
state-of-the-art Single Point Diamond Turning, asperical surfaces with a
roughness of a few nanometers can be manufactured. Recent experiences have
shown that the surface roughness can greatly be improved by using amorphous
material obtained by rapid solidification processes. By better understanding
the surface properties of the materials it will be possible to manufacture
asperical mirrors with a surface quality better than achievable with the
present manufacturing capabilities. This technology will enable the
manufacturing of reflective telescopes with low f-number and it will be
possible to build very compact telescopes for both panchromatic and
multispectral optical instruments. This activity will investigate aluminium
alloys and other materials that will allow obtaining aspherical surfaces with
a roughness close to 1-2 nm directly with a diamond turning process and
demonstrate the achievable optical quality by manufacturing and testing of
samples of aspheric reflecting optics. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 300
Ref. No.
08.129.27
EVALUATION OF ENCAPSULATED BIOBURDEN ON FLIGHT
HARDWARE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Develop experimental and statistical approach, test plan, process
qualification, evaluation of encapsulated bioburden in modern, generic
non-metallic flight hardware. Description: The bioburden limit for flight
projects with planetary protection requirements is applicable to surface and
encapsulated bioburden. The surface bioburden can be easily measured and
controlled. The last time encapsulated bioburden has been measured on typical
spacecraft materials was during the Viking project in the 1970s. New
materials and processes developed since than have not been evaluated for
encapsulated bioburden. This activity will characterise encapsulated
bioburden on modern spacecraft materials considering new processes and
analysis methods. Using real data instead of conservative estimates will
relax the bioburden requirements for flight systems, which is of particular
importance for larger flight systems because the bioburden constraints are
independent of the spacecraft size and therefore more difficult to meet for
large spacecraft. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in
ESTEC
C
Z
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Page 301
Ref. No.
08.129.28
MINIATURIZED IMAGING LIDAR SYSTEM (PHASE 1)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test
a miniaturized Imaging Lidar system. Novel and advanced technologies shall be
developed and implemented in order to minimize the system mass and power
consumption. Description: The missions of the Exploration Programme foresee
several RVD (Rendezvous and Docking), landing and rover navigation operations
where Imaging Lidar instruments shall play a key role. Typically Imaging
Lidars rely on scanning mechanisms that are still bulky and rather heavy,
which is not favourable for space missions. On-going ESA activities focus on
the development of Imaging Lidar sensors that will implement detector arrays.
However the number of pixels of these arrays is not sufficient to cover the
total field of view with the required high spatial resolution. For this
reason a scanner mechanism is still needed (with relaxed scanning performance
when compared with a single detector system). In order to miniaturize an
Imaging Lidar system novel technologies, including miniaturized scanners
(such as Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems - MOEMs) and high performance
detector arrays (such as APD arrays), have to be developed and implemented.
During this activity novel and advanced technologies shall be studied and
implemented with the objective to develop a miniaturized Imaging Lidar
sensor. The following tasks shall be performed: 1)Review novel technologies
in view of its utilization in a miniaturized Imaging Lidar system focussing
on one specific GN&C application (rendezvous and docking, landing or rover
navigation); 2)Execute precursor experiments and development tasks to assess
and increase the readiness level of novel and advanced technologies.3)Design,
manufacture and test a miniaturized Imaging Lidar breadboard.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: CHANGED TO 09.129.11 RE-ASSIGNED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 302
Ref. No.
08.129.29
ULTRA CLEANING OF FLIGHT HARDWARE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Develop ultra cleaning and cleanliness verification process with
subsequent qualification of process for sample handling equipment.
Description: The search for life on Mars in general and the requirements for
sample preservation during a Mars sample return mission in particular require
stringent chemical contamination control for the flight systems. The level of
chemical cleanliness required for such missions is up to three orders of
magnitude more stringent than for regular satellites. This activity aims
therefore to establish a fully qualified cleaning process with the associated
test programme, verification and validation programme and standards to ensure
this level of cleanliness. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant
participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non- primes (incl. SMEs)
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 303
Ref. No.
08.129.31
DEVELOPMENT OF XEUS SI PORE OPTICS AND MASS PRODUCTION
PROCESSES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development and improvement of automated manufacturing processes
to demonstrate that required number of mirror modules can be manufactured in
timescale and cost of XEUS telescope. Description: This activity comprises
following tasks: 1) Elaboration of 2nd generation plate developments
including further consideration of industrialisation for mass production, for
instance to reduce plate costs. Examples of issues which could be addressed
include (non-exhustively) edge rounding (cleanliness and particle
production), tapered ribs (blocking in conical approximation), alternative
wedging processes, micro-roughness reduction on mirror & bond surfaces and
increase on rib walls, introduction of plate identifiers and alternative
bonding methods. 2) Analysis of modifications necessary to the automated
stacking process to address cleanliness levels. Where appropriate to the
level of finance available the analysis shall lead to procurement and
installation of new equipment, for example a high power microscope and
sub-micron particle detection system for ribbed plates. 3) Procurement of Si
plates and proof of new processes on samples to demonstrate improved
processes (time, cost) which are compatible with producing bondable plates.
4) Sample characterisation (e.g. SEM, x-ray characterisation, bonding tests).
5) Analysis to show that necessary number of mirror modules for XEUS
telescope can be built in relevant timescale, with appropriate yield (for
instance 70-80%) and description of the manufacturing process that will
achieve this. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: CTP C216-004MM
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 304
Ref. No.
08.129.33
BIMORPH ADAPTIVE LARGE OPTICAL MIRROR DEMONSTRATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Design, manufacture and test a breadboard demonstrator of a large optical
mirror consisting of several mirror segments, which are made of thin silicon
wafers and can be deformed via piezo-actuators attached to the rear. Adaptive
and active optics make use of small deformable mirrors for the correction of
the wavefront. This activity will include the wafer unit design (size and
shape of wafer, wafer cutting, number of actuators), electronic design
(optimization of connections, selection of amplifiers), metrology design
(integrated piston sensor design, large number of DOF metrology), mechanical
design (light-weighted wafer support structure, tip-tilt actuators), control
philosophy. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 305
Ref. No.
08.129.34
DEMONSTRATION OF THE DEPLOYMENT OF A HIGHLY INTEGRATED
LOW POWER ICE PENETRATING RADAR ANTENNA (RE-ISSUE)
TT Q
PP
Price
The main objective of this activity is to design, analyse, manufacture and
demonstrate by test the deployment of a Demonstration Model (DM) of a Highly
Integrated Low Power rock/ice penetrating Deployable Radar Antenna (HILDRA)
suitable for the ESA s Europa Jovian System Mission (EJSM) Laplace. The Sub
Surface Radar (SSR) Antenna shall be designed to sound the Jovian moons
Callisto and Ganymede and shall be of the dipole type. The Technology
Readiness Level (TRL) to be achieved is 4 i.e. component and breadboard
validation in relevant environment. The DM shall be representative of the
intended flight design in all the main functional aspects and materials.
Emphasis shall be given to the deployment of the Radar Antenna and the
development, characterisation and validation of key building blocks including
materials under worst case environmental (e.g. radiation, temperature) and
operational (e.g. duty cycle, long term storage) conditions, deployment
simulations and, testability under 1g environment. Procurement Policy: C(2) =
A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes
entities in ESA programmes". In addition, the activity shall cover the
development of suitable and tailored simulation and testing facilities.
Clearance for all identified critical elements shall be achieved in order to
demonstrate the feasibility of this instrument and therefore enable its
potential use for future ESA s missions in the frame of the Cosmic Vision
programme 2015-2025. The objective shall be the readiness of functional
building blocks, corresponding simulation tools (correlated by test) and test
facilities in view of future and more advanced application scenarios. More
particularly, developed design tools shall enable to assess the deployment of
longer dipole antennas based on a parametric approach.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: EX ITEM 07.129.12 COMPLETED 1-5973
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 306
Ref. No.
09.129.02
LARGE AREA X-RAY WINDOW DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of large area, high performance X-ray windows.
Description: Recent GSTP development programme work has resulted in the
improvement of low-energy X-ray response of small, membrane and grid
supported X-ray windows. For X-ray astronomy missions there is a requirement
for larger area windows with improved response. Currently available
technology was developed more than a decade ago (as part of the Beppo Sax
programme) and would benefit greatly from the application of recent small
window work. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
C
Z
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 307
Ref. No.
09.129.03
XEUS MIRROR MODULE RUGGEDIZING & ENVIROMENTAL TESTING
- PHASE II
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To demonstrate the flight worthiness of Si x-ray pore optic
modules for XEUS. Description: - Modelling & analysis of stack adhesion
forces. - Improvements to state of the art manufacturing of mirror modules to
ensure compatibility with XEUS environmental requirements, for instance
annealing, contamination control within the limits of the available financial
envelope (it is clear that a chip manufacturing type assembly line is
coherent with the cleanliness requirements for stacking XEUS modules, but
beyond the funding levels available from TRP), bracket/dowel pin modification
including: * trade-off new materials compatible with integration (room temp)
and operational temp., e.g. HB-Cesic, Si3N4, Si; * lightweighting; *
compatibility with integration into a petal and possible baffle mounts; *
compatibility with the requirements of XEUS. - Procurement of equipment
upgrades and any necessary modification of the stacking robot, including for
an innermost radii module. - Procurement of sufficient silicon plates and
brackets to perform tests and stack modules with the discard of an overhead
of plates, such that the stacks of the mirror module to be placed under
environmental test are formed from virgin plates (i.e. plates that have not
been stacked then separated). - Production of at least 3 (TBD) mirror modules
(possibly of different radii), one module with coating compatible with XEUS
requirements (TBD). - Environmental testing at relevant facilities
(mechanical, thermal) with x-ray testing of the modules pre and post each
environmental test. - Planning for industrialisation of processes.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: CTP C216-006MM
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 308
Ref. No.
09.129.04
ULTRA NARROW LINEWIDTH PHASE LOCKED LASER FOR BEAM
SPLITTING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The provision of an optical ultra precise frequency beam
splitting and re-combiantion control for the cold atom sensor system. The
phase error between the beam splitters must be less then 1mRad to achieve the
highest rotation resolution from the sensor. Description: In this application
(cold atom interferometers) the prepared atoms must be split and recombined
optically in a very precise and controlled manner to observe the interference
pattern caused, for example by a rotation of the frame containing the sensor.
This can be done by the realisation of Raman Lasers whose function are to
split and later recombine the atoms in the atom interferometer. The
interferometer functions like any interferometer where now the atoms are
controlled (split and re-combined) by light. Because the shift required is so
small the laser frequency/phase needs to be very controlled and precise.
Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D Entities. For
ESTEC
09.129.05
C
Z
Status: POSTPONED
MICRO OPTICS FILTERING TECHNOLOGY
09 NO
Q4
200-500
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objectives: Demonstrate the feasibility of micro optics filtering technology
to be used for on-board spectral calibration of DIAL systems. Description:
This activity shall include: Study of micro optics filters based on fiber
devices; Assess the use micro optical filtering on the on-board spectral
calibration of DIAL space systems; Manufacturing and testing of a
representative breadboard based on micro optics devices, for the spectral
calibration of a DIAL system. The implementation of this activity is
conditional on the selection of the A-SCOPE mission. Procurement Policy: C(1)
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: POSTPONED
Page 309
Ref. No.
09.129.06
HUMAN HAND EXOSKELETON
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The goal of this activity is to produce a human hand exoskeleton.
This device is a sort of semi-rigid glove that when worn by a human operator
allows him to command a dexterous robot hand and receive haptic feedback from
it. The human hand exoskelton subject of this development is intended to be
used both in-orbit and on-ground. With such an exoskeleton hand a robot hand
can be controlled in a very intuitive way with a minimal amount of training,
as has been demonstrated for controlling a robot arm with an exoskeleton arm.
Description: The activity shall produce a proof-of-concept demonstrator of a
human hand exoskeleton to be used both in-orbit and on-ground, to control
remote dexterous robot hands. The demonstrator shall be designed to smoothly
integrate with ESA human arm exoskeleton. The control of a robot hand by the
Human Hand Exoskeleton will be tested in a representative application,
integrated with the Exoskeleton arm. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
09.129.07
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
HEAVY DUTY PLANETARY CHASSIS
09 DIPC 200-500
Q3
Objectives: Exploration and exploitation of the Moon and in future of Mars,
indisputably requires surface locomotion means. The goal of this activity is
to realise a general-purpose heavy-duty chassis, derived from the ExoMars
one, capable to constitute the body of a planetary robotic assistant
("centaur"configuration). Description: The activity shall produce a proof-ofconcept demonstrator of a heavy duty locomotion chassis capable to constitute
the body of a planetary robotic assistant ("centaur" configuration).
Particular focus is required on the stability of the platform, which must be
kept high without limiting the usability of the robotic assistant.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 310
Ref. No.
09.129.08
CONTINUOUS PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL MONITORING
(NON-INVASIVE)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of the activity is to demonstrate the feasibility
of continuous, non invasive and automated measurement of physiological and
medical data with the help of a validated demonstrator. Description: The main
tasks in the present activity are: A) Review and recommend physiological
parameters to be measured non invasively; B) Refine the specifications and
propose concepts; C) confirm the /signals and parameters of interest for
assessing the compliance of the vascular system (including: pulsed waveform,
pulsed transit time, FFT of the arterial waveform, ...); E) Assess the
available solutions for cuff-less blood pressure monitoring (based on
applicability to space situations) and confirm or update the selected
measurement principles (up to two); F) For the selected principle(s) build a
demonstrator and demonstrate its performance in vivo. Procurement Policy:
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC 200-500
Q3
Page 311
Ref. No.
09.129.09
IMAGING OF WAVE SCATTERING IN SOLIDS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to achieve a non invasive
diagnostic setup for the detection of inhomogenities in solid materials, such
as mixed phase materials, propagating cracks in alloys, delaminating effects
in composites etc. The contractor shall design, build and test a technology
demonstrator for various applications showing the feasibility and reliability
of this measurement technique for e.g fatigue detection in metals.
Description: Imaging of an elastic nonlinear wave-scattering source in solids
is an imaging method for locating isolated nonlinear scattering source(s) in
solids. It relies on extracting the nonlinear response of a solid by
modulation of a high by a low-frequency wave, and employing moving-window,
synchronous detection. The resulting image consists of nonlinear wave
reflection profiles with remarkable sensitivity to isolated elastic nonlinear
sources, like cracks. In creating the image, one can distinguish between a
nonlinear scattering source(s) and other wave scatterers in the material. By
assembling a technology demonstrator and performing tests on various
materials, like alloys, composites and inhomogeneous materials, the
feasibility and sensitivity of this technique shall be demonstrated.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 312
Ref. No.
09.129.10
TIME RESOLVED CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY AND TOTAL
INTERNAL REFLECTION SCATTERING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Breadboarding of a combined miniaturised setup for time resolved
correlation spectroscopy and total reflection internal scattering as a
diagnostic tools for in situ investigation on foams, gels glasses and
emulsions. Description: The present techniques that are used for the study of
turbid media like colloidal glasses and gels, foams and emulsions are all
based on Diffusive Wave Spectroscopy , which allows the determination of the
structural modifications of the sample by measuring the time correlation of
radiation diffused in the multiple scattering regimes. There is another
technique for investigating temporally heterogeneous dynamics, which is
termed time-resolved correlation (TRC). TRC is applied to data obtained by
diffusing wave spectroscopy probing the slow dynamics of a strongly
aggregated colloidal gel. Other examples of TRC data, collected for different
jammed materials in single and multiple scattering, are provided to
demonstrate the wide range of applicability of this method. In all cases
there is evidence that the slow dynamics results from a series of discrete
steps rather than from a continuous motion, suggesting temporal
heterogeneities to be a general feature of slow dynamics in jammed systems. A
novel technique that is complementary to DWS is Total Internal Reflection
Scattering (TIRS). From the detection of light reflected by the surface above
the total internal reflection angle (a region that is prohibited in
geometrical optics), it is possible to reconstruct spatial information of the
sample (the two dimensional spatial Fourier) like traditional single
scattering techniques. Since the set-up of TIRS is very similar to DWS in
reflection, it is believed that the combination of the two techniques may be
easily implemented in future microgravity experiments on foams, gels, glasses
and emulsions. Procurement Policy: C(3) = Activity restricted to SMEs & R&D
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 313
Ref. No.
09.129.11
MINIATURIZED IMAGING LIDAR SYSTEM (PH.1)
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test a
miniaturized Imaging Lidar system. Novel and advanced technologies shall be
developed and implemented in order to minimize the system mass and power
consumption. The missions of the Exploration Programme foresee several RVD
(Rendezvous and Docking), landing and rover navigation operations where
Imaging Lidar instruments shall play a key role. Typically Imaging Lidars
rely on scanning mechanisms that are still bulky and rather heavy, which is
not favourable for space missions. On-going ESA activities focus on the
development of Imaging Lidar sensors that will implement detector arrays.
However the number of pixels of these arrays is not sufficient to cover the
total field of view with the required high spatial resolution. For this
reason a scanner mechanism is still needed (with relaxed scanning performance
when compared with a single detector system). In order to miniaturize an
Imaging Lidar system novel technologies, including miniaturized scanners
(such as Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems - MOEMs) and high performance
detector arrays (such as APD arrays), have to be developed and implemented.
During this activity novel and advanced technologies shall be studied and
implemented with the objective to develop a miniaturized Imaging Lidar
sensor. The following tasks shall be performed: 1)Review novel technologies
in view of its utilization in a miniaturized Imaging Lidar system focussing
on one specific GN&C application (rendezvous and docking, landing or rover
navigation); 2)Execute precursor experiments and development tasks to assess
and increase the readiness level of novel and advanced technologies; 3)
Design, manufacture and test a miniaturized Imaging Lidar breadboard.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
C
Z
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 314
Ref. No.
09.129.12
HIGH TEMPERATURE SENSORS WITH SELF CALIBRATING
CAPABILITIES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: to achieve a fully functional and reliable temperature
measurement setup with self-calibrating capabilities for temperatures up to
approx. 2500 deg. C, targeting applications in propulsion systems and other
high temperature applications. With these temperature sensors, an advance in
durability, range and accuracy shall be achieved in comparison with the
actual high temperature thermocouple systems. Description: It is perceived
that reliable thermocouples with self calibrating capabilities, by means of
carbon eutectic fixed point cells for temperature monitoring and control, are
important for high temperature applications. These carbon eutectic materials
are at this moment of high interest as temperature standards for temperatures
above the silver point. The system shall consist of: * a compact system
housing containing electronics, mechanics etc. together with data acquisition
and evaluation and operation units; * a central processor unit, data
acquisition, evaluation and storage unit; * appropriate interfaces for
real-time optical temperature measurements; * Thermocouple sensors with
calibration cells maintaining single eutectics; * Thermocouples with
calibration cells containing multiple eutectics in adjacent compartments; *
Supporting tools, such as: calibration samples, pyrometers, etc. Procurement
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 315
Ref. No.
09.129.13
ETEL MOTORS REPLACEMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The purpose of this activity is to develop Engineering and Qualification
Models of four Stepper Motors for Solar Array Drive Mechanisms and Thruster
Orientation Mechanisms (TOMs). Following the need to replace the obsolete
ETEL motors used at present in the SEPTA 33 Solar Array Drive Mechanism as
well as in Thruster Orientation Mechanisms, this activity is aims at
developing Engineering and Qualification Models of four Stepper Motors. Two
would be used in the SADM with two different voltage levels (28V and 50V)
while the other two would replace the ETEL stepper motors used in TOMs. The
activity will include the following tasks: Design, Manufacturing, Assembly,
Integration and full Testing; Life test of the Qualification Models for the
identified projects and applications. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
09.129.14
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLE
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
The objective of this activity is to study the optimum design of an Active
Optical Cable (AOC) and to develop this cable according to the identified
application requirements. As the design will refer to the specific
application requirements of intra-satellite/spacecraft communications
Protocols and electrical/mechanical (E/M) interfaces the activity will be
split into two Phases: In Phase I the contractor shall review the various
protocols as well as the electrical and mechanical interfaces for
communications on board the S/C, perform a design trade-off of the AOC
against the existing electrical cables and conclude on the optimum design of
AOC solutions for at least two use cases: high speed (> = 1 Gbps) and
medium/lower speed (appr. 100 Kbps). In Phase II the contractor shall
develop the AOC solutions according to the identified protocols and E/M
interfaces. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 316
Ref. No.
09.129.15
N1
ESTEC
09.129.16
N1
ESTEC
INTEGRATED HARNESS TECHNOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To evaluate the performance of integrated harness technology in
the context of a system-of-microsystems architecture. Description: The
concept to be developed would be the application of new technologies to the
harness function, such as wireless technology. Although the mass saving for a
wireless harness may not be significant for a system of Microsystems the
concept when proved would have major implications for larger spacecraft. This
development is linked to the multifunctional structures activity. Studies and
breadboards of embedding electronic components and harness into the structure
have been performed and a complete test campaign should be performed to
assess the structure. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
HIGH RESOLUTION LINEAR CRYOGENIC ACTUATOR
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
The main objectives of this activity are: - to develop, manufacture and test
a High Resolution ( sub-micrometer) European linear actuator suitable for
operation at cryogenic temperature (4-5K); - to develop the generic
technologies required to meet future European mission needs. This development
will adress both the linear actuator as a whole but also its sub-assemblies:
the electric motor technology (including superconductive wire technologies),
the lubrication and the linear stage. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 317
Ref. No.
09.129.17
N1
ESTEC
09.129.18
N4
ESTEC
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED BELLOWS FOR CHEMICAL
PROPULSION COMPONENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Due to recent problems identified with the use of Titanium welded bellows,
the purpose of this activity is to investigate alternate bellow designs. This
activity will include a survey of the state of the art of bellows design
including the assessment of both space and non-space suppliers.In particular
the main objective will to have a non-welded bellow design.An alternative to
the current welded Titanium bellows design is a rolled or formed stainless
steel bellows but the limitations and requirements of these two options need
to be understood before a way forward can be selected.Once the design has
been selected it it envisaged that both DM and EM units would be produced and
concluding with the qualification of a an alternate high reliability bellow
that could then be considered for use in European chemical propulsion
components. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
LASER SOURCE FOR ATMOSPHERIC CO2 AND METHANE
MONITORING
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 318
Ref. No.
09.129.19
N4
ESTEC
09.129.20
N4
ESTEC
HIGH-STABILITY LASER WITH FIBRE AMPLIFIER FOR
INTERFEROMETRIC EARTH GRAVITY MEASUREMENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
OPTICAL FILTERING FOR ONBOARD LIDAR CALIBRATION
09 NO
Q4
200-500
09 NO
Q4
200-500
in ESA programmes".
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 319
Ref. No.
09.129.21
N4
ESTEC
DEVELOPMENT AND QUALIFICATION OF A LIMITED ANGULAR
RANGE EUROPEAN
TT Q
PP
Price
The main objective is to develop, manufacture and qualify a Model of a fully
European limited rotation (< – 180”) SADM, including qualification of a
stepper motor, twist capsule and position sensor. The Solar Array Drive
Mechanisms and Electronics used for Rosetta, Mars Express and Venus Express
spacecrafts were containing several components, as the stepper motor, twist
capsules and position sensors obtained from the USA and are ITAR dependent.
In addition, no European Twist Capsules are currently available. The idea of
this activity is to review the existing SADM design and to modify it to
envelope a range of typical SADM requirements, including future ESA missions.
For each of the key parts (stepper motor, twist capsule and position sensor),
trade-offs shall be performed to identify the most promising baseline designs
and corresponding European suppliers. Preliminary and detailed design
activities shall be performed in order to support the design definition and
justification. In parallel, confidence testing activities (BreadBoarding)
shall be carried out in order to validate the critical building blocks before
CDR. A full qualification programme according to ESA requirements for EQM
testing will be performed. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G526-001MM
Status: INTENDED
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
Page 320
Ref. No.
07.131.02
PROBA 3 LAUNCHER AND PROPULSION MODULE PROCUREMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The present activity covers the procurement of the launcher and the
propulsion module. The launcher procurement will include the procurement of
a recurrent launcher and the launch services compliant with the PROBA 3
requirements. Interface to the launcher authority, analyses, studies and
execution of the launch campaign will be covered by activity P3-01. The
propulsion module procurement will cover the procurement of a recurrent
propulsion module compliant with the PROBA 3 requirements. Analyses, studies,
preparation of the launch campaign, LEOP and operations will be covered by
activity P3-01. Note: The budget for this activity is based: - On a
preliminary and average cost estimate of a VERTA flight on the Vega launcher
- On the current (Phase 0) cost estimate of the propulsion module NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICE / TEC-SP
Responsible: Mr TOBIAS GALICIA
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 P3-02
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 321
Ref. No.
07.131.03
PROBA 3 GROUND SEGMENT PREPARATION, LEOP SUPPORT AND
OPERATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The PROBA 3 mission will be operated from the ESA ground station in Redu.
This activity covers: - The tasks required to install and validate the
Mission Control Centre (MCC) and the spacecraft simulator developed in the
frame of the PROBA 3 project (P3-01) at the ESA station, - The integration of
the MCC with the ground station at Redu (current baseline is the 15 m
antenna), - The manpower required by the operation team to acquire the
knowledge of the mission, participate to the preparation of the operations,
- The manpower required to operate the mission for two years (i.e. including
phase E2) and perform the exploitation of the technological data, - The costs
required to cover the infrastructure used during LEOP and subsequent
operational phases. Based on the approach adopted for small missions and in
particular PROBA 1 and 2, the MCC is developed within the main industrial
contract and is derived from the EGSE and validation tools developed for
spacecraft ground testing. It is developed in compliance with standard
Operations tools (e.g. SCOS 2000). In a similar way, the spacecraft simulator
is also derived from the software and system validation environment. In the
frame of the spacecraft development and ground testing, the mission data base
and basic procedures are prepared. They are then the core of the operations
data base, operations procedure and the flight operations plan. These
developments are included in the main activity (P3-01), however the
specification, follow-up, adaptation, integration and validation in the
operations system are included in this activity. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICE / TEC-SP
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 P3-03
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 322
Ref. No.
05.132.01
REQUIREMENT ENGINEERING: COMPLEXITY AND COST ANALYSIS
TT Q
PP
Price
The requirement phase does not limit itself to English text, but is more and
more supported by models of the requirements. The goal of the activity is to
take advantage of the existence of the model in order to analyze the
complexity and therefore the cost impact of the requirements. Most models
make use of a formalized language, mainly UML, or other with a stronger
semantic (which makes the task easier). The goal of the activity is to make
use of this formalization to analyze the complexity of a model. Each element
of the semantic of the language will be assessed in terms of complexity, and
in terms of its impact on the cost. For example, the interrelation of classes
in a UML model is one good indicator of complexity. The second goal of the
activity is to propose a systematic method to reduce the complexity and/or
the cost of a model as representative of a set of requirements. It is
believed that a very small part of the requirements are responsible for a
large part of the cost. A minor modification of the requirements (as
expressed through the models) could trade-off a large part of the cost. The
activity must propose a method for that purpose. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 323
Ref. No.
05.132.03
DATA EXCHANGE METHODS FOR SPACE ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS
TOOLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Space environment analysis often requires coupled treatment of geometry and
orbit (e.g. computing atomic oxygen fluencies, debris impacts, contamination,
radiation, solar UV). Reliance on custom tools is very expensive and
inefficient. New non-space technologies are being developed, especially based
on Standard for Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP, the casual name for ISO
10303), which offers a way to develop space-specific applications with
maximum use of commercial tools. To get the most out of the available
resources it is important to make use of these new technologies. Also because
the area of space environment analysis is continuously evolving it is
important to do so with an open and modular approach. The use of these
technologies will greatly enhance the efficiency in exchange of models and
data between different kinds of analysis and different disciplines. It also
facilitates the harmonisation among tools, avoiding duplication of common
functionalities in the various tools. Under a current activity the data
structures required for space environment analysis tools are studied, a basic
implementation, using STEP, is being defined, and the necessary software is
developed implementing the protocol. This work also include a prototype
application of the protocol in an existing space environment analysis tool
namely ESABASE. In order to achieve the full benefit of the STEP based
exchange facilities it must be properly applied in a range of space
environmental tools. This requires both works on the exchange protocol itself
(the inclusion of additional data) and on the application of the protocol in
the various tools. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr MIRO
Spec. Prov.:
C
08 DIPC 50-100
Q1
Page 324
Ref. No.
05.132.04
IN-FLIGHT VALIDATION OF INTERNAL CHARGING TOOLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Internal charging tools, such as DICTAT and ESADDC have undergone validation
through laboratory experiments but not yet in space. Users’ confidence in
such tools would be increased if an in-flight validation were conducted. An
experiment is proposed which would provide end-to-end validation of the tools
and allow improvements to the existing environment models. The experiment
would aim at direct measuring of currents deposited in materials under a wide
range of shielding levels. This would be achieved by an instrument with a
succession of thin plates, one behind the other. The current collected by
each plate would be measured separately. These measurements would be made
over an extended period to measure the internal charging currents and
dielectric charging levels over an extended period, so that dynamic effects
arising from changes in the outer radiation belt could be characterized. The
experiment would be ideally flown on a satellite in geostationary transfer
orbit to give good coverage of the radiation belts. Alternatively, it could
be flown in geostationary orbit which would address the orbit of most
concern. Data from the current measurements would be compared to the internal
charging currents predicted by internal charging tools and would be used to
validate both the radiation belt environment model, e.g. FLUMIC, and the
electron transport and deposition models used by the codes. In combination
with the current measurements, the measurement of dielectric potential
provides the validation of the charging aspects of the codes. Type of tender
ESTEC
TECHNICAL & OPERATIONAL SUPPORT - D/TOS
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPT / TOS-E
SOFTWARE SYSTEMS DIVISION / TOS-EM
Responsible: Mr MIRO
Spec. Prov.:
C
08 DIPC 100-200
Q1
Page 325
Ref. No.
05.132.05
STANDARDISATION AND BUILDING BLOCKS: OPEN SOURCE
SOFTWARE REPOSITORY
TT Q
PP
Price
Industry is invited to participate to the decomposition of on-board software
application into building blocks in view of their standardization. Each
standardized block will be subject to an implementation as a public, open
source implementation to be included into reference architecture. The
activity addresses the setup of a development and repository environment for
that purpose. The open source platform must not be developed from scratch.
Instead, an existing one (itself open source) must be instantiated, loaded
with the ESA open source development tools (compilers, debuggers, simulators,
design tools, etc) and configured. Type of tender C(2) - activities in open
competition, where a significant participation of non-primes is requested.
ESTEC
05.132.06
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
STANDARDISATION AND BUILDING BLOCKS: MAINTENANCE AND
EVOLUTION OF COMPONENTS
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Once frameworks and building blocks have been developed for space industry,
in order to ensure their acceptance and their use by the community, they must
be maintained, under the decision and control of the Standardisation Watch.
The activity aims at implementing the ECSS-E40B maintenance process on
selected building blocs. This includes: gathering bug reports and improvement
requests from users; Interfacing with the standardisation watch in order to
get the decision on the product evolution and versioning; the product
maintenance and evolution itself. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 326
Ref. No.
05.132.07
SYSTEM-SOFTWARE CO-ENGINEERING: FRAMEWORKS PROCESS AND
TOOLS
TT Q
PP
Price
Frameworks are generic architectures generally based on object-oriented
techniques (abstract interface, inheritance, up to Java beans), representing
a given application domain (e.g. banking), supported by instantiation tools
(e.g. bean boxes). The use of Frameworks has significantly improved the
productivity of the software industry out of the space domain, by making
reuse of architecture, pieces of code and tests systematic. The goal of the
activity is to adapt the technology to the space domain. The commercial tools
need to be adapted to the specificity of the space application domain (e.g.
it is not graphical, it is real-time). Generic architectures must be
completed with the elements needed to fit into a framework tool. The object
oriented features usable for space software needs to be defined: it is the
place where the transition between the flexibility of system languages and
the accuracy of software design languages will be performed. Finally, the
process of using a framework must be described and compared with the current
ECSS processes. Type of tender C(2) - activities in open competition, where a
significant participation of non-primes is requested. For additional
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 327
Ref. No.
05.132.10
SYSTEM-SOFTWARE CO-ENGINEERING: ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
AND TOOLS
TT Q
PP
Price
The investigations performed due to the software crisis have demonstrated
(and this was confirmed by the harmonisation exercise), that one weakness in
the avionic software engineering is the relationship between the system
definition and the software development, because the software requirements at
system level are very weak, incomplete and inconsistent. A solution is to
find a way to have system and software engineers work together with the same
tools at the same time in order to start the software development on a clean
basis. The activity will investigate a language allowing system and software
engineers to express together the avionic system architecture in terms of
hardware, software and communication elements and their attributes. The
language must allow the expression of system properties (timeliness,
behaviour, dependability), which will be verified at each step of the avionic
implementation. The activity will select a language (candidates are AADL, and
UML flavours like UML-SE and HRT-UML). The activity will implement, reuse or
associate the necessary tools to capture a system definition, the software
requirements and the system and software properties. Then the activity will
prepare the bridge with the next engineering steps, i.e. the software,
hardware and bus design tools. Finally, the activity will define the
system-software co-engineering process making use of the language and tools.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 328
Ref. No.
06.132.01
INTEGRATED MODULAR AVIONICS FOR SPACE
TT Q
PP
Price
The goal of the activity is to bring into the space domain the experience of
the civil aviation industry in the domain of ARINC 653 standards and
Integrated modular avionic. This concept is already introduced in the new
aircrafts like Airbus A380 and A350. The concept is based on the separation
of the software and the processor that it actually runs upon. A pool of
computers may run a set of application software without constrained
pre-allocation. In addition, the ARINC 653 proposes an operating layer
allowing the partitioning of the resources in execution time and in memory
space. The partitions are isolated from each other in time and memory, and
they communicate through controlled channels. This allows in particular
running pieces of software of different criticality, such that the highest
criticality partitions are protected from failures of lower criticality
software, which cannot steal time or overwrite the memory of the critical
software. An expected benefit is to reduce the test effort by allowing
testing each partition independently and concurrently from each other,
reducing the integration test of all the partition. The test effort actually
grows exponentially with the software size, because the number of combination
of the data space is combinatorial. The partitioning will also improve the
maintenance. Not only the impact of a modification is limited to its
partition, but also it is possible to add functionalities later on in the
software in a safer way if there are empty spare partitions. A difference
with aircraft that will have to be taken into account in the study is that
aircraft are maintained on ground whereas spacecraft cannot land for
maintenance, (part of) the software runs during maintenance. The ARINC layer
will provide a common programming interface for application, participating to
the level of standardization of the software into building blocks. The
characteristics of the modular architectures with frozen interface
facilitates that small players participate in the market of avionics
equipments by providing specialized or improved version of the building
blocks. The applicability of the aircraft concepts to space shall be studied
first, considering the impact on software and hardware (e.g. hardware memory
block protection, software architecture, trade-off buy aircraft
product/modify space products). Then a demonstration test case will be
implemented using existing laboratory infrastructure. This implementation
will consider three different scenarios, i.e. spacecraft onboard
configurations: a) mono-processor b) multi-processor in the same electronic
rack c) multi-processor connected wireless (as per multi spacecraft
configuration formation flying) The results will be validated in the context
of the TEC Virtual Spacecraft Reference Facility (VSRF) including tailoring
of the VSRF, implementation of the ARINC 653 compliant operating system,
partitioning of the application (AOCS, Data Handling, Thermal control,
Mission management, etc). The activity shall be split in two phases: Phase 1:
Study of the applicability of the aircraft concepts to Space Phase 2:
Implementation of a demonstration test case in the lab.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP NP20-04SW
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 329
Ref. No.
07.132.01
STANDARDISATION AND BUILDING BLOCKS: STANDARDISATION
WATCH AND VERIFICATION
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity aims at guiding, supervising, controlling and verifying the
standardisation of the building blocks. It is a long term activity all along
the standardisation period. It includes the creation and animation of a
standardisation watch group involving industry members who will be in charge
of defining what needs to be standardised, how it is standardised. It takes
care of the maintenance of the standard. It steers the open source
implementation, it guarantees the availability of the reference architecture,
it decides on the deployment, and is responsible for organising the
maintenance of the building blocks. It also includes the verification of the
standards during their definition in terms of completeness and consistency
between each others. This will be done with some dedicated tasks to verify
specific technical aspects such as consistency of interface, completeness of
the behaviour definition, data models, etc.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T607-08EM
Status: INTENDED
09 DAC 200-500
Q3
Page 330
Ref. No.
08.132.01
OBC SIMULATOR ARCHITECTURES AND I/F TO SYSTEM TEST
BENCHES
TT Q
PP
Price
Higher level of integration, like system on-chip, will make the visibility at
processor level more difficult, and interaction will only be possible at the
level of the OBC. The emulation / simulation models need to reflect this
evolution and enable the correct representation towards the rest of the
avionics system. The present activity shall cover the following tasks: - The
architecture shall be developed, prototyped and the performance of the
interface to a system bench shall be characterised - Development of the
architecture for a complete OBC simulator, comprising the processor and all
its closely integrated interface functions - Definition of the relevant lower
level model interfaces that allow performance efficient integration of
models, taking into account that building blocks may be delivered from
different vendors - Definition of the relevant interface to the system test
bed, taking into account the standard for simulation model portability (ECSS
E40-07) - Characterise the performance of the OBC / system testbed interface
- Assess the limitations of architecture for SW and system verification and
validation. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 G607-22SW
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 331
Ref. No.
08.132.09
STANDARD COMPLIANCE OF EUROSIM
TT Q
PP
Price
The E-40-07 is an emerging standard (first version planned for April 2008)
within the ECSS standardisation body aiming at improving the simulation model
exchange and reuse within and between space projects. The standard is based
on the work done in the scope of the SMP-CCB and will be backwards compliant
as far as possible with the SMP2 v1.2. The adoption of the E-40-07 standard
requires simulation infrastructures to be developed and maintained. EuroSim,
being the European leading environment for hard real-time simulators, it is
necessary to establish a full compatibility of this tool with the E40-07
standard. The commercial market and potential for Eurosim is too small to
fully finance this development, so additional incentive has to be provided in
the interest of the Agency. The EuroSim tool has to a limited extent
implemented the predecessor specification, SMP2. This activity would
implement the missing part of the SMP2, mainly in the area simulator
integration support, as well as do the necessary extensions and upgrades to
fully comply with the upcoming E-40-07 standard. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
ESTEC
09.132.01
Spec. Prov.: NL
Status: INTENDED
INTERFACE STANDARDISATION VERIFICATION BY DATA
MODELLING
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objectives: Following the definition of the reference architecture in CORDET,
implement the data modelling technology to verify the interface to be
standardized. Description: - consolidate if needed the reference
architecture; - detail the interface requirements; - model the interface; verify the interface; - integrate into the reference architecture, with the
functional view tool, and with vertical transformation to a virtual machine.
ESTEC
C
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T702-018SW
Status: INTENDED
Page 332
Ref. No.
09.132.02
AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF DATABASE MMI FROM A DOMAIN
ONTOLOGY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: To automate the generation of database editor MMIs resulting from
a formal data-model in order to facilitate the rapid production of user
interfaces that mirror the choices of the particular operational services
chosen through the process of tailoring of ground-space interface
definitions. Description: The objective is to automate the generation of
database editor MMIs resulting from a formally specified data-model. The data
model is constructed in line with a domain ontology (prepared in an existing
approved TRP activity) which removes ambiguity in terminology and data
content. It is refined through the tailoring of E70-41A (packet utilisation
standard). This will enable the automated generation of user interfaces to
M+C AIT databases according to project specific space-ground ICDs.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
09.132.03
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
AUTOMATION OF SPACE SYSTEM TEST DATA COLLECTING,
PROCESSING AND REPORTING
09 NO
Q4
200-500
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Objectives: to study the cycle of electrical test reporting from test
specification to test report close-out and to analyse the applicability of
methods and tools used in other domains with similar domains to establish
whether a spin-in of such tools could accelerate the application of
benefiting from modern IT technology solutions. Description: Study will
address the life cycle of electrical test reporting from test specification
to test reporting as defined by ECSS-E10 part2 & part3. A mapping will made
to similar domains in aerospace, automotive, energy industries. Candidate
tools will be identified procured and evaluated in order to assess their
suitability. The roles of a database of test results and the associated tools
will be proposed that support data analysis (trends, graphical records etc)
and automated test documentation production. Impact on current EGSE
architectures and solutions to be assessed.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 333
Ref. No.
09.132.04
TOOLS FROM NON-SPACE DOMAINS TO SUPPORT SPACE SYSTEM
TESTING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Study will address the hardware and software tools employed
outside the space domain for complex electrical system testing to determine
the value of spin-in of such technology. The objective is is to determine how
more commercially available solutions can replace the bespoke solutions
currently employed and to determine the extent of commonality achievable with
the space product design and development and verification life cycle.
Description: Analyse of the applicability of the tools assessed will be made
to determine extent of applicability to the space domain. An assessment of
selected tools against a specific project’s requirements will be performed.
The commonality with the design and development tools will be analysed to
establish the level of continuity. The goal is to demonstrate the (dis-)
advantages of such an approach from a set of criteria (e.g. financial,
commercial, risk) and to propose an EGSE concept derived from the results.
ESTEC
09.132.05
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
SOFTWARE REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE IMPLEMENTATION
PROTOTYPE
09 NO
Q2
100-200
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Objectives: Following the definition of a generic on-board software
architecture in CORDET, this study intends to consolidate the definition and
prototype an implementation. Description: Update the CORDET reference
architecture with the last technology update and harmonisation decision;
baseline the tools for the genericity definition and the vertical
transformation and the middleware; develop the functional models and the non
functional architecture and interface; generate code and integrate and
validate.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 334
Ref. No.
09.132.06
SYSTEM IMPACT OF DISTRIBUTED MULTICORE SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: How to make best use of the future multicore and to mitigate the
risks due to (software) complexity, in relation with the system needs
Description: setup the various system scenarios where a multicore can be used
(distribution, segeragation, debugger-on-chip, parallel processing,
reconfiguration, etc); analysee the hardware capabilities of the chip as
designed at that time; define guidelines on the use of the chip, hardware
configuration, software use or misuse; software implementation in various
cases to measure the impact.
ESTEC
09.132.07
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
VERIFICATION OF FAILURE IMPACT BY MODEL CHECKING
09 NO
Q3
200-500
09 NO
Q3
100-200
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objectives: To complement the work done with discrete model checking with
hybrid model checking. Description: The activity shall complement the
scenarios investigated up to now for on-board model checking with the control
needs (monitoring of continuous values). Furthermore, it shall investigate
the hybrid model checking technologies; realise an on-board component
prototype and demonstrate it with a case study.
ESTEC
09.132.08
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
SPACECRAFT CONTROLLER ON CHIP (SCOC3) SOFTWARE SUPPORT
Objectives: Software support development for the SCOC3. Description:
Selection of software functions from the reference architectures to be
implemented on the scoc3 board in order to exercise the design in a
representative manner, with focus on the lower level layers of the software,
plus a dummy application or VSRF like. Implementation, test and validation.
ESTEC
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
Page 335
Ref. No.
09.132.09
LOW COST FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM QUALIFICATION TESTBENCH AND
ELECTRICAL AIT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: Advance the Electrical AIT state of the art by the use of
simulation in closed-loop during system qualification. Description: Based on
the output of ongoing Spacecraft Vritual Design studies, and EGSE modular
architectures, the methodology and tools necessary to build low-cost, closed
loop qualifiation testbenches will be developed. These testbenches
effectively cosntitute the EQM necessary to qualify the design regarding
functional and electrical aspects. The seamless integration of the simulator
developed in support of the design will be implemented, taking into account
the lessons learnt in past projects (typically ATV, H-P and MDVE-based
systems used for Earth Observation). The system shall be scalable to low cost
projects and shall implement the EGSE interface standards currently developed
in the frame of the European Harmonisation on GS software. Procurement
non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required.For additional information please go to
ESTEC
09.132.10
C
Z
Status: INTENDED
AUTOSAR PROCESS AND INTERFACE STANDARDIZATION
EVALUATION
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
The objective of this activity is to validate the application of the ASSERT
project process and prototype tool-chain on an existing onboard software
system. The ASSERT process is deemed strong in modelling and guaranteeing non
functional (performance) system properties. The AUTOSAR methodology
established in the automotive domain is deemed strong in the area of
interface standardisation. By evaluating the ASSERT process and comparing
both processes, the activity aims at enhancing the ASSERT process
specifically in relation to interface standardisation, as well as completing
a thorough ASSERT process validation. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
100-200
Page 336
Ref. No.
09.132.11
N4
ESTEC
REQUIREMENTS AND I/F DEFINITION FOR FUTURE OBCP
BUILDING BLOCK
TT Q
PP
Price
The On-Board Control Procedure (OBCP) is a powerful way to control spacecraft
or to implement on-board functions. The software to execute such procedures
(also called interpreter) has been identified as a potential building block
and a number of implementations exist, however their interface is not
standardised and they are in general not compliant with the new standard. An
"architecture study" is needed to identify the requirements for compatibility
with open interface architectures and in line with the new Standard. Several
OBCP interpreters have been produced, but there are no real reusable
products. They all use different languages and allow more or less access to
the on-board software. Several technologies have been considered for
interpreters. The present activity will review the Standard and determine
which requirements are missing to realize an implementation in the spirit of
a building block. It will review the existing OBCP interpreters and the
potential language technologies, and will assess them in terms of compliance
to the Standard, maturity, qualification effort, etc. The potential of
adoption by the overall community shall also be taken into account. For this
purpose, the activity will include the interface to a working group (under
the umbrella of the SAVOIR Advisory Group) of stake holders that will provide
user needs, and will advise on the selection of the final implementation
solution, taking into account existing technology and products. A prototype
will be produced. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G522-001SW
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 337
Ref. No.
09.132.12
N4
ESTEC
ON-BOARD SOFTWARE REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE CONSOLIDATION
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity is an "architectural activity aimed at consolidating the
definition of a building block in this area. The starting point is the result
of several activities which delivered a common document about the reference
architecture. Many agreed principles are defined there, but they lack the
definite specification to implement them. This activity will allow the choice
of the implementation technology, in particular it will define the selected
component model and computational model. It will then produce the reference
architecture using the two above models. In particular, the notion of
software bus will be refined and specified based on the defined component
model. It will then define the middleware interface, e.g. by referring to
SOIS elements and giving guidelines and priorities for the SOIS
standardisation. It will define the allocation of the PUS services into the
architecture. Finally, it will define the tools and the development logic
associated to the use of the reference architecture. This includes a list of
building blocks with a precise definition of some of them, in particular the
software bus, the middleware and the PUS library. The future business model
is based on a common approach on the architecture, allowing any software
supplier to produce and commercialize compliant building blocks. Therefore,
the activity shall include the interface to a working group of stake holders
that will bring an harmonized decision on the selected technologies and
solutions. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP G522-002SW
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
Page 338
Ref. No.
07.135.01
NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INITIATIVE (NTTI)
TT Q
PP
Price
1. Technology Push Create a portfolio of space technologies developed in
the Member State. Add this portfolio to the general TTPO technology
database. 2. Market Pull Create a portfolio of technology needs from
non-space entities in the Member State. Match these needs with entries in
the general TTPO database. 3. Transfer Implementation Facilitate, manage and
follow-up of technology transfer activities. Exploring and indicating, under
the advice of the steering committee, activities suitable for further
funding. Utilize the expertise of national entities for specific projects
relevant to the competences and interests of the country, this could involve
cooperation with national science and technology polices where extra funding
may be granted. 4. Promotion Increase the awareness of space developed
technologies in the industrial and academic environment and promote the space
technology pool in the country towards non-space sectors at suitable fairs
and exhibitions (in particular a one day dedicated event), by press releases
in various media, by dedicated brochures and flyers and via a maintained Web
site. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP WORK PLAN BUT WILL ONLY BE
ESTEC
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER & PROMOTION OFFICE / TEC-ST
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-3 G703-07ST
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 339
Ref. No.
08.135.05
DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF MARKETING AND PROMOTION
TOOLS FOR THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAMME OFFICE
TT Q
PP
Price
The tenderer will provide the full service range associated with production
for marketing and promotion campaigning, such as: graphic design, sample
development and marketing and promotion too production which may include
services and item such as: printed information material, customised office
material for supporting mailing activities, promotion material customised for
various media, and give-away items for distribution during events,
merchandise objects. The tenderer will be formally engaged via specific work
orders originating from the offices specified above. During the execution of
a work order the contractor will typically: - produce an initial design of an
item in the required medium and interact with the requesting ESA office to
reach the final format; - produce sample to support the design review with
the requesting ESA office; - produce the items, upon written approval from
the same ESA office, in the specified physical and/or electronic format and
in the quantity requested.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr SALZGEBER
C
Budget Ref.:
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Page 340
Ref. No.
09.135.01
N1
ESTEC
2009 AO FOR THE INNOVATION TRIANGLE INITIATIVE (ITI)
TT Q
PP
Price
09 NO
Q1
> 500
The ESA Innovation Triangle Initiative (ITI) aims at supporting the fast
introduction of disruptive innovations in the European space industry by
combining the creativity, know-how and experience of the Research Community,
Space Customers and Industry. The technical scope of ITI is large, accepting
proposals of possible disruptive innovations in any technical domain
applicable to space, with particular emphasis on innovations coming
originally from non-space industrial or research sectors. In ITI there are
three types of contract activities: *) Proof of concept: fast validation of
new ideas and demonstration of its advantages; *) Demonstration of
feasibility and use: component and/or breadboard development up to validation
in the laboratory or in a relevant environment; *) Technology Adoption:
support for the technology to be adopted by an European Space company
(Customer) with the final objective of including the developed technology in
their services, products or processes. The ITI is based on a continuous call
for ideas with a standing Evaluation Board that meets periodically (during
the year), in order to ensure that funding for a proposal is authorised
within few weeks. The proposals must be submitted by the bidding entities
using the templates provided on the ITI Web Application http://iti.esa.int/.
TECHNOLOGY HARMONISATION & STRATEGY DIV / TEC-SH
Responsible: Mr GUGLIELMI
C
Z
Programme Ref.:
Page 341
Ref. No.
09.135.02
N2
ESTEC
FIRST CALL FOR OUTLINE PROPOSALS UNDER THE CZECH
REPUBLIC INDUSTRY INCENTIVE SCHEME
TT Q
PP
Price
09 NO
Q1
> 500
This AO is the First Call for Outline Proposals in the frame of the Czech
Republic’s Industry Incentive Scheme. The Call is addressed to Czech
companies, universities and research institutions. Bidders may submit outline
proposals in all technology subjects pertinent to the European Space Agency.
The subject of the present AO is exclusively for: a) Flight Hardware
activities with preference for those related to platform technologies and
sensors or to generic technologies with potential for re-use; b) Research and
development activities (including feasibility studies) leading to products
(hardware or software), services, technology demonstrations or to generic
technologies with potential for re-use; and, c) preparatory activities (e.g.
studies, user requirements or market surveys) to support Czech
competitiveness in ESA programmes (optional and mandatory) that Czech
Republic subscribes. Bidders are invited to submit Outline Proposals quoting
for a) flight hardware activities a price not higher than Euro 1.000.000, for
b) research and development activities a price not higher than 200.000 and
for c) preparatory activities, not higher than Euro 100.000. The total budget
earmarked for this Announcement of Opportunity is Euro 2.500.000 (Two million
and five hundred thousand Euro). In the frame of this AO the Agency can only
consider proposals from companies or organisations residing in Czech
Republic. Consortia including companies & organisations within other ESA
Member States may be authorised if duly justified. Tasks assigned to
non-Czech entities shall in any case not constitute the core activities of
the proposed study or development. Education and awareness activities shall
not be considered in the present call.
Responsible: Mr POIARES BAPTISTA
Budget Ref.: 100734 - Czech Industry Incentive Scheme
Spec. Prov.: CZ
Programme Ref.:
C
Page 342
Ref. No.
06.138.01
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR ADVANCED SPACECRAFT
TT Q
PP
Price
Available space technology limits the performance and/or increases the cost
of spacecraft. In some systems the expected evolution of space technology can
provide only moderate improvements. Technology developed for ground
applications can contribute to disrupt the evolutionary process and enable a
new generation of higher performance and/or lower cost spacecraft. Such
technologies shall then be spun-in. It is necessary to identify the related
ground technologies,analyze their potential and limitations for use in space,
the expected performance enhancement. The adaptation of these technologies
for space shall be considered in the context of the overall space system. The
proposed activity will start with the review of the state of the art in
spacecraft technology for the various platform and payload elements. Among
others, advances in MNT, MEMS, MOEMS, NOEMS, on wireless harness on
embedded systems, HW and SW and developmentand verification will be
considered. Power sources and materials will be also considered. The
achievable capability of the technology will be analysed and the implications
on spacecraft design and mission performance will be established. Disruptive
ground technologies will be identified. Analysis will be conducted for their
suitability / adaptation to the space environment. System concepts will be
established based on the identified technologies. Specifications will be
established. Focused simulations will be conducted to provide proof-ofconcept of the proposed system design and of the technologies candidate for
spin-in. Both hardware and software technologies will be addressed and the
required development tools and facilities will be identified. Roadmaps for
development of the technologies will be established, including identification
of developments for ground and estimation of costs for adaptation for space.
ESTEC
SYSTEMS AND ENGINEERING SUPPORT DIVISION / TEC-SY
Responsible: Mr CORDERO PEREZ
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP NP20-01SY
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 343
Ref. No.
06.138.03
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES TO ENHANCE OPERATIONAL
CAPABILITIES IN SECURITY OPERATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The European Union has been and is involved in numerous operations around the
world to guarantee civil security, Kosovo, Macedonia, Afghanistan, Darfur,
etc. These operations are conducted outside the Union and often far from its
borders.Clearly, satellite systems can provide unvaluable support and often
be the only means available for the provision of contextual information, such
as mapping, weather prediction, etc, positioning, localization and tracking,
for operations and for search and rescue, and telecommunications, low and
high data rate. The SPACESEC report already identified gaps in capabilities
and included a first identification of required technologies which was
recalled in ESA/IPC(2005)75, rev. 1 and also in the roadmap for Security in
ESA/C(2005)130, rev. 3. The activity of a working group on human security
setup by the Director General including experts with operational experience
in the field and in headquarters, will further refine the needs for
contextual information, tracking and localization capabilities and
communications.Space systems are the only solution to cover with certainty
these gaps for operation outside the Union. This is a technology reference
and proof of concept activity. The requirements derived from the report being
prepared by the group of experts / user representatives, will be analyzed.
Architecture concepts will be established to meet the user requirements and
to serve as the frame for the analysis of the relevant technology. Candidate
technologies will be identified and consolidated in the context of the
outlined architectures. The technologies will be characterized and
specifications will be established. Simplified simulators will be established
and simulations will be conducted to show the performance of the technology
(TRL-3). The suitability of technologies developed for other purpose will be
analysed. Roadmaps for development, including when relevant in-orbit
demonstration, will be established including consideration of costs. This
activity is part of the roadmap for security identified in the ESA long-term
plan.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 344
Ref. No.
06.138.04
TECHNOLOGY FOR VERY HIGH DATA RATE SECURE AND MOBILE
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Telecommunication services for security and secure applications, e.g. air
traffic control, will require a high degree of flexibility and data security.
The need has been clearly identified in the SPACESEC report. Out of six top
priority needs identified, five led to the need for secure telecommunication
services. Such services are needed to support the network enabled
capability needed at European and national level. Among the characteristics
to be assured by these services are: High level of secure connectivity,
between EU missions abroad and the base in Europe and within the field
Inter-operability of all actors From low to very high data rate connections
via satellite between the various elements involved, e.g. between control
centres, between control centre and the field staff, between ground and sea
and air based assets,for a multitude of uses, e.g. uni-directional, bidirectional symmetricand asymmetric, etc. implying a variety of solutions,
including inter-satellite connections, satellite to air and ground
connections, RF and optical links The development of enabling technologies
has beeninitiated at national and at ESA level, mainly under the ARTES
programme.. However, before operational deployment, it is convenient conduct
flight demonstrations with existing satellites in a similar type of
application. Objective of this activity is to prepare a set of demonstrations
with existing satellites and ground and air based assets. Focus will be ESA’s
ARTEMIS operated from Redu. ARTEMIS SILEX optical terminal has already to
transmit data from Spot 4 and the Japanese satellite KIRARI data directly to
Artemis in a geostationary orbit and then onward to ground stations in near
real-time, providing images in little more than half an hour. As optical link
experiments continue, ESA’s Earth observation satellite Envisat uses Artemis’
Ka Band facility torelay its instrument data to ground. The use of S-band is
being considered for communications with the launchers in the VERTA and ACEP
programmes. This technology reference and proof of concept activity will
derive from the user needs the requirements on the associated services. It
will derive the requirements on the associated technology and will proof by
simulation the suitability for the services. It will further identify
demonstration experiments involving existing space assets such as Artemis and
Envisat, and ground and air based elements, exercising a variety of
architectures using RF and optical links.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 345
Ref. No.
08.138.02
CONCEPTS FOR LOW-COST IN-ORBIT DEMONSTRATION OF
TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR MICROWAVE SENSING FROM
NON-LEO
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to define the concept for the demonstration
of the capabilities for microwave remote sensing from non- low Earth orbits
(LEO). Remote from non-LEO orbits has been limited so far to systems
operating in the optical part of the spectrum, e.g. the Meteosat generations
of operational meteorological systems from geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).
The developments of concepts and techniques for sensing in the microwave
range from GEO was initiated in the context of an innovation action in the
TRP. The capability has been at the basis of proposals to the Earth Explorer
missions and was considered for implementation as part of the Meteosat Third
Generation (MTG). It has not been selected as Earth Explorer mission nor
maintained as part of MTG for its lack of maturity, technical, but also in
the use of the data. The capability has been identified as relevant for civil
security and in fact ground, including airborne systems, are currently being
used. In the TRP activity, requirements were analysed and candidate concepts
identified and traded-off. Two candidate solutions were further pursued until
a baseline was selected for further development. The concept under
development features aperture synthesis, interferometry, rotation for signal
collection in several spectral bands. An in-orbit demonstration (IOD) would
allow to further develop the techniques and technology while at the same time
provide data for preparation of future missions. In addition to the concept
to be demonstrated by SMOS for a single frequency, the proposed IOD will
demonstrate the multi-spectral system, the rotation (for suitable orbits) and
will develop technology blocks such as antenna elements, MMIC, fast
correlators, optical harness, etc to TRL 8. To contain costs, the
demonstrator shall be compatible with a small launcher such as Vega. This
will also impose limitations in mass (and power) of the technology elements.
The orbit shall result of a trade-off of Vega capabilties, demonstrator
usefulness and demonstration value, e.g. elliptical orbits may be of interest
to simulate quasi stationary conditions at the apogee. In the proposed
activity the current instrument development will be reviewed and the interest
for a Vega compatible in-orbit demonstration will be analysed. The
representativity of technologies and techniques for future missions will be
analysed. The demonstrator concept will be established. with emphasis on the
instrument and in particular on the novel technology items and on the
specific operation techniques. The instrument performance model will be
adapted and implemented as part of the overall mission model in ESA s
concurrent design facility. Concurrent engineering and associated toolls will
be used for the management and definition of the demonstrators. The
performance of the demonstrator will be estimated. A programmatic dossier
including among other elements development plans, with emphasis on enabling
technology roadmaps, and cost estimates will be established. NOTE: THIS
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr TESTON
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 346
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.:
GSTP-4 NP30-09SY
Status:
INTENDED
08.138.03
CONCEPTS FOR TECHNO-PRECURSORS OF TECHNIQUES AND
TECHNOLOGIES FOR SURVEILLANCE OF SPACE SURVEY AND
IMAGING FUNCTIONS
of space based survey and imaging functions. The lack of European capability
for surveillance of space, space situation awareness (SSA), has been
identified as a major gap by user groups. This led the Agency to address the
SSA with a user group and studies in the frame of the General Studies
Programme and in the Interim Period of NewPro devoted to the analysis of
capabilities, gaps and architectures. A future architecture will have to
provide survey, imaging, tracking, electronic monitoring of space objects and
of the space environment. Such an architecture will have to include first
ground based elements and later also space based elements, in particular for
survey / imaging above low Earth orbit (LEO). Potential concepts could
include imaging systems in LEO or under the geostationary orbit (GEO). Such
systems will include preferably optical systems. The proposed activity will
build on the results of the previous studies and focus on the potential space
based elements for survey and imaging. The requirements will be analysed and
end-to-end system concepts will be established. Figures of merit will be
established to compare concepts, e.g. object feature size, tracking
capability, etc. Performance models will be established to relate system
features to performance and complexity / costs. Such models will be installed
in ESA s concurrent design facility (CDF) which will be accessible to the
contractor. Engineering and technical management tasks will then be supported
by concurrent engineering, also in view of a potential later implementation.
Candidate systems will be identified, orbits, payload, platform, operations,
performance, complexity and cost will be analysed and baselines recommended.
Demonstrators for the agreed baseline concepts will be defined. Such
demonstrators shall be compatible with small satellites and launchers such as
Vega. Limits imposed by space technology will be identified and work around
solutions will be proposed. A technical and programmatic dossier will be
established including development plan, with emphasis on enabling
technologies, and cost estimates. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 NP30-10SY
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 347
Ref. No.
08.138.04
CONCEPTS FOR LOW-COST IN-ORBIT DEMONSTRATION OF
TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR GNSS REFLECTOMETRY
TT Q
PP
Price
of GNSS reflectometry as a technique to monitor sea state and other Earth
surface properties, and the associated technologies. Europe is leading in the
exploitation of GNSS signals for research and operational monitoring purposes
specially with the GRAS instrument on the MetOp satellites of Eumetsat Polar
System. ESA s development triggered developments as the AGGA, an ASIC sold by
hundreds and being today at the core of top-of the line GNSS receivers. While
GRAS exploits the refraction of GNSS signals going through the atmosphere
using radio-occultation techniques, ESA s PARIS concept exploits the GNSS
signals reflected by the ocean (and possibly other Earth surface) to derive
information of interest for a variety of users. Studies have been carried out
under TRP and EOEP and proposals were submitted to ESA for implementation as
Earth Explorer mission. Though the novelty and interest were recognized the
mission was not selected for lack of maturity. Technology developments are
continuing under TRP. Experiments have been conducted from high structures
and aircraft. Experiments have been conducted even from spacecraft (DMC)
though with conventional receivers. The results are however promising. With
the increase in the number of transmitters and the power and bandwidth of the
signals, the technique may offer new possibilities. An in-orbit demonstration
(IOD) would allow to further develop the techniques and technology while at
the same time provide data for preparation of future missions. The proposed
IOD will allow to demonstrate, in addition to the technique itself, the
technology developed under TRP and EOEP (e.g. receiver technology, integrated
front-end, AGGA-4, antenna). To contain costs, the demonstrator shall be
compatible with a small satellite platform and launch as secondary payload on
a small launcher such as Vega. In the proposed activity the current
instrument development will be reviewed and the interest for a Vega
compatible in-orbit demonstration will be analysed. The demonstration concept
will be established. The representativity of technologies and techniques for
future missions will be analysed. The demonstrator concept will be
established with emphasis on the instrument and in particular on the novel
technology items and on the specific operation techniques. The instrument
performance model will be adapted and integrated in an overall system model.
The model will be installed in ESA s Concurrent Design Facility which will be
made accessible to the contractor. Engineering and technical management will
be supported by concurrent engineering methods and tools also in preparation
of future implementation. The performance of the demonstrator will be
estimated. A programmatic dossier including development plans, with emphasis
on enabling technology roadmaps, and cost estimates will be established.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 348
Ref. No.
08.138.05
REQUIREMENTS AND CONCEPTS FOR KA-BAND SAR FOR CIVIL
SECURITY APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to define the interest and concept of high
resolution SAR operating in Ka-band. The analysis of requirements for civil
security call for faster access and increased coverage of areas of crisis in
support of EU crisis management operations. This implies deploying spacecraft
with radar sensors for all weather operation, and agility, electronic
steering or otherwise. Present European imaging SAR operate in C and X- band
and there have been developments for L-band (TerraSAR). Systems operating in
Ka-band could offer advantages in terms of higher resolution (larger
bandwidth) and more compact instruments thus compatible with smaller
satellites and launchers. Furthermore they would benefit from technology
advances in telecommunications. It is therefore proposed to study the
interest and concepts of imaging radars operating in Ka-band. The study will
be parametric for a range of performance parameters. A performance model will
be established linking the performance parameters to sensor features so that
quantitative requirements can be derived. The model will be installed in
ESA s Concurrent Design facility which will be accessible to the contractor.
Concepts will be established and performance requirements associated to the
elements. Performance limiters / cost drivers will be identified and the
associated technologies be scrutinised for potential breakthrough solutions.
The technical performance will be associated to mission performance and to
technical concepts. Concepts will be traded-off for performance, complexity
and cost. An option will be selected and preliminary defined so that the
technology requirements can be derived. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN
THE ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 349
Ref. No.
08.138.06
CONCEPTS FOR IN ORBIT DEMONSTRATION OF TECHNOLOGIES
AND TECHNIQUES FOR ELECTRO-MAGNETIC INTERFERENCE
MEASUREMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
of the techniques and technologies for mapping the in-orbit electromagnetic
interference produced by terrestrial and in orbit emitters using a Frequency
Monitoring Package payload. The FMP will provide a valuable input to gauge
man-made disturbance within frequency bands used by Space Systems. Also, it
would provide a useful tool to characterise, locate and potentially identify
sources of harmful interference on ground with potential security
implications. The FMP will allow: - To classify high level radar signals, in
terms of their level and pulse characteristics - To enable the generation of
statistics relating to interference sources - To provide a capability to scan
the frequency domain around some specific frequency bands - To identify and
localise the sources of interfering signals. In general, radio emissions are
always present around the Earth, and can be tolerated up to a certain
threshold level. Above this level these emissions degrade the performance of
the affected system to unacceptable levels. Permissible levels for emissions
have been determined for various applications by standardising bodies. Of
primary interest to users is information regarding the orbit positions where
interference thresholds are exceeded. This can then be used to compile an
in-orbit electric field database that can identify user data collected at the
same orbital position as being potentially bad. By repeating observations at
the same orbit position statistics can be compiled providing a numerical
quality or hazard indicator. Carrying out a global survey of the data quality
can aid the verification of the ITU recommended data loss criteria. Of
secondary interest to users is the determination of emitter position and look
angles. This can be used to provide an on-ground emitter database that can
identify problematic emitters, allowing negotiations towards remedial action,
and to the synthesis of in-orbit electric fields and statistics at orbits
other than that of the FMP. A ground-based system will not allow to perform
these measurements with adequate performance and hence the FMP would fill an
important gap. The FMP system design will be able of receiving various
frequencies and different modulation schemes. Thanks to new technology
developments this receiver can be designed in such a way to be compatible to
small platforms. An in-orbit demonstration (IOD) would allow to develop the
techniques and technology while at the same time provide data for preparation
of future missions. To contain costs, the demonstrator shall be compatible
with a small launcher capability. This will also impose limitations in mass
(and power) and drive the technology development. In the proposed activity
the instrument design will be analysed. The representativity of technologies
and techniques for future missions will be analysed. The demonstrator concept
will be established with emphasis on the instrument and in particular on the
novel technology items and on the specific operation techniques. An end to
end simulator will be produced to validate the concept and establish the
performances for various orbital conditions. The simulator will be installed
in ESA s Concurrent Design Facility so as to facilitate quick interaction
with the contractor. A programmatic dossier including among other elements
development plans, with emphasis on enabling technology roadmaps, and cost
estimates will be established. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
Page 350
ESTEC
08.138.08
Responsible:
Mr TESTON
Budget Ref.:
100950 - GSTP Period 4
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.:
GSTP-4 NP30-13SY
Status:
INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
GROUND SEGMENT PREPARATION, LAUNCH SERVICES, LEOP
SUPPORT AND OPERATIONS
For the selection of the launch opportunity, the implementation of the ESA
launch service policy for technological in-orbit demonstration missions will
take into account the specificity of such missions which must stay within a
budget which makes worth the investment. Low cost launch service
opportunities as co-passengers of fully qualified launch systems or as main
payload of new launcher configuration demonstration flights will be
identified for PROBA-V. Such opportunity will have however to be compatible
with the orbit requirement for PROBA-V. For the ground segment, operations
and exploitation, the set-up will be based on the specific PROBA project
set-up namely: - industrial includes the provision of the ground segment
infrastructure, - limited LEOP cross support is required, - industry is
responsible for spacecraft and ground segment commissioning with the support
of ESA, - operations are performed in an offline mode and fast (< 1 week)
ground response time is not required, - the flight dynamics system is
implemented at the Mission Operations Centre, - industry will support
operations beyond commissioning. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE GSTP
ACTIVITY.
ESTEC
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: GSTP-4 PV-03
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 351
Ref. No.
09.138.01
GLOBAL CE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SPACE PROJECT LIFECYCLE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: Assessment and demonstration of a global distributed concurrent
engineering infrastructure to later project phases. Description: Integration of already developed concurrent engineering tools into a global
infrastructure, - Evolve available GRID tools, data server (OCDS) and
accessing tools (iCDF) towards later phases of space projects. - Assessment
of the applications of the global infrastructure in support of the system,
design and product reviews. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
ESTEC
09.138.02
N1
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.:
Z
Programme Ref.: TRP T708-125SY
Status: INTENDED
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
(SSA)
09 NO
Q1
200-500
The proposed study shall continue, deepen and complement the findings of the
SSA activity "Proof of Concept for Enabling Technologies for Space
Surveillance" where the main goals are: to elaborate and specify concepts
for the architecture of SSA systems; to specify and provide proof of
concept of the enabling technologies; to prepare the roadmaps for
development and deployment of a European SSA system. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY IS
Spec. Prov.:
Programme Ref.: TRP G609-72SY
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 352
Ref. No.
05.139.05
LSS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
TT Q
PP
Price
In order to test and improve the robustness and reliability of ESA developed
water and waste-recycling technologies, tests on ground, especially in
operational environments that suffer from severe constraints, is mandatory.
This activity will serve to: *) assess algae production on a large scale, as
could be necessary on a planetary surface; *) increase reliability and
robustness of ESA LSS technologies, by adapting them to the constraints of
their application in developing countries. The study will evaluate the
feasibility of applying ESA technologies to the three UNDP cases (China,
Mexico and Uganda). A specific attention will be also devoted on nutrition
issues. This study will focus on three main tasks: the state of the art of
completed/planned projects, the identification of parameters that led or
could lead to successful applications and recommendations for future work.
Type of tender C(3) - activities in open competition, restricted to SMEs and
R&D entities. For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial
ESTEC
06.139.26
ESTEC
Budget Ref.: 100580 - AURORA - Preparatory Activities
Spec. Prov.: B+D+F+I+NL+E+CH+GB+A+POR+CDN
Programme Ref.: AURORA 05/C67
Status: INTENDED
TELE-ECHOGRAPHY
RESEARCH OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT / HME-G
SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS DIVISION / HME-GA
Budget Ref.: 100581 - AURORA - Exploration
Spec. Prov.: B+D+F+I+NL+E+S+CH+GB+A+POR+CDN
Programme Ref.: 05/C77
C
09
Q1
100-200
C
09
Q1
100-200
Page 353
Ref. No.
07.139.10
LANDING LIDAR SENSOR ENGINEERING MODEL DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
The proposed activity will deal with the development of a fully functional
engineering model, based on the integration of optimized sub-systems and
components. Prior to making the final EM design for each sub-system initial
development work shall be done to refine and improve the performance and
maturity of novel technologies. With the completion of the ongoing TRP
contract the Imaging LIDAR sensors will reach TRL 4. For the final design of
the flight model of the LIDAR sensor to be eventually flown in the MSR
mission or in precursor missions there are still a number of design options
open depending on the criticalities and maturity of the various subsystems
and technologies. For example, two major sub-systems like the scanner unit
and the detector unit are directly related to each other, and the final
design will depend on the specific mission requirements and on the
achievements of the ongoing technology developments. For instance, novel
sensitive 2-D detector arrays, if available in proper size and in due time,
will allow the FOV to be divided over several channels reducing the
stringent requirements on the scanner speed. Based on the combination of the
results of the TRP activities and taking into account any new technology
achievements, the proposed development of an engineering model of an Imaging
LIDAR for landing will reach TRL 6, to be continued with the flight model
procurement in a subsequent phase. The activity shall comprise the following
three major tasks: &#56256;&#56451; LIDAR subsystem optimization for the
landing application &#56256;&#56451; Design and development of a LIDAR EM
&#56256;&#56451; Performance testing and verification
ESTEC
OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT / HME-E
Responsible: Mr GARDINI
Budget Ref.: 100582 - AURORA Core Programme
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+CH+GB+A+N+POR+CDN
Programme Ref.: CE90
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 354
Ref. No.
07.139.11
MULTI-PURPOSE VISION-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEM
ENGINEERING MODEL - PART 1: COMMON TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT AND LANDING AND SHORT-RANGE RENDEZVOUS
APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
From the multi-purpose VisNav sensor Industrial File, including
specifications, development, validation & verification approach,
programmatic, cost and industrial organisation for the development of a
flight model that will be generated at the completion of the "Multi-purpose
Vision based Navigation Sensor Architecture Definition" activity, this
activity starts with the detailed design of the optics, detection and
processing chains of the multi-purpose vision-based navigation sensor Flight
Model FM for all the various contemplated applications: soft precision
landing with hazard avoidance, terminal phase rendezvous, rendezvous target
acquisition, autonomous navigation (fly-by, approach, hovering) and surface
mobility. Upon approval of the design report, manufacturing dossier and test
plan & procedures, the manufacturing and assembly of the multi-purpose VisNav
sensor EM is performed. Environmental tests are then conducted according to
the test plan and test results summarised in a dedicated test report. In
parallel, the image processing (IP) flight software / hardware (ASIC and
FPGA) and the required electrical and optical ground support equipments for
real-time open/closed loop testing of the multi- purpose visionbased
navigation sensor are developed and validated. Finally, closed loop
performance validation of the multi-purpose VisNav sensor EM in a
representative dynamics environment will be performed on the existing PLGTF
(soft precison landing application) and the rendezvous dynamics test facility
(short range rendezvous application). The second part of this activity,
envisaged later in the Exploration Core Programme, will build on the common
elements developped in this first part while performing manufacturing,
integration and environmental testing of a vision-based navigation system
engineering model for long-range rendezvous applications.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: AURORA CG35
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 355
Ref. No.
08.139.04
BLACK WATER RECYCLING FOR CONCORDIA
TT Q
PP
Price
Part of the Aurora preparatory programme activities consists of the activity
"Black Water Treatment for Concordia Antarctic base", in which: the
performance of the grey water treatment unit currently in test in Concordia
is followed, the design of an up-scaled prototype of the black water
treatment unit for Concordia has been established and consolidated. Based on
the preliminary results gained through the remote monitoring of the Grey
Water Treatment Unit (GWTU) and the analysis campaign of water samples
retrieved in Europe, it is proposed to; carefully study and test in Europe
the integration strategy of Black Water Treatment Unit (BWTU) and GWTU,
provide the necessary assistance for the start-up of BWTU on site and
additional devices for the routine (and mandatory) follow-up on site of BWTU.
ESTEC
09.139.01
EXPLORATION PROGRAMME / HSF-E
Programme Ref.: AURORA CC60
WATER TREATMENT UNIT BREADBOARD
N4
ESTEC
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q4
develop a functional and high fidelity breadboard addressing already
identified critical issues and sized for a Crew of 6 persons. Extensive
testing, in-depth characterisation and optimisation of the process are
required in order to consolidate the expected performances and physical
characteristics, as well as reduce system size of the WTU. This type of
information is also needed for general system sizing of future exploration
habitat systems. Within this activity, it is proposed: - to develop and test
the subsystems (Urine Treatment Unit and Grey Water Treatment Unit) of the
WTU separately before integration into WTU; - to develop the WTU control
system and integrate it to the breadboard WTU; - to perform long-term testing
(i.e. 1 year) and characterisation of WTU under real life conditions, using
real human urine and grey water; and - to consolidate the performances, the
operation modes, the logistics and maintenance plan of WTU and further detail
the development plan.
EXPLORATION PROGRAMME / HSF-E
Budget Ref.: 100589 - Transportation EA
Spec. Prov.: B+E+CDN
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
Page 356
Ref. No.
06.153.38
SELF-POINTING, PLANAR ANTENNA FOR TELEVISION RECEPTION
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test a prototype
of a self pointing planar antenna for Ku-band television reception employing
phase steering technology. A planar phase steered antenna will have several
advantages over a parabolic antenna such as: requires no mounting apparatus;
can be directly screwed onto a wall; discrete appearance; no manual pointing;
multi satellite scanning ability w/o motor The antenna will in isolation be
more expensive than a conventional solution. A market exists considering the
following aspects: people not capable/willing to do a relatively complex
installation of a parabolic dish requiring installers; people willing to pay
extra to have a more discrete antenna; and in some areas it may be the only
possible solution due to local authorities/owner associations. To achieve a
phased array antenna with size required for TV reception at acceptable cost,
the constraints and opportunities of the operational environment must be
fully exploited. Firstly, the antenna will be fixed. It will be located in
Europe and will only cover the geostationary arc. Constraining latitude and
longitude of the installation and the geostationary coverage to certain,
acceptable range, and setting bounds on the wall properties where the antenna
will be mounted (south and vertical within certain accuracy/range), a
simplification in phase steering can be obtained which can be exploited for
implementation and result in reasonable recurring costs. Balancing
performance, complexity of implementation and ease of installation will be a
major trade off. Technology investigations are required such as considering
utilisation of cheap, existing LNB components and novel phase steering
concepts such as variable width/height waveguides. Type of tender C(1) activities in open competition limited to non-primes. For additional
non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". Note: Priority 2
activity - will only be initiated either on the explicit request of at least
one delegation or on the initiative of the Executive following consultation
of the JCB.
ESTEC
DIRECTORATE TELECOM & INTEGRATED APPLICA - D/TIA
TELECOM TECHNOLOGIES,PRODUCT&SYSTEM DEPT / TIA-T
TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCT DIVISION / TIA-TT
Responsible: Mr SANDBERG
Budget Ref.: 100415 - ARTES 5 Period 1 Phase III; 100436 ARTES 5 Period 2 Phase IV
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+E+NL+S+CH+IRL+A+N+FIN+POR+LUX+CDN
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 7-.006
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 357
Ref. No.
06.153.49
LOOP HEAT PIPE WITH INTEGRATED PELTIER ELEMENT
(TEC-LHP)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: This activity is to design, manufacture and test a breadboard of
a loop heat pipe with integrated Peltier elements to identify the advantages
at product, thermal subsystem and at system level offered by the integration
of Peltier elements into current Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) designs.
Description: In current applications of loop heat pipes on S/C level quite
some efforts are spent to reduce/control parasitic heat leaks into the liquid
lines and/or the reservoir, however such parasitic heat leaks can never be
fully removed. Therefore there is always the need to use part of the radiator
area to compensate for all these unavoidable parasitic heat leaks and to
provide the necessary sub cooling at the inlet of the evaporator. However,
this sub cooling requirement reduces the overall heat rejection efficiency of
the system. The implementation of a Peltier element between the reservoir
and the evaporator could produce the necessary local sub cooling, thus
resulting in a more efficient spacecraft radiator. It could also simplify
the integration of the loop heat pipe at S/C level (e.g. no need for
specific insulation). At system level, the benefit could be either smaller
overall mass or higher payload dissipation level in exchange for some
electrical power and electronic commands. Moreover, Peltier elements could
enhance the loop start-up process and provide a better control of the
payload temperature. The study will consider several aspects. First perform
a complete review/assessment of Peltier elements for space applications and
assess their compatibility with respect to telecommunication satellite
environment (compatibility with the bus avionics, Peltier element size,
mounting and layout aspects between the reservoir and evaporator (power reinjection to the evaporator), lifetime requirement). Then a breadboard of a
loop heat pipe with integrated Peltier will be designed and manufactured and
tested. The test results will be compared with the ones of loop heat pipes
without Peltier elements to highlight the advantages at loop heat pipe
product level. Type of Tender C(4) - Activities in open competition,
subject to the SME subcontracting clause. For additional information please
go to EMITS News : "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D
ESTEC
Budget Ref.: 100436 - ARTES 5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 4D.008
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q1
Page 358
Ref. No.
06.153.72
QUENCHING CIRCUIT FOR SOLAR ARRAY POWER ARCING EVENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test a
breadboard of a Quenching Circuit for Solar Array Power Arcing Events.
Geosynchronous telecommunication satellites having system power levels in the
tens of kilowatt range, now have typically power bus voltages of 100 volts or
greater. If under sun illuminated conditions of the solar array, any
conductive particles bridge across opposite polarity electrical conductors
that are carrying electrical power (i.e. adjacent solar cells, bus bars, or
slip rings), any initial current flow will very likely rapidly evaporate such
particles. What happens next however is very unpredictable. Either following
the fusing of the particle, any residual arc may simply extinguish, or
alternatively if sufficient plasma, heat and material damage has already
occurred, a sustained arcing event can be initiated. If this latter situation
proves to be the case, the extreme localised heat generated by the arcing
event can rapidly degrade any local insulating barrier and quickly result in
a permanent short circuit condition, resulting in a dramatic power loss for
the satellite. A possible solution for the suppression of arcing is one,
which will detect the initial short-circuit/arc and then allow a short delay
time, so as to give a chance for any short-circuiting material to evaporate.
If the phenomenon persists beyond this short delay, any maintained arcing
will then be quenched by removing the applied voltage for a much longer
period by driving on the appropriate array section dump of the power system
shunt regulator. Of key importance in this activity will be the ability to
configure this circuit feature as simply as possible within existing power
dump stages of the shunt regulator. Within this proposed activity the
contractor will be asked to design, manufacture and test a breadboard concept
of a reliable arc quenching circuit concept to be integrated within
individual power dump stages of a Sequential Switching Shunt Regulator (S3R).
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 4F.020
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 359
Ref. No.
07.153.21
DEVELOPMENT OF A VERSATILE EUROPEAN EDDY CURRENT
DAMPER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective is to develop, manufacture and test an Engineering
Model of a European Eddy Current Damper suitable for the control and
regulation of the deployment of medium sized appendages on board small
telecom platforms. The activity shall fully demonstrate the performances of
the developed model in representative environment. Description: The intended
activity covers recommendations and conclusions of the harmonisation meeting
on Space Mechanisms Hold Down/Separation Systems/Deployment Components held
during the first semester 2004. The deployment of appendages like reflector
antennas, radiators and solar arrays, requires regulation in order to control
the dynamic of the deployment and to avoid the building up of important
kinetic energy. Too high kinetic energy would generate large latching shocks
at the end of the deployment which would be critical for the integrity of the
appendage, the platform and the AOCS. Regulation is most of the time achieved
using passive damping systems which provide a constant deployment velocity.
This is currently deemed as one of the most optimised/cost efficient
deployment strategy. Only one space qualified damper is currently available
in Europe and it is limited in performances. Most of the eddy current dampers
used on European spacecraft are from the US. The proposed activity is to
develop a European Rotary Eddy Current Damper. Eddy Current Dampers are based
on static magnets providing a constant and uniform magnetic field. Rotation
of a disk in the field produces a generated voltage in the disk. This voltage
develops circulating currents (Eddy Currents) within the disk, which results
in a restraining torque proportional to velocity. The drag torque created is
a linear function of the rotational speed of the disk. The main advantages of
this reliable technology is unlimited rotation range, high temperature
operational range, no degradation of performances versus temperature, no
issues of contamination, high configurability with respect to deployment
torque and velocity, and very high upgrading capabilities to achieve active
damping when deemed necessary. The targeted application is the Small GEO
spacecraft for which cost and mass efficiency are mandatory and ITAR
regulation is an issue. NOTE: This activity has been designated as "Priority
2". Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of
at least one delegation.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 4E.029
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC > 500
Q4
Page 360
Ref. No.
07.153.24
LARGE DEPLOYABLE ANTENNA INTEGRATION ON EUROPEAN
SPACECRAFT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The Large Deployable Antenna EQM has been completed. This activity
deals with the accommodation of this antenna on one European
telecommunication spacecraft. Starting from antenna geometry and
RF/mechanical/thermal analysis available from LDA development, the contractor
will perform satellite accommodation and identify all critical systems
aspects (launcher fairing, AOCS, RF performances, Mechanical behaviour, ...).
Description: The need to prepare 9-25 m Large Deployable Antennas for their
integration on European platforms is identified as a combined System and
Technology activity. Although common assumptions with existing antennas in
terms of I/F have to be considered, it is understood that the accommodating
spacecraft will have to provide dedicated resources for such kind of large
antenna subsystem. Aspects such as geometrical envelope in stowed and
deployed configurations, AOCS compatibility, mechanical I/F and RF
compatibility have to be addressed to conclude on the compatibility of this
kind of antenna with European platform. This activity shall be performed
considering the Large deployable Antenna under development in Europe and
future derivatives. A development plan identifying all actions to be
performed for a commercial application using this antenna shall be provided.
Expected deliverables Technical notes on multidisciplinary analyses
involving: "mission scenario" system analysis "accommodation" RF performances
"Assessment of mechanical/thermal antenna environment and behaviour when
installed on the spacecraft" Development plan. This activity is included in
the "Telecommunication reflector antenna" harmonisation dossier. This
activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will only
be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
07.153.41
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 5B.019
APPLICATIONS SOLUTION PROJECT
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q4
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Applications Solution Project in the following areas: Interactive
Broadcasting via Satellite, Emerging SCADA and tele-surveillance services for
enterprises and consumers, Services and Applications to Trains. Note: The
Agency intends to issue a number of separate ITTs for the subject areas under
the above project.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr GARUTTI
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.: B+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+GB+A+N+LUX+GR+CDN
Programme Ref.: ARTES-3
Status: INTENDED
Page 361
Ref. No.
07.153.50
PLASTIC LINERS FOR PRESSURE TANKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Description: Current generation High Pressure gas tanks used on
telecommunication satellites are manufactured by machining or spin forming a
metallic shell (usually a titanium alloy, or possibly a stainless steel),
welding the parts together, and then over-wrapping the tank with a composite
material. A plastic liner could be moulded or injected into a preformed
carbon composite shell to provide extremely lightweight liner, directly
replacing the current metallic liners. The use of a moulding or injection
technique would eliminate for expensive metal processing (machining, welding,
inspection), eliminate supply problems such as titanium shortages at forge
house, and reduce the lead time for tanks by many months. It is expected that
as a minimum the following phases will be undertaken: 1. Demonstration of
proof-of-concept; 2. Development model manufacture and testing; 3.Design/test
review (BDR / PDR level). As well as investigating the design, develop and
manufacture of such liners, other issues that must be addressed is the
moulding/joining techniques of the liner and Non-destructive Investigation
methods once the final tank plus liner has been manufactured. * C(1) =
ESTEC
08.153.02
Status: INTENDED
SATCOM APPLICATIONS AND USER TERMINALS: 2ND ISSUE
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Satcom Applications and User terminals covering the following areas: e-Health
and Telemedicine (including Medical Education), Satcom Networks Systems and
Services, Business to Business and Business to Consumers, Infomobility,
Relief of Disaster/Emergency, Community Information Services, Distance
Learning, e-Government. Develop or enhance user terminals and end to end
satcom systems providing access to these applications and services.
ESTEC
FUTURE PROJECTS & APPLICATIONS DIVISION / TIA-TP
Budget Ref.: 100455 - ARTES 4 Period 2 Phase II
Spec. Prov.: F+D+I+CH+IRL+GB+N+LUX+GR+CDN
Status: INTENDED
Page 362
Ref. No.
08.153.03
SATCOM APPLICATIONS AND USER TERMINALS: 3RD ISSUE
TT Q
PP
Price
Satcom Applications and User terminals covering the following areas: e-Health
and Telemedicine (including Medical Education), Satcom Networks Systems and
Services, Business to Business and Business to Consumers, Infomobility,
Relief of Disaster/Emergency, Community Information Services, Distance
Learning, e-Government. Develop or enhance user terminals and end to end
satcom systems providing access to these applications and services.
ESTEC
08.153.04
Status: INTENDED
APPLICATIONS SOLUTION PROJECTS
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Applications Solution Projects in the following areas: Emerging SCADA and
Tele-Surveillance Services for Enterprises and Consumers, Services and
Applications for Public Transport Systems, Capacity Building
ESTEC
08.153.06
Status: INTENDED
MULTIMEDIA SATELLITE EQUIPMENT: 2ND ISSUE
Multimedia Satellite Equipment covering the following areas: payload and
platform elements such as antennas, receivers, transmitters, filters, rotary
joints, frequency converters, modulators, demodulators, signal processors,
antenna track receivers, pointing mechanisms, batteries, solar arrays,
propulsion elements, TT&C, attitude control, and thermal hardware.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
Page 363
Ref. No.
08.153.08
MULTIMEDIA GROUND TERMINALS AND EQUIPMENT: 2ND ISSUE
TT Q
PP
Price
Multimedia Ground Terminals and Equipment covering the following areas:
developments in support of multimedia services on existing or planned
infrastructures; development of satellite interactive terminals (SITs),
gateways, network management software, and modems/codecs for SITs and
gateways.
ESTEC
08.153.09
Status: INTENDED
ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF THE S-BAND INITIATIVE
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Activities in support of the S-band initiative covering the following areas:
Mission definition and system studies, Ground segment elements (Chipsets, Hub
modules, Complementary Ground Components, User Terminals), Space segment
elements and technologies for the medium/long term S-band opportunities,
System platforms, Applications including integration in the developed system
platforms, Demonstrations and trials, Experimentation and Support to
standardisation, Support on regulatory aspects
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
Page 364
Ref. No.
08.153.11
MIMO HARDWARE DEMONSTRATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: Implement a hardware demonstrator to prove the feasibility and the
benefits of MIMO techniques for satellite networks. Description: Recent years
have seen a dramatic increase in demand for new capacity in wireless
networks, both in terms of numbers of users and in terms of enhanced
capabilities for individual users. This demand, together with the rise of
new techniques for creating and exploiting diversity, has led to a situation
in which the performance and design of wireless networks is increasingly
dominated by considerations of interference. This issue is exacerbated by
the tight limits on bandwidth and transmitter power typical of all wireless
systems as well as the need to use small and easy-to-deploy low- directivity
antennas on the user side. For these reasons multi-user detection, which
deals with the detection of data in interference channels, has become the
centrepiece of advanced signal processing techniques for enabling capacity
growth in wireless networks. An ongoing contract, "MIMO Applicability to
Satellite Networks" is investigating the potentials of MIMO techniques to
broadcast to mobile systems. Preliminary outcomes are very promising showing
a capacity improvement in the order of 50%. This activity is to demonstrate
the advantages of MIMO techniques by building a demonstrator and operate it a
realistic environment. The S-band broadcast multimedia to mobile is the
target application scenarios. The demonstrator shall implement a complete
end-to-end system employing the selected MIMO technique. Of particular
importance is also the implementation of a powerful channel emulator capable
of faithfully reproducing the key characteristics of the selected satellite
(and terrestrial if applicable) system. Both spatial and polarization
channel diversity shall be included together with a realistic satellite and
user terminal antenna model which are the elements permitting the
exploitation of such diversity. The modulator and demodulator unit shall
implement the required algorithms capable of exploiting the MIMO channel
diversity. The performance in terms of throughput and availability of the
selected study case will be extensively analysed, after a careful tuning of
the algorithm parameters.
ESTEC
Budget Ref.: 100433 - ARTES 5 Sub-Element 5.1
Programme Ref.: 5 3A.023
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 365
Ref. No.
08.153.15
IMPROVED LEVEL OF INFORMATION PROVIDED IN TM
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective is to design, manufacture and test an EM model of a
TM interface unit implementing new techniques in measurement and multiplexing
of satellite TM improving the access to critical information during nominal
and emergency operations. Description: This proposed work will take a fresh
look at the needs of the operators and prime contractors as regards the TM/TC
capability of GEO telecom spacecraft. The outcome will be a list of TM, a new
method of accessing TM during spacecraft emergencies, a fresh set of
requirements for dwell and accuracy on specific TM, and the incorporation of
lessons learned from Anomaly Review Boards concerning spacecraft failures.
With the growing sophistication of GEO spacecraft has come an enormous
increase in the amount of TM on-board. At the same time, improvements in A/D
conversion plus the digitalisation of the TM has lead to a potentially huge
increase in the TM accuracy, with TM sometimes being quoted to 6 figures
after the decimal point. At the same time, pressure on integration has lead
to the widespread use of multiplexing techniques at high sampling
frequencies, and this together with increased bus noise due to high power has
lead to an effective decrease in the quality of TM available to the satellite
operators. The overall result, as highlighted by dialogue with operators and
primes is threefold as follows: 1. A large part of the TM is wasted since
inaccuracies far exceed precision of measurement (sometimes by a factor of
1000 or more). 2. Some specific TM, such as solar array section current and
bus current, is extremely useful for anomaly detection and yet still not
available with sufficient precision to allow it to be used meaningfully. One
example is the need for traceability of bus current consumption before and
after an equipment turns on as used during in orbit testing or anomaly
investigations. 3. During spacecraft emergencies, operators have little
flexibility on TM dwelling and have difficulty in operating the spacecraft
due to the impractical amount of TM and information on TM, which they have to
treat. A further impact is that on the mass of the system due to the hardware
required to handle the TM available on-board. The requirements for TM will be
defined in a document and an Engineering Model will be designed, manufactured
and tested of a TM interface unit implementing the requirements.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES 5 4A.024
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 366
Ref. No.
08.153.32
SSPAS WITH EUROPEAN GAN DEVICES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The activity is to design, manufacture and test two Elegant
Breadboards of SSPAs using European GaN devices and operating in different
frequency bands. Description: GaN technology enables SSPAs with significant
increases in RF output power and efficiency compared to other semiconductor
technologies. The GaN technology is capable of operating at higher
temperatures than for example GaAs technology. This may enable new types of
application such as direct radiating arrays and reduce the requirements on
the thermal control. Simplification of the design and size reduction with
higher operational voltage and higher power density leads towards overall
cost reduction at equipment level. The scope of the activity is focused on
the validation of the GaN technology developed in the framework of the EU
GREAT2 initiative and provision of feedback to further enhance the
technology. The requirements are to be derived on solid-state high power
amplifiers for commercial and institutional telecommunication satellites
required in mid term future from UHF band up to Ka-band. On this basis
Elegant Breadboards of two SSPAs operating in two different frequency bands
(most probably in L and C Bands) with power levels of several tenths of Watts
will be designed, manufactured and tested. The SSPAs shall be implemented
using GaN devices coming from the EU GREAT2 initiative, which aims at
significantly improving the reliability of the European GaN technology. The
SSPA design and develop shall allow for several iterations incorporating new
versions of the GaN devices as they become available. Most of the breadboard
effort shall be focused on the optimization of the output stage. The final
Elegant Breadboards shall use the devices finally resulting from the GREAT2
initiative. NOTE: This activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority
2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one
delegation.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES 5 5C.087
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 367
Ref. No.
08.153.33
LOW PHASE NOISE REFERENCE OSCILLATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The activity is to design, manufacture and test an Engineering
Model of a compact and low-cost European reference oscillator with low phase
noise and high stability. Description: The current development and
implementation of high order and bandwidth-efficient modulation schemes
significantly strengthens the phase noise and stability requirements on the
local oscillator. At the same time, flexible payloads require some frequency
agility of the local oscillators. The introduction of agility in converter
equipment implies that complex architectures (e.g. dual conversion scheme)
with multiple LOs will be used. The generation of these LOs will be using
complex frequency synthesis and conversion schemes, using reference
oscillators (in the 10 to 25MHz range) with very low phase noise and high
absolute frequency stability. A thorough trade-off shall be made of various
designs considering different technologies for the active parts and a crystal
being used as resonator. Temperature stabilisation and the required control
loops shall also be addressed. A preferred design shall be selected. The
target is to have with reference oscillator for which the mass and volume
performances are improved while improving phase noise performances from about
-150 dBc/Hz to -160 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz. offset. An Engineering Model shall be
designed, manufactured and tested of the preferred design meeting the
demanding phase noise and stability requirements. The reference oscillator
shall use European technology to the maximum extent and shall have a
competitive recurrent cost.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES 5 5C.088
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 368
Ref. No.
08.153.37
MSS DATA TERMINALS FOR AD-HOC NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: This activity is to assess the commercial viability of MSS data
terminals contributing gateway capacity into terrestrial ad-hoc networks. The
terminal cost, space segment costs and terminal performance will be assessed
for different terminal architectures, satellites networks, and different
network topologies. Description: Several MSS satellites offering capacity in
L-band and S-band exist or will soon be launched. Terminals for such systems
may be developed to offer data capacity in the order of several 100 s of
kbps. This capacity could be used within mobile or statically formed ad-hoc
terrestrial networks. A mobile ad-hoc network (MANet) is a kind of wireless
ad-hoc network and is a self-configuring network of mobile routers/nodes (and
associated hosts) connected by wireless links the union of which form an
arbitrary topology. The nodes are free to move randomly and organise
themselves arbitrarily; thus, the network’s wireless topology may change
rapidly and unpredictably. Such a network may operate in a standalone
fashion, or may be connected to the larger Internet. This connection to the
Internet could be provided by the MSS data terminal. Such a node in an ad-hoc
network is called a gateway node. Several terrestrial vendors currently
offer terrestrial based Wi-Fi or WiMax products able to form into mobile
ad-hoc networks. The idea of this study would be to investigate the ability
to build new type of MSS terminal that would integrate both the MSS
functionality and the Wi- Fi/WiMax ad-hoc functionality. The MSS data
terminals would be based on existing building blocks such as existing
multi-band antennas that work with Wi-Fi, WiMax and cellular networks,
existing MSS terminals, and existing Wi- Fi/WiMax components and software for
acting as gateway node in the ad-hoc network. Other Wi-Fi/WiMax-only nodes in
the vicinity of this gateway node would then be able to route their traffic
via satellite to the Internet. The study would look at handheld, vehicular
mobile or fixed MSS terminals: current commercially available mobile
antennas, investigate the possible implications(design, prices, risk, ...) of
adding access to MSS satellites evaluation of possible air interface
options for satellite link look at data rates that could be supported with
each terminal and antenna combination look into architectures and cost for
including ad-hoc network functionality to this MSS data terminal options
for obtaining satellite capacity on existing and planned MSS satellites
assess possible applications that could be supported given the terminal costs
and performances analyse most appropriate network topologies suited to
application scenarios produce a development plan for parts of system
requiring development such as development of terminal and hub hardware and
software, air interface and protocols. NOTE: This activity has been
designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on
the explicit request of at least one delegation;
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 3A.022
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 369
Ref. No.
08.153.39
PROPAGATION ANALYSIS TOOL FOR DESIGN OF FIXED AND
MOBILE MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
The Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) concept is extensively used in
wireless terrestrial communications providing ways to increase the efficient
use of the spectrum and/or to improve the availability of the system. The
basic idea is to process simultaneously the signals transmitted via different
propagation channels, for instance, using multiple antennas in transmitter
and receiver, or multiple polarisations. If the channels are uncorrelated, an
efficient combination of the signals is possible resulting in either an
increase of the capacity or a more resistant connection to propagation
impairments. For highly correlated channels, the advantages of MIMO
techniques need to be investigated. The good characterization and modelling
of the MIMO propagation channels and the cross-correlation between them
(represented in MIMO notation as a channel matrix) is a key element to
evaluate the performance and the advantages of a MIMO mobile satellite
communications system. For satellite communications, there are a number of
possibilities to take advantage of MIMO techniques: polarisation diversity
(one satellite and one receiver using two polarisations), multipath diversity
(multiple antennas on the user terminal) and satellite diversity (more than
one satellite and multiple antennas in the receiver side). All those
possibilities have advantages and drawbacks that are being analysed in an
ongoing activity. For the activity proposed the results of the ongoing
activity will be an input to the development of a propagation model including
multiple simultaneous propagation paths. During the activity measurements
shall be performed to derive the cross-correlation of dual-polarised and
multiple-antenna channels in different environments. Satellite diversity
characteristics shall be derived from the results of the ARTES5 activity
"Channel Modelling for multi-satellite systems with angle diversity".
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES 5.1 3B.017
C
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Page 370
Ref. No.
08.153.40
CHARACTERISATION OF THE MIMO CHANNEL FOR MOBILE
SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
The Multiple-Input Multiple-Output(MIMO) concept is extensively used in
wireless terrestrial communications providing ways to increase the efficient
use of the spectrum and/or to improve the availability of the system. The
basic idea is to process simultaneously the signals transmitted via different
propagation channels, for instance, using multiple antennas in transmitter
and receiver, or multiple polarisations. If the channels are uncorrelated, an
efficient combination of the signals is possible resulting in either an
increase of the capacity or a more resistant connection to propagation
impairments. For highly correlated channels, the advantages of MIMO
techniques need to be investigated. The good characterization and modelling
of the MIMO propagation channels and the cross-correlation between them
(represented in MIMO notation as a channel matrix) is a key element to
evaluate the performance and the advantages of a MIMO mobile satellite
communications system. For satellite communications, there are a number of
possibilities to take advantage of MIMO techniques: polarisation diversity
(one satellite and one receiver using two polarisations), multipath diversity
(multiple antennas on the user terminal) and satellite diversity (more than
one satellite and multiple antennas in the receiver side). All those
possibilities have advantages and drawbacks that are being analysed in an
ongoing activity. For the activity proposed the results of the ongoing
activity will be an input to the development of a propagation model including
multiple simultaneous propagation paths. During the activity measurements
shall be performed to derive the cross-correlation of dual-polarised and
multiple-antenna channels in different environments. Satellite diversity
characteristics shall be derived from the results of the ARTES5 activity
"Channel Modelling for multi-satellite systems with angle diversity".
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: 3B.018
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 371
Ref. No.
08.153.41
ESD/ELECTRICAL TRANSIENTS MONITOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To develop, manufacture and test an engineering model of an
equipment to monitor the electrical transients and electromagnetic
interferences induced onto the spacecraft power bus as a result of
electrostatic discharges (ESDs) on the spacecraft. Description: Environmentinduced electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a major cause of anomalies in
telecommunications spacecraft. These are inferred to cause electrical
transients in electronic systems, causing damage and upsets. However, they
have not been directly monitored on European spacecraft. The detection and
characterisation of electrical transients in cabling and electromagnetic
interference resulting from ESDs will be beneficial in anomaly diagnosis,
improvement of modelling and the development of more robust spacecraft.
Various concepts exist for the detection of electro magnetic variations
resulting from ESD on bus voltage. These concepts will be traded-off and the
most promising wiil be implemented. The engineering model will also include a
standard interface to a GEO telecom satellite data handling bus to enable
transmission of the data to the satellite control centre. Procurement
policy: C(2)= A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: 4A-021
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 372
Ref. No.
08.153.44
FRICTIONLESS LATERAL DEPLOYMENT HINGE
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To develop, manufacture and test an Engineering Model of Friction
Less Deployment Hinge following promising work performed during an ESA ITI
Contract. The demonstration of performance will be achieved through
representative testing of an Engineering Model. Description: Lateral
deployment of Telecom spacecraft solar array panels is presently achieved by
making use of standard in-line hinges or very low friction torque hinges that
are rather complex and heavy. The innovative proposed concept, which
feasibility was demonstrated in the frame of an ITI contract, will be fully
demonstrated through a complete design documentation as well as the built and
test of an Engineering Model. By concept, this new generation of hinge is not
prone to any wear or ageing and will then by concept simplify the solar array
verification sequence as the ground testing of lateral deployment will be
required. NOTE: This activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority
2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one
delegation.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5 4E.031
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 373
Ref. No.
08.153.45
ON-GROUND BEAMFORMING TECHNIQUES
TT Q
PP
Price
On-Ground Beamforming (OGB) is an attractive technique allowing a high degree
of satellite coverage flexibility while maintaining an affordable satellite
payload complexity. OGB technology is used on a new generation of hybrid
mobile satellite terrestrial networks under development in the USA. Potential
advantages of dynamic and adaptive beam forming techniques are widely
documented and recognized. Various kinds of flexibility, adaptations and real
time pattern control (including interference mitigation and MultiInput-Multi-Output processing) could be provided to increase the overall
telecommunication system traffic capacity or to render the system robust to
interferences. The full exploitation of the state-of-the-art techniques in an
on-board processor will demand technologies currently at the limit of state
of the art. The concept to perform the demanding processing on ground to
implement the more sophisticated techniques was first seen for the US TDRSS
S-band multiple access service and has recently been adopted by US Mobile
Satellite Services (MSS) operators (ICO, MSV, Terrestar). The OGB techniques
rely on the transfer of radiating element signals to ground and vice versa.
The forming of beams is realised on-ground with all the flexibility offered
by on-ground computer processing power (number of beams, beams’ shapes,
adaptive processing, interference cancellation, MIMO, etc.). The OGB results
in a simplification of the on-board routing functions. Tasks to be carried
out shall include: * Candidate missions identification; * Efficient
ground/space partitioning and payload architecture definition; * Return and
Forward links beam forming requirements definition; * Beamforming impairments
analysis (mismatches, different frequency conversions, propagation channel,
different Doppler per channel, etc.) and countermeasures; * Techniques for
feeder-link bandwidth reduction (e.g. combined A/D conversion, vector
quantization and high-order modulation transmission of the data-flow): * Onground advanced signal processing algorithms; * End-to-end simulator
development for identified application scenarios Space and ground-segment
functionalities shall be jointly addressed to identify an effective
architecture and to assess overall performances and cost. A roadmap of key
technological developments shall be prepared to ensure European industry
competitiveness in this strategic field.
ESTEC
C
Budget Ref.: 100415 - ARTES 5 Period 1 Phase III
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.: 5A.011
09 NO
Q1
200-500
Page 374
Ref. No.
08.153.53
ANTENNA REFLECTORS USING EUROPEAN MESH (RE-ISSUE)
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective is to study antenna reflectors using mesh technology
with applications in frequencies up to Ka-band. The study shall include the
design of a reflector using mesh technology and realisation and test of
representatively sized mesh samples suitable at least for Ku band.
Description: The need for larger sized apertures has been identified for
different telecommunication applications, namely Mobile Communications
(currently L and S band), Broadcast applications (today typically in C and
Ku- band and in near-future Ka-band) and high data traffic spot-beam type
applications (Ka-band). For these applications the antenna configurations and
requirements are known. The knitted mesh has been identified as an enabling
technology for several of these antenna configurations. It is therefore
important to secure such technology in Europe. Special knitted mesh with its
elastic properties when appropriately tensioned allows realisation of
antennas for such applications for various reflector antenna configurations
for the mentioned frequency bands. Recent developments in the US and Japan
have demonstrated applications for antennas at up to Ka-band. Its application
potential has been investigated in part also in Europe for the lower
frequency bands with advanced demonstrators for deployable (for instance 5 m)
reflectors and more recently in the frame of the large deployable reflector
qualification model. That demonstration obviously included the excellent
benefit of mesh for stowed versus deployed volume (packaging during launch as
needed for deployable reflectors). Furthermore, adaptation to desirable
coverage or flexible multi-beam scenarios is becoming more and more
important, with the longer lifetime of satellites and changes of interests
for the providers during the lifetime, this require adaptive antenna
configurations. All these mission applications put strong demands on the
costs and therefore on the critical elements, in particular the antenna. The
knitted mesh is identified as an enabling technology for such antenna
configurations. Dedicated explorations and current experiences indicate
very well, that knitted mesh - for different frequency band applications can be realised with European knowledge and capabilities (available
material, processes and know-how). The implementation of a source of
European mesh is a long-term strategy and needs a demonstration with a
realisation of space-qualified mesh samples. The activity concerns the
reflector design and the definition of the requirements on the mesh. This
shall be performed for the wide range of frequencies up Ka band. Then it
will include the implementation and demonstration of a source in Europe to
provide mesh for different antenna applications up to Ka-band.
Representative samples suitable for Ku band shall be produced of sufficient
size and number and validated by tests including: RF (including PIM),
mechanical/structural, thermal, thermo-elastic, thermal cycling and ageing.
Mesh handling and integration on reflector supporting structures shall be
closely investigated via sample testing. This activity has been designated as
"Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit
request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 375
Programme Ref.:ARTES-5 5B.044
Status:
EX ITEM 07.153.04 INITIATED
08.153.57
S-BAND COMMON CORE HUB FOR BROADCAST AND INTERACTIVE
SERVICES
The present activity shall design and implement the S-band common core hub,
including RF and baseband functionalities. All the hub common modules
including transmitter and receiver, network and resource management, MAC
protocols, data encapsulation and multiplexing, etc shall be designed and
developed. On the other hand, service-dependent functionalities, like user
authentication, service configuration, accounting... will be addressed in
additional activities (platforms development). At the end of the activity,
the developed hub will be at a pre-operational stage, ready for further
integration in the service platforms with specific service-dependent modules
and applications. For the provision of broadcast and interactive services to
handheld/home end-users as well as broadcast and data acquisition services to
vehicular users.
ESTEC
08.153.58
Budget Ref.: 100446 - ARTES 3/4 Phase I
Spec. Prov.: DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+POR+GR+LUX+CDN
Programme Ref.: ARTES-3/4 6B.010
Status: INTENDED
IN-HOME GAP FILLERS
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
The present activity shall aim at the design and development of low-cost
personal gap fillers, providing indoor coverage in buildings for the hybrid
satellite/terrestrial system defined by the DVB-SH specifications. Both
Base-Band and RF functions shall be covered. Particular effort shall be
placed in minimizing the gap-filler cost, in order to allow for a large
deployment and increased service availability. Both DVB-SH re-transmitters
and enhanced gap fillers with satellite return link transmission shall be
developed. The preliminary specifications for the return link air interface
will be provided by ESA following the outcomes of previous studies. They are
expected to cover the low-rate messaging return link for different type of
services like the data acquisition and location based services for the
vehicular scenario and the interactive TV and additional broadcasting
services with some degree of interactivity for the in-home scenario. The
activity will result in gap filler products ready for mass production.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
Page 376
Ref. No.
08.153.59
S-BAND MESSAGING INTERACTIVE VEHICULAR TERMINAL
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity targets the development of a user terminal with receiving and
limited transmitting capabilities in S-band. This terminal is addressed to
the consumer vehicular market, so it shall comply with corresponding
requirements in terms of size, power consumption, service offering. The focus
is on vehicular terminals that integrate the broadcast offering, with a wide
range of services exploiting the transmission in the S-band return link of
small quantities of data at very low data rate (see section on Applications
for more details). The terminals shall integrate the receiver S-band chipset
developed in the "S-band receiver chipset" activity or other S-band DVB-SH
compliant chipsets with the return-link subsystem. In this respect, the
physical and MAC layer algorithms to be implemented shall be based on the air
interface specifications derived in previous system studies. For this type of
user terminals, the satellite S-band return link shall be limited to the
transmission of short and sparse packets for a number of services like
traffic management and control, road tolling, vehicle maintenance... the
transmitter power requirements shall also be set considering typical
vehicular terminals constraints and system performance requirements. The
activity will result in terminal products ready for mass production. In
particular the hardware and software components developed in the framework of
the present activity shall be ready for integration in a vehicular
environment.
ESTEC
08.153.60
Status: INTENDED
S-BAND TWO-WAY EMERGENCY INTERACTIVE TERMINAL
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 YIPC > 500
Q1
This activity targets the development of a user terminal supporting two-way
symmetric reception/transmission through the S-band link. This terminal is
addressed to professional users (e.g. public safety operators) with the aim
of offering real-time two-way communication (voice, data, ...) in case of
emergency or disaster. The requirements in terms of size (antenna, RF
front-end, BB module), power consumption, etc... shall be set allowing for
integration of the developed user terminals into the vehicles utilized by
public safety operators. The activity will result in terminal products ready
for mass production.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: ARTES-3/4 7A.007
Status: INTENDED
Page 377
Ref. No.
08.153.61
SYSTEM PLATFORM FOR PROVISION OF BROADCAST AND
INTERACTIVE SERVICES TO HANDHELD/HOME END-USERS
TT Q
PP
Price
The objective of this activity is to develop a complete system platform able
to demonstrate the S-band system performances in providing broadcast and
interactive services to handheld/home end-users, with a particular focus on
the in-home environment. A wide range of services and applications with mass
market potential, including TV and data broadcasting, interactive TV,
conditional access, Pay Per View, content distribution on demand, home
shopping, ... can be offered in this service segment. According to the system
design definition activities, the system architecture applicable to the
service segment under consideration shall comprise as key elements: the
S-band hub, the satellite link, the complementary terrestrial network (both
for forward and return link), the "enhanced" in-home gap fillers (i.e. with
return link integrated subsystem), the user indoor equipments, (if available)
enhanced palm size handheld terminals with interactive capabilities. The
modules and components developed in precursor activities shall be integrated
in the system platform. Furthermore, all additional necessary software/
hardware elements, which are service-dependent, i.e. are required because of
the specific service segment under investigation, shall be developed and
integrated in the platform. The concept of interworking and integration with
terrestrial 3G networks shall also be addressed and the required network
management modules developed. The activity will result in a complete
pre-operational system platform product ready for demonstration and mass
production.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 378
Ref. No.
08.153.62
SYSTEM PLATFORM FOR PROVISION OF BROADCAST AND DATA
ACQUISITION SERVICES TO VEHICULAR USERS
TT Q
PP
Price
to demonstrate the S-band system performances in providing broadcast and
interactive services to consumer/professional vehicular users, addressing the
automotive market. The offer of audio, data and video broadcasting to
consumer users in cars and other types of moving system platforms may be
complemented by a number of additional services requiring limited
interactivity. A low-rate messaging return link may indeed be utilized for
example for transmitting telemetry data and monitor the vehicle functions
(vehicle control and maintenance); for transmitting the vehicle position and
provide location-based services (toll payment, park&ride, pay-per-use
insurance); for providing dynamic information on traffic conditions (dynamic
traffic management). Additional public-use services like emergency alerting,
monitoring of traffic flows including hazardous goods transport, incident
detection and monitoring can also be provided. The modules developed in
precursor activities shall be integrated in the system platform. Furthermore,
all the necessary additional software/hardware elements, which are servicedependent, i.e. are required because of the specific service segment under
investigation, shall be developed and integrated in the platform. The
activity will result in a complete pre-operational system platform product
ready for demonstration and mass production.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 379
Ref. No.
08.153.63
SYSTEM PLATFORM FOR REAL-TIME EMERGENCY SERVICES
TT Q
PP
Price
to demonstrate the S-band system performances in providing real-time
communications to specific categories of professional users, and in
particular to public safety and first-responder operators in emergency
situations. In this service segment, the S-band system shall provide a
communication infrastructure for aiding public and institutional forces in
disaster recovery operations, exploiting the high-availability of the
satellite link when terrestrial communication infrastructure are not present
or unavailable. In this context, the capability of answering to the
institutional users’ needs of establishing interactive two-way real-time
voice and possibly video communications towards one or multiple operational
centres is essential. The modules developed in precursor activities shall be
integrated in the system platform. Furthermore, all the necessary additional
software/hardware elements, which are service-dependent, i.e. are required
because of the specific service segment under investigation, shall be
developed and integrated in the platform. In this case, the dedicated
emergency communication hub has not been developed in a previous activity,
and shall therefore be the objective of an ad-hoc development within the
system platform activity. The activity will result in a complete
pre-operational system platform product ready for demonstration and mass
production.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 380
Ref. No.
08.153.64
S-BAND APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
These activities shall include the definition and characterisation of the set
of applications relevant for the identified service segments. The
applications requirements shall be characterised in terms of use cases, their
functional specification and performance requirements. Furthermore an
analysis shall be made to determine the benefits of new stand-alone
applications versus the integration into existing application or system
frameworks as e.g. Java or Symbian based 3G terminals, car dashboards, ... A
development roadmap will be proposed together with the supporting trade off
analysis, which will be aimed to justify the proposed approach and position
the proposed applications products with respect to potential competitors. All
required elements of the applications will be then developed and/or procured.
An approach for integrating the developed application into one of the system
platforms shall be proposed and possible additional required developments
carefully justified. After implementation, integration and testing as a proof
of concept into the system platform elements, the considered applications
shall be validated at technical level to confirm the compliance with the
requirements. The most suitable approach to be followed for the validation
shall be proposed and justified as part of the work.
ESTEC
08.153.65
Programme Ref.: ARTES-3/4 8-.020
Status: INTENDED
S-BAND DEMONSTRATION AND TRIALS
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
The activities of demonstration and trial will be dedicated to show the
ability of the system to support applications to potential end users. The
following objectives will characterise the activity: - Execution of
demonstration campaigns / field trials to show / validate the adequacy of the
applications supported by the S-band system to a selected representative of
the potential user community. - Elaborate a process of critical revision of
the outcomes of the utilisation process in order to identify and characterise
the enhancements and or modifications required on the different subsystems
and service elements (in view of preparing potential follow on development
activities).
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
Page 381
Ref. No.
08.153.66
TWO-WAY INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIMENTATION
CAMPAIGN
TT Q
PP
Price
The main objective of this experimentation campaign is to assess actual
performances of the interactive S-band link, including forward and return
link. The algorithms and protocols defining the interactive link air
interface for different types of services, including the interactive
messaging communications and the real-time emergency communications, shall be
validated through the experimentation campaign. The present activity shall
implement a HW/SW set-up suitable to test the identified air interfaces via
satellite, reproducing closely the operational scenario. Maximum re-use of
the modules/sub-systems implemented in precursor activities shall be pursued.
In addition to the algorithms performance demonstration and optimization,
possible required modifications to the conceived air interface specifications
shall be timely identified.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 382
Ref. No.
08.153.67
S-BAND SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE STUDY AND GROUND COMPONENTS
SPECIFICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The service segment will consist in implementing the required ground network
infrastructure to offer services over the S-band Inmarsat satellite. While a
DVB-SH gateway is the current assumptions, other services will be offered
exploiting some of the synergies with BGAN and GSPS technologies and others,
e.g. DVB-RCS. The main elements of the ground segment infrastructure which
need further development are: - The Satellite Access Stations (SAS), which
provides the link to the satellites for communication with the remote users,
will be placed in Fucino (Italy). As part of the SAS, one of the main
elements is the Radio Access Node (RAN), which is responsible for managing
Mobile Terminal access to the satellite resources. It handles all satellite
radio-related functionality and interfaces to the Core Network. The RAN
already deployed for Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network System (BGAN),
will also be the basis for the Inmarsat-S services. The hand held services
RAN will be enhanced to support IP packet switch services. A new RAN will be
developed to support the broadcast service (DVB-SH); - The Core Network (CN),
which provides the link between the SAS and the terrestrial and cellular
networks, e.g. PSTN, ISDN and Internet/Intranet. It is responsible for
switching and routing calls and data connection to and from the external
networks. The enhanced CN will to provide efficient support for Scada Mobile
Terminals as well as provide support for IPv6. - The broadcast ground network
segment, including a broadcast RAN, network topology, potential terrestrial
gap-filler transmitters, which are required to ensure the availability of
multimedia broadcast services in build-up areas. A network of terrestrial
gap-fillers could be deployed on urban/suburban areas and could be co-located
with the radio access infrastructure of terrestrial cellular networks.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 383
Ref. No.
08.153.68
HYBRID MULTI-SERVICE AND MULTI-BAND USER TERMINAL
STUDY AND DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
New terminals need to be developed for operating with the Inmarsat-S space
segment. This poses challenges for example due to the fact that the S-band
space segments operate in different polarizations in adjacent spot beams and
terminals need to be able to detect the right polarization in each beam.
Moreover the enhanced system performance with respect to any other Inmarsat
satellites makes it possible not only to develop broadcast UT receivers, but
also to develop much more advanced mobile user terminals which support a
suite of services for bi-directional communications. The initial part of the
activity will cover a study of S-band terminals addressing technological
issues, e.g. S-band antenna technology, hybrid dual polarisation L and S-band
antennas. The study will focus on the 3 terminal product families: BGAN, GSPS
and Broadcast, ranging from possible product integration to service
enhancements (high throughput, powerful return link, etc) achievable with the
Inmarsat-S band satellites. Following the outcomes of the preliminary system
study, a possible modification to the DVB-SH air interface standard required
in order to support low-latency bidirectional communications might need to be
implemented. The detailed specifications for the terminal design and
development shall then be generated, considering also the additional possible
requirements from institutional users and vehicle manufacturers for specific
professional user communities (civil protection and safety operators). The
interfaces of the user terminal with external units shall be defined. The
design of the terminal shall be carried out, including the RF and BB
components. The S-band receiver chipset, or a chipset implementing a modified
forward link air interface, shall be integrated with the return-link
subsystem. The required processing of the network information included in the
forward stream shall also be included in the terminal. Already available
developments shall be exploited if possible. Variants will include integrated
DVB-SH terminals with Inmarsat BGAN and/or GSPS terminals. The much more
powerful forward link offered by the S-band satellite with respect to
Inmarsat-4 and Alphasat will allow the introduction of significant
improvements in the forward link terminal throughputs. Finally the
implementation shall be carried out and some tens of terminals shall be
manufactured. A certain number of samples shall be re-used for on-field
trials and demonstration activities.
ESTEC
C
Spec. Prov.: DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+POR+GR+LUX+CDNCDN
Programme Ref.: ARTES-3/4 7C.011
Status: INTENDED
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 384
Ref. No.
08.153.69
INMARSAT-S BAND ECOSYSTEM: USERS AND APPLICATIONS’
SPECIFICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity will analyse the current suite of Inmarsat s specific
applications and identify special applications particularly suited to the
S-Band satellite, both for the existing Inmarsat s services and their
extension to S-band and for more typical S-band services, e.g. Broadcast.
Integration of applications (such as netted-VoIP, data acquisition
applications, and reliable multicast service file-delivery applications) are
imperative for a successful business model. This element of the programme
will highlight a suite of core and supplementary applications and develop the
platform specifications on which such applications may be deployed.
Optionally, it will validate the integration of these applications with
existing Inmarsat s terminals. Platform specification will include peer
infrastructure specification that will need to be deployed at the edge of the
network, with secure interfaces towards content providers or external
third-party networks such as government agencies. This element of the
programme will develop services, applications and platforms requirements
necessary for commercial success of the next generation mobile terminals. For
next generation broadcast services to mobile devices to be a commercial
success, it is likely that these will need to be coupled to an application
service platform to allow interactivity and feedback. Such application
platforms will be key to the successful integration with terrestrial mobile
DVB-H/MBMS services.
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Page 385
Ref. No.
08.153.70
ARTES 3/4: TELECOM - PRODUCTS PROGRAMME - CALL FOR
PROPOSALS
TT Q
PP
Price
08 NO
Q3
> 500
ARTES 3/4 is the ESA-Industry Programme for satellite telecommunication
product developments. ARTES 3/4 operates with a ’Call for Proposals’ which is
always open. The industry responds with proposals as they find it opportune.
The activities proposed in response to this ’Call for Proposals’ must be
relevant for the satellite telecommunications sector: space segment, ground
segment and applications involving telecommunication satellites. The content
of an ARTES 3/4 contract consists of activities which have been identified by
industry, ESA or national authorities as having clear applications potential.
Essential characteristics of this programme are the proactive role of the
Bidder in defining and proposing projects oriented to sustainable products
(equipment, software, systems, applications, services) in the wide area of
satellite telecommunications and the sharing of funding by ESA and
industry/businesses for the development of the products. Although not a
competitive tender action, the ARTES 3/4 Call for Proposals is published
among these in order to achieve a higher degree of visibility. The closing
date above had to be established solely for technical reasons connected with
EMITS and ought to be ignored. NOTE: THE PRESENT CALL FOR PROPOSALS REPLACES
THE PREVIOUS ARTES 4 CALL FOR PROPOSALS (PUBLISHED UNDER REF.NO. AO4780)
ESTEC
09.153.01
C
Z+CDN
Programme Ref.: ARTES 3/4
HARDWARE DEMONSTRATOR OF FOURTH GENERATION MOBILE
SATELLITE SYSTEMS
To build a hardware demonstrator implementing the physical, link and MAC
layer of the satellite component of 4th Generation Mobile Satellite systems.
The demonstrator will also include satellite channel and satellite system
emulation functions. This activity has been designated as "Priority 2".
Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at
least one delegation. For a more extensive description of this activity
please refer to http://telecom.esa.int/ (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
Budget Ref.: 100433 - ARTES 5 Sub-Element 5.1; 100436 - ARTES
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 3A.037
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 386
Ref. No.
09.153.02
ALL-IP BROADCAST SATELLITE NETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES AND
DEMONSTRATION
TT Q
PP
Price
ka-band satellites are finally emerging and changing the way satellite
services are offered to the end users. Ka-band satellites will not only offer
broadband interactive services, but also advanced broadcasting services
directly to the end users. IPTV will allow a personalised and interactive
environment, integration with communication services and integration of
mobile & fixed TV. Two types of satellite terminals shall be present: the
interactive and the receive-only terminals. The latter may be combined with a
terrestrial network access at lower data rates providing the Interactivity.
In this new context, it is pivotal that broadband satellite systems support
the new services effectively and seamlessly. The activity shall be divided in
two phases: i) Study phase: This first phase will start with the definition
of the advanced broadcasting multimedia services (e.g. HDTV, multimedia
content delivery, content on demand) and study their integration over a
DVB-S2 based satellite system in Ka-band and with the home networks.
Prototyping and demonstration phase: During the second phase, the prototypes
of the required technologies including the satellite-link router shall be
implemented including the necessary protocols and software to support the
advanced broadcasting services. The demonstrator shall be able to validate
the services and techniques defined in the study phase and shall
realistically emulate a Ka-band satellite channel. The remaining of the
demonstrator shall be also setup.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 387
Ref. No.
09.153.03
LOW COST FABRICATION TECHNIQUES FOR TITANIUM
PROPELLANT TANKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To research, develop and prepare for later qualification
innovative techniques for the manufacture of titanium propellant tanks that
is significantly cheaper than the existing billet / forging / machining /
welding techniques employed. Ideally these techniques will also be quicker,
more flexible to enable production of more than one tank size per set of
tooling, and compatible with the current state of the art NDI techniques and
fracture control and safety requirements. Description: As detailed in the
2005 harmonisation activity and reinforced during the 2008 harmonisation
re-visit for Propellant Tanks and High Pressure vessels, there is a need to
increase the competitiveness of European tanks, and provide products that
maximise the propellant capacity whilst minimising the mass and recurring
cost. Current techniques of forging (thick) shells and machining require
extensive tooling, only suited to one size of component, and incur high
quantities of expensive wasted material, and are very long lead time items,
so need to be ordered very early in the spacecraft manufacturing process. If
new manufacturing techniques are developed that are more flexible, and do
away with the need for specific and several sets of tooling for each shell
component, the cost and potentially lead time can be reduced. This could then
allow a later decision on the tank size to be selected, allowing more
flexibility for the spacecraft manufacturer, and thus market a more
competitive tailor made product. There is some knowledge of spin forming
certain titanium products (used largely in the launch vehicle segment),
explosive forming, hydro forming and plastic forming of a cylindrical piece.
However further development is required of these techniques to ensure
chemical compatibility with the current generation of hypergolic propellants.
The activity will include manufacturing of samples using the new techniques.
This activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities
will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 4B.034
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 388
Ref. No.
09.153.04
ALTERNATIVE BI-PROP REGULATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To design, manufacture and test a breadboard of a new electronic
helium pressure regulator for bi-propellant propulsion systems. Description:
The current state of the art in helium regulation for commercial satellites
remains mechanical regulators. There is also only one indigenous European
supplier at present. There are limitations with these regulators: They have
single fixed set points so they cannot vary the gas pressure delivered to the
propellant tanks. This limits the mission flexibility. They also have
comparatively high leak rates. Over time the pressure will equalise across
the low and high pressure sections of the propulsion system. Normally this
pressure exceeds the operating capability of the propellant tank. Therefore
the regulator has to be isolated early in the mission using pyro valves and
the propulsion system is consequently operated in a blow down mode. This mode
prevents the CPS from operating at its most optimum. It also prevents the
high performance main engine from being used again for any orbit changes that
may be desired late in the space craft life. All these issues translate into
higher propellant budgets for a given mission. An electronic regulator built
to meet commercial satellite requirements would represent a significant
technological improvement. The electronic regulator would be more flexible
than current mechanical designs. It would present a second source for a vital
European component and an internationally competitive product. An electronic
regulator would be free of the mechanical design constraints that limit the
current units. This would present many more opportunities to solve the leak
issue. In turn these features would translate into an increase in satellite
capabilities. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q2
Page 389
Ref. No.
09.153.05
MEMS-BASED SATELLITE PROPELLANT GAUGING SYSTEM
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To develop and test a MEMS-based (Micro Electro Mechanical
Systems) Engineering Model of a Satellite Propellant Gauging System.
Description: The market need for a small and accurate satellite propellant
gauging system has previously been identified. As an example, there is a
market demand for a gauging system that can reduce the operational
uncertainty at telecommunication satellites end-of-life from typically six
months down to a few weeks. If this can be achieved, the added value of the
system is several months prolonged operational time in space for the
satellite, which in turn translates into large revenues for the satellite
owner and its customers. A MEMS-based (Micro Electro Mechanical System)
design results in miniaturization, higher accuracy and increased redundancy
compared to existing designs. In a currently running GSTP activity a
breadboard is being developed of a MEMS based satellite propellant gauging
system. This breadboard includes a reduced size non-flight representative
tank, non-flight representative fuel lines, MEMS valves and MEMS pressure
transducer. In the frame of the proposed activity an Engineering Model (EM)
of a precision propellant gauging system will de designed, manufactured and
tested. This system will be fully representative of the flight hardware and
will make use of flight propellant. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
ESTEC
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 390
Ref. No.
09.153.06
AUTONOMOUS ORBIT DETERMINATION AND STATION KEEPING
CONTROL FOR COMPETITIVE TELECOM MISSIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of the activity is to define an overall autonomous
orbit determination and control (AOCS) system onboard of telecom satellites
including manoeuvre planning and executing, with orbit determination using
optical navigation or GNSS. Description: As far as the autonomous orbit
determination is concerned it shall be based either on an optical navigation
sensor or a GNSS sensor. These two sensors shall be traded for best
performance, cost and availability, and the activity shall in particular
consider the current ARTES-5 contract "GEO Orbit Determination Using an
APS-based Navigation Sensor" and the current TRP contract "Feasibility of
GNSS sensors for AOCS applications in GEO and higher altitudes". The activity
shall define a suitable orbit determination and propagation scheme, selecting
a suitable computation method and defining a solver/estimator that can be
easily implemented on-board and meeting the performance needed. A worst-case
data outage has to be considered for the different sensor technologies,
including the effect on the overall performance. For the autonomous station
keeping control scheme, the activity shall also develop and justify the
necessary algorithms allowing for a complete on-board manoeuvre planning and
execution. The design should be fully fault tolerant and safe and provide
full visibility and configurability from an operational point of view. The
strategies shall be verified in a closed loop simulation environment. The
activity shall define and demonstrate an overall AOCS architecture, resulting
in an automated and robust platform design, with reduced operational costs
and increased availability. The study should focus on an electric propulsion
based platform, allowing for more efficient autonomous manoeuvre planning.
The output of the activity shall include algorithmic description of orbit
determination and station keeping strategies, prototype SW, benchmarking
testbed, and simulation tools.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 4C.015
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
Page 391
Ref. No.
09.153.07
FINE POINTING AND TRIM MECHANISM
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: Design, manufacture and test an Engineering Model (EM) of a Fine
Pointing and Trim Mechanism. The proposed design is based on flexible hinges
and a novel piezo actuator. It consists only on a few parts and no elements
with mechanical friction. Description: A market demand has been identified
for a European High Accuracy Antenna Pointing Mechanism mainly to be used as
Fine Pointing and Trim Mechanism for multimedia Ka band payloads. Recent
technology developments such as novel piezo actuator confirm that all the
technologies are available for the development of such mechanism. In order to
be close to the market demands, the mechanism shall be developed in close
cooperation with major antenna suppliers. The proposed activity is related to
the mechanism development only and does therefore not include any RF
components. The key requirements for the mechanism are: Output step size
better than 0.002deg; Pointing motion range of +/-1deg (tbc); Accuracy
(repeatability + hysteresis) better than +/-0.005deg during a life >500,000
cycles. The key technology relies on a piezo actuator that provides the
following features: Combines step sizes in the nanometer range with unlimited
travel range at reasonable speed, no backlash, no hysteresis, high output
force and very high holding force, powered and unpowered, no elements with
mechanical friction ==> almost free of wear ==> almost unlimited lifetime
without any lubricants or maintenance, very low power demand and very low
heat dissipation, no EEE parts on the actuator. Simple control electronic
shall be considered in the design. Flexible hinges are well known for high
precision space mechanism with small motion ranges. Procurement Policy: C(1)
ESTEC
09.153.08
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 4E.036
Status: INTENDED
FLASH-OVER EVALUATION ON LARGE SOLAR PANELS
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
The objective is to perform ESD tests in vacuum chamber on a large solar
panel (8m2), to derive the flash-over current characteristic over the panel
and to manufacture and validate a flash over simulator for coupon testing.
For a more extensive description of this activity please refer to
http://telecom.esa.int/ (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: 4F.041
Page 392
Ref. No.
09.153.09
ACTIVE MULTIBEAM SPARSE ARRAY DEMONSTRATOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of this activity is to design a Ka-band Active
Multibeam Sparse Array Antenna considering satellite interfaces and
accommodation constraints and to validate the RF performances by a
demonstrator model. Description of the activity: - pre-design of the Direct
Radiating Array including RF, themomechanical and integration aspects. trade-off on the architectures and technologies reducing power dissipation
and mass. - definition of possibly self standing thermal control with
dedicated North/South radiators to ease array integration. - establishment of
satellite accommodation on earth deck minimising I/F between platform and
DRA. - optimisation of the sparse DRA architecture and the performance
including: gain/EIRP, isolation, mutual coupling, intermodulation, DC-to-RF
conversion efficiency, considering the state of the art transmit active
modules in solid state or Mini-TWTAs. - identification of the required
technology improvements and extrapolation of the full antenna performances.
Concerning the implementation of the transmit active modules the following
options shall be traded-off: - Solid state technology. Emphasis shall be
given to wide bandgap semiconductor materials (e.g. GaN) that have been
identified as key disruptive technologies for SSPA performance improvements
(RF power, efficiency, thermal properties). Attention shall be given to the
thermal properties that will allow increasing baseplate temperatures with
simplified thermal control. The reliability is important as well. - MiniTWTAs technology Low saturation power TWTs with high efficiency, low
dissipated power, small size and footprint, would allow direct connection of
TWTs to radiating elements. - Design, manufacture and test a demonstrator
representative of a full antenna aperture. Regarding the active devices, from
input beam ports to radiating elements, the use of laboratory equipments
might be considered provided that array performances over the angular domain
and frequency range can be validated by tests. - Preparation of a cost
estimate and comparison of cost with existing designs.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 393
Ref. No.
09.153.10
MULTI-MISSION AND MULTI-FREQUENCY REFLECTOR ANTENNAS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To design, manufacture and test an EM of an antenna feed system
for multi-mission (Ku- and Ka-band) reflector antenna systems. Description:
For European satellite operators to take advantage of emerging markets for
telecommunications systems, whilst also serving existing markets, it is
necessary to embark several large deployable antennas per satellite. For
example, Eutelsat W3B, which serves Europe and Africa, and Eutelsat W7, which
serves Europe, Africa and Eurasia, both have up to 4 deployed Ku-band
reflectors, whilst the Earth decks are heavily populated by the Ka-band
antennas. Consequently, the future expansion of missions/services on the same
satellite is limited by antenna accommodation issues. Techniques to combine
missions by the use of frequency (FSS) or polarization (PSS) filtering, as
used in other domains such as millimetre wave quasi-optic boxes, or earth
station beam-waveguide multi-frequency reflectors may be considered for space
telecommunication antennas. Also, using multi-frequency (Ku/Ka) feeds in a
focal array either individually or combined with dedicated beam forming
networks per frequency is of major interest for realising multimission
antennas. This activity will investigate the feasibility of these
multi-frequency, multi polarisation feeds possibly in a focal array and
either used individually or combined. A selected most promising concept will
be designed, analysed, manufactured at EM level and RF tested.
ESTEC
09.153.11
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
MEDIUM SIZE UNFURLABLE REFLECTOR ANTENNA
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
To design, analyse, manufacture and test an Elegant Breadboard of a 4 to 7
metre reflector for telecom satellites. Special attention shall be given in
deployment reliability and accuracy, RF, PIM and thermo-elastic behaviour.
Reflector shall have: - A diameter in the range 4 to 7 meters (even 3 meters
for low cost, small launcher, fairing compatibility might be of interest); An offset configuration and a shaping capability; - An in flight surface
accuracy of typically one wavelength/50; - A stowed envelope compatible with
small launchers. For a more extensive description of this activity please
refer to http://telecom.esa.int/ (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 394
Ref. No.
09.153.12
KA-BAND INTEGRATED ACTIVE FEED FOR MULTIPLE BEAMS
ANTENNA
TT Q
PP
Price
To manufacture and test an EM of a Ka-band integrated active feed chain
including a radiating element with an OMT or polarizer, a filter, a
redundancy switch and LNAs. The aim of the activity is to investigate the
feed architectures and technologies that are able to integrate several
elements of the same feed chain at once rather than having each component
manufactured separately. This activity will look at integrating a radiated
element, an OMT or polarizer, a filter, a redundancy switch and associated
LNAs all together in the feed system. The development shall take into account
large scale production and future integration in feed cluster. This
development should investigate the applicability to both single feed per beam
and multiple feed per beam concepts. To ensure state of the art performance,
for the LNA metamorphic technology could be considered but the LNA MMIC will
be an off-the-shelf item bought in for the activity and MMIC development is
not part of this activity. Promising technologies for the selected
applications will be traded-off and one feed chain Engineering Model will be
designed, manufactured and tested.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 395
Ref. No.
09.153.13
REDUCED FOOTPRINT SSPA FOR TELECOM PAYLOADS
TT Q
PP
Price
In Telecom satellites for mobile applications, SSPAs are used in the payload.
However, due to the high number of SSPAs and the use of the largest side for
mounting onto the satellite panels, the payload occupies a large area forcing
the use of long RF cables generating high losses (up to 3dB). This can be
improved significantly by SSPAs with smaller footprint. The solution exists
to reduce significantly the SSPA footprint and it is even proposed by some
overseas SSPA suppliers (e.g. Japan). The objective of this activity is to
demonstrate the feasibility of vertically mounted SSPA where the RF power
modules and drivers are kept close to the bottom of the equipment and
therefore close to the heat pipes in the satellite panels. Various solutions
can be investigated ranging from a simple flip of the whole equipment to a
redistribution of the RF modules, and in particular the power and driver
modules kept flat mounted and the low power RF section and EPC mounted
vertically. Additionally to this, the activity shall investigate in depth the
application of new high performance materials providing improved heat
conductivity in improve the thermal management of such units. New materials
(e.g. metal matrix materials) shall be considered for the SSPA structure
(instead of standard aluminium) but also for the RF power modules, while
keeping the low weight of the unit. The objective is a footprint reduction
>50% with no mass impact or even a mass reduction. The output power target is
20 to 30W multicarrier in L or S band for 15dB Noise Power Ratio. The
activity aims at developing an EM SSPA structure populated with
representative output and driver RF section and with representative
components for the EPC (DC/DC converter). As the whole structure would be
re-designed with new materials and the internal layout of the equipment may
be significantly affected, mechanical validation tests (e.g. vibration) and
thermal validation tests will be included. The optimization of the thermal
management of the overall equipment and of the RF transition from vertical to
the horizontal plane will be carefully studied. Finally the overall footprint
might be compatible with a typical Ku (Ka) TWT (i.e. TWTA without EPC). This
may have the further advantage to allow a standard heat pipe configuration
for different types of payloads limiting the engineering costs and improving
the level of standardization for payload layout and components. This activity
has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will only be
initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 396
Ref. No.
09.153.14
HIGH TEMPERATURE EPC FOR GAN SSPA APPLICATION
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity aims at reviewing all the components, materials (PCBs ...) and
assembly processes (attachments processes ...) which limit the design and the
operation of high power RF equipment, like SSPA. Two targets of operational
cases shall be considered: - Operation at max 100 deg baseplate temperature
which would provide the freedom to place the SSPA in the hot area of the
satellite platform (simplification of accommodation issues). This corresponds
to today’s heat pipe capabilities (i.e. no evolution on the thermal subsystem
technology); - Operation at higher operating temperature around 125 deg which
may help further reducing the size of the thermal radiating panels. This is
covering the application of high temperature loop heat pipe currently under
investigation. For a more extensive description of this activity please refer
to http://telecom.esa.int/ (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 397
Ref. No.
09.153.15
100 W Q/V-BAND TWT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To identify the generic technological limits of current high
frequency TWTs, to select and develop alternative technologies and, finally,
to demonstrate and validate such technologies by designing, manufacturing and
testing a Q/V-band 100 W TWT Breadboard. Description: The use of the Q/V band
is expected to increase and the European TWT manufacturer has identified a
potential market outside Europe for Q/V band TWTs. The activity shall start
with an extended consultation of the main payload manufactures and satellite
operators aiming at refining the preliminary TWT specifications provided by
the Agency, especially with respect to the most critical parameters (e.g.
power level). The consultation activities shall be complemented by the
identification of the technological limits of high-frequency TWTs, in
particular in terms of trade-off between maximum available output power,
bandwidth and RF/DC efficiency. The critical parts/sub-assemblies of high
frequency TWTs shall be analysed and the associated constraints shall be
fully evaluated. This feasibility study will lead to the finalisation of the
specifications and to the preliminary definition of the technological
building blocks that can be used for next generation high frequency TWTs. The
identified high frequency technological building blocks will be validated by
designing, manufacturing and testing a 100 W Q/V-band TWT Breadboard
according to the specs identified. The activity will be divided into two
phases: In the first phase the technical feasibility will be established and
the commercial potential will be evaluated of the preferred design. Upon
successful completion of the first phase, the second phase will be released
for the breadboarding and test of the TWT. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 398
Ref. No.
09.153.16
HIGH POWER KA-BAND TWT WITH ALN COLLECTOR
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To manufacture and test a high power Ka band TWT EM using AlN
materials as a high-dissipation ceramic for the TWT collectors (shrink-fitted
and brazed technologies). Description: Past ESA TRP and GSTP activities have
identified Aluminium Nitride (AlN) as an excellent ceramic to handle high
power dissipation and high voltage and have proven the suitability of AlN as
an electrical insulator in shrink fitted collector. However, the mastering of
the material processes as well as of the preliminary treatments need to be
improved in order to fully secure the use of AlN for future high power
applications. The activity will comprise a thorough validation of the AlN
material for standard shrinkfitted collectors. This will include the batch
analysis to check the material reproducibility, margin tests on gun-collector
sub-assemblies, and tests with a typical mission profile on existing
radiation cooled TWTs. Brazed collector technologies will also be addressed
enabling a further increase of the power density. Technological activities
shall aim at developing processes for the metallization and high temperature
brazing of AlN, without modifying its physical properties. Secondly, several
brazed collectors with AlN shall be assembled and tested on dedicated subassemblies. Finally, one AlN collector (shrink-fitted or brazed technologies)
shall be integrated and functionally tested on existing high-power (above 170
W) Ka-band EM TWT. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". Note: This activity has been
the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 399
Ref. No.
09.153.17
EXTREME ENVIRONMENT RF POWER CABLES FOR
TELECOMMUNICATION PAYLOADS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of this activity is to develop and test RF power
flexible cable assemblies capable of surviving extreme environmental
conditions when exposed to outer space in GEO orbit. For a more extensive
description of this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int/
(current and future opportunities). Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". Note: This activity has
been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will only be
initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 400
Ref. No.
09.153.18
CRYPTOGRAPHIC PROCESSOR FOR CONTROL OF TELECOM
PROCESSING PAYLOADS
TT Q
PP
Price
This activity addresses the early phases of a program to develop a spaceborne
cryptographic module to protect space communications for control and
operation of advanced telecom satellite payloads. It is oriented towards
establishing requirements and solutions considering in particular the
security aspects ensuring advanced telecom payloads can be commanded and
reconfigured also under adverse conditions. Existing TT&C based solutions
suffer from limitations imposed by old packet protocol standards. New ECSS
telecommand and telemetry packet protocols standards (ECSS-E-50-04-A and
ECSS-E-50-03-A) offer the required flexibility and data transport capability
to accommodate both security overhead and higher data throughput. The target
product of the program is a standalone cryptographic module capable of
independent operation in a space environment. It is intended to be used to
protect communications for control and operation of payloads independently
from the platform command path and aims at providing with a number of
advantages over traditional platform TTC solutions (e.g. emergence of
separate security domains mapping with distinct responsible parties,
capability for payload and platform security requirements and technology to
evolve separately). This module is intended to be used in various application
contexts, including the protection of space communications for control and
configuration management of commercial communication satellite payloads
implementing on-board digital processing. The target product shall have the
capability to be used as part of a larger configuration of a trustworthy
system (e.g. communication security subsystems, information security systems)
without undermining the security of the whole.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 5D.016
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 401
Ref. No.
09.153.19
SATELLITE WIRELESS ACCESS POINT ON LAUNCHER FOR
MONITORING OF THE PASSENGER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To define, design, manufacture and test a breadboard of a
Satellite Wireless Access point on launchers for monitoring of the passenger
satellite. For a more extensive description of this activity please refer to
http://telecom.esa.int/ (current and future opportunities). Procurement
the explicit request of at least one delegation. For a more extensive
description of this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int/
(current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 5D.017
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 402
Ref. No.
09.153.20
DISTRIBUTED RECEIVE ANTENNA FOR VEHICLES
TT Q
PP
Price
Mobile terminal antennas for data applications in the L- and S- frequency
bands can be difficult to integrate aesthetically into vehicular designs due
to their size and shape. The possibility to distribute radiators (sensors)
can provide an extra degree of freedom to ease the integration process and to
ensure that the car structure design is not compromised. Applying digital
beam forming can offer exactly this. Moreover, distributed radiators combined
by a digital beam forming network can provide an attractive solution for
medium gain antennas (increasing the antenna aperture) to overcome the
multipath and shadowing effects experienced in mobile environments, in
particular rural and urban areas. In digital beamforming antennas, each
radiator is equipped with a separate LNB, down-conversion, analogue-todigital converter and some signal processing circuitry. The network combining
the signal from the various sensors is implemented in digital domain. As
such, signal loss over transmission lines is not an issue and the patches can
be totally separated from each other (unlike in conventional array antennas).
However, care must be taken in this case that grating lobes, and thus
interference, do not present any problems for the receive system. This
activity will design a medium gain receive antenna operating in either L- or
S-band. The radiating elements of the array antenna will be distributed on
the available surface and employ digital beam forming. A prototype will be
manufactured and tested in a laboratory environment. Procurement Policy: C(1)
measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes". Note: This
activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will
only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 7-.015
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 403
Ref. No.
09.153.21
COST EFFECTIVE SATELLITE TERMINALS FOR MESH OVERLAY
NETWORKING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To design, manufacture and test satellite terminal prototypes
capable of star and mesh connectivity over transparent satellite links. This
activity aims at architectural design and development of cost effective mesh
capable satellite terminals, starting with a system study to establish
requirements and to investigate potential techniques, technologies and
architectures to reduce the capital and operational costs of mesh overlay
networks. System aspects to be investigated include: - Low-cost/efficient
multi-carrier demodulator design; - A thorough trade-off analysis to select
efficient solutions for low signalling overhead in a hybrid MESH and star
network topology; - The design of network synchronization under different
network scenario such as multi-beam or multi-transponder configuration; Rain mitigation techniques for mesh connection, techniques such as adaptive
coding and modulation, as well as data rate adaptation; - Innovative access
schemes OFDMA-based, on top of MF-TDMA, for a higher spectral efficiency; Multi-carrier receiver and/or transmitter capabilities; - Random access
scheme on top of DAMA for traffic and signalling; - Applications to mobile
application scenarios with consequences to the robustness to the air
interface (resilience to Doppler, shadowing events, ...); - Efficient framing
and L2 encapsulation scheme (e.g constant burst length plus GSE) which also
need a flexible turbo code solution (like the turbo codes under consideration
for DVB-RCS evolution). Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 404
Ref. No.
09.153.22
TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR MULTI-SPOT BEAM
KU-BAND SATELLITE NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To analyse mission opportunities of multi-beam Ku-band satellite
communication systems; to derive optimum architectural design and system
requirements in terms of services, flexibility and space segment performance;
to analyse, simulate and optimize system performance; to identify required
technology improvements for Ku-band multi-beam payloads; to define payload
flexibility evolution and necessary developments.
ESTEC
09.153.23
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
SW TOOL FOR HYBRID SATELLITE/TERRESTRIAL MOBILE
BROADCASTING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND NETWORK
DIMENSIONING
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
C
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objective: To develop a software simulation tool for the assessment of hybrid
satellite/terrestrial mobile broadcast system performance. This tool shall
contain functions allowing designers to derive system performance (coverage,
service quality, availability) and to support them in the system dimensioning
and trade-off analysis (satellite and terminal characteristics, complementary
terrestrial network deployment strategies).
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 405
Ref. No.
09.153.24
SECURITY OF BROADBAND SATELLITE SYSTEMS FOR COMMERCIAL
AND INSTITUTIONAL APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To perform a security risk analysis on current and future
broadband satellite systems used for commercial and institutional
applications and derive system security requirements; to propose and define
appropriate network security measures; to validate new security protocols
through simulations or emulations; to define a generic security architecture;
to provide recommendations for standard evolutions. Description: Interactive
broadband satellite systems may encounter several types of threats e.g. data
communication eavesdropping, satellite system signalling spoofing. The
integration of security countermeasures is therefore seen as a major system
requirement for institutional as well as commercial systems. Today some
security solutions may be used, however they are not always adapted to
satellite networks and are far from addressing all the security requirements,
which moreover may vary substantially per system and business case. The
activity will address fixed and mobile satellite systems, used for commercial
or institutional applications, having a star or meshed topology. The activity
shall: - define reference system architectures, perform a security risk
analysis and derive system security requirements, - define appropriate
security mechanisms (these mechanisms, located in data, control and
management planes, shall satisfy the system security requirements for
commercial and institutional markets as well as take into account the current
standardisation and requirements in terms of security certification), analyse their implementation, system effectiveness and related operational
aspects, - validate new security protocols through simulations or emulations,
- define a generic security architecture with the appropriate method to
accommodate it to actual systems, - provide recommendations for standard
evolutions, - perform a proof-of-concept demonstration over
simulator/emulator between end-systems. For control and management plane
measures, the outcomes of the ARTES 1 study ’Security for DVB-RCS at
anagement and control planes’ will be used. For data plane, both satellitelink only and end-to-end security will be addressed as well as the different
types of connectivity, e.g. unicast, multicast and broadcast.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 406
Ref. No.
09.153.25
DEVELOPMENT OF MINIATURIZED MICROWAVE GROUND
RADIOMETERS FOR SATCOM GROUND STATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The activity aims at designing and developing a prototype of a microwave
radiometer to be used as a stand-alone or sub system unit in satellite Radio
communication systems characterised by reduced production and operational
costs with respect to current commercial units. Testing and validation of
MMIC components and advanced antenna technologies for ground based
radiometric receivers. Development and improvement of radiometric algorithms
for the real-time assessment of channel conditions for Propagation Impairment
Mitigation Techniques (PIMT). This activity has been designated as "Priority
2". Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of
at least one delegation. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to
ESTEC
09.153.26
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
PHYSICAL-STATISTICAL MODELS FOR MOBILE SATELLITE
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS BELOW 10 GHZ
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
C
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Objective: To develop a propagation modelling software tool and channel
propagation models combining deterministic and statistical approaches. The
models will combine physical principles (diffraction, reflection,
transmission) at existing obstacles together with stochastic parameters in
order to be able to reuse the model on different environments or locations.
The models will cover land-mobile satellite, aeronautical and maritime
environments. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 407
Ref. No.
09.153.27
STANDARD SATCOM PROVISIONS FOR LIFE-EXTENSION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of this activity is to study satcom life-extension
systems, to identify the most promising concept for telecom geostationary
satellites and to define standard interface requirements for a satcom lifeextension system. The characteristics of the existing European
telecommunication satellites shall be considered for establishing a
standardized approach for the Life-extension System Concept. The major system
impacts on the geostationary satellite being life-extended shall also be
identified and a solution shall be proposed for standardisation. Note: This
activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities will
only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
in ESA programmes".
ESTEC
09.153.28
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
DEVELOPMENT OF A COST-EFFECTIVE HALL-EFFECT PROPULSION
SUBSYSTEM
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Objective: To redesign the PPS-1350-G propulsion subsystem in order to obtain
an important reduction of the overall recurring cost. To manufacture critical
items to verify by test the feasibility of the re-design to meet the PPS
subsystem specifications. Note: This activity has been designated as
request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 408
Ref. No.
09.153.29
PROPELLANT SIMULANT ASSESSMENT AND PROPELLANT TANK
OFFLOAD
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: Produce a study report identifying suitable simulants for use in
classical spacecraft propulsion systems to simulate Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen
(MON) oxidiser and identifying the current capabilities of spacecraft
propellant tanks to be offloaded of liquid propellants and to be re-used for
flight.
ESTEC
09.153.30
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
ROBUST CONTROL TECHNIQUES FOR LARGE TELECOM SATELLITES
WITH DEMANDING POINTING PREFERENCES
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Objective: The objective of the activity is to improve the overall pointing
performance and robustness of large telecom platforms with highly flexible
appendages and demanding payload pointing. Description: The activity shall
investigate novel control techniques (overall system solutions) for improved
pointing and robustness of large telecom platforms. Many larger platforms are
suffering in performance and robustness due to a combination of demanding
flex modes from large appendages (solar arrays and antenna structures),
together with very tight payload pointing requirements, and coarse control
means due to actuator selection. This is in particular important for more
performing missions such as Ka-band and GEOmobile missions. Several factors
are causing problems in current design solutions (e.g. too large minimum
impulse bit, thermal snap of arrays, reflectors during entry/exit of eclipse,
low resonance frequencies, etc) and need to be analysed in more detail. The
activity shall analyse the whole system for an optimal solution at system
level, considering: 1) advanced control techniques (addressing also the
modulation/phasing of the control demand); 2) dedicated sensors to measure
bending and deflection of the appendages in order to allow for an active
damping; 3) the structural design of appendages (e.g. mechanical design
&material selection for reduced elasticity and improved damping); 4) active
control of the appendage considering embedded dedicated actuators for control
of the appendage itself; and 5) the typical platform actuators (wheels and
thrusters and their sizing, accommodation and interfaces).
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 409
Ref. No.
09.153.31
GRAVEYARD AND PASSIVATION STRATEGIES FOR GEO
SATELLITES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The purpose of this study is to define, develop and implement
novel concepts and strategies for both chemically and electrically propelled
satellites on GEO boxes. Description: This study will focus on novel concepts
to perform a graveyard manoeuvre in the presence or not of other spacecraft
in the same GEO box. Special attention to fleets in the same GEO box or
contiguous box shall be placed. This means that the activity shall include
collision probability sensitivity analysis. Propellant management and
manoeuvre strategies shall be carefully analyzed. The study shall also
include techniques for satellite passivation after de-orbiting. The study
shall consider the worst case of attitude loss due to the emptying of the
tanks, it shall determine an altitude threshold to respect and determine the
passivation duration when knowing the achieved altitude at the end of the
re-orbiting phase. The strategies shall focus on minimising the quantity of
used propellant, using the thrusters configuration allowing the best
efficiency. The activity shall also consider long-term behaviour in graveyard
orbit. This activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2
activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one
delegation.
ESTEC
09.153.32
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
ULTRA LIGHT COMPACT SHOCK DAMPING DEVICE
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Objective: This activity is to design, manufacture and characterise (test) a
breadboard of an Ultra Light Compact Shock Damping Device intended to be used
in combination with inertial deployment systems (e.g. ULMAAS). The proposed
Ultra Light Compact Shock Damping Device is intended for implementation at
the deployment hinge between antenna and spacecraft. It should be tuneable to
meet the needs of the new generation of telecom antennae and match with the
interfaces to the antenna or its trim mechanism. Note: This activity has been
the explicit request of at least one delegation. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 4E.037
Status: INTENDED
Page 410
Ref. No.
09.153.33
SOLAR ARRAY CHARGING VOLTAGE LIMITED BY NEUTRALIZER
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective is to study the feasibility of using a charge
neutralizer mounted on the S/C body to reduce the overall solar array
charging voltage to minimize the risk of damaging ESD on solar arrays
(primary and secondary arcs). The potential impact of such a neutralizer on
the lifetime, performance of the solar array (such as contamination or
sputtering effects on solar cell interconnections) and the spacecraft
attitude control management shall be assessed. Description: Solar arrays
operating in GEO are typically charged to very high potentials resulting in
ESD. Under various conditions primary arcs trigger damaging secondary arcs.
Several in-flight solar array anomalies/failures were attributed to this
phenomenon. It is known that the operation of ion engines on GEO S/C is
changing the S/C floating potential. Having this in mind they might also be
used to limit the max solar array charging potential. The main task of this
activity is to find out if it is possible to use ion engines/neutralizers, to
limit the maximum charging potential of a solar array. It shall be
investigated if AOCS engines (modified either in performance and/or
orientation) can be used or if dedicated units (identical to an AOCS engine
or with equivalent performance) are required. Please note, that this
particular phenomena and resulting potential solution of the problem is
exclusively applicable for solar arrays in GEO.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Programme Ref.: ARTES-5.1 4F.039
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 411
Ref. No.
09.153.34
ARCHITECTURAL DEFINITION AND PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF A
FUTURE FLEXIBLE MULTIBEAM KA-BAND PAYLOAD
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To perform the architectural trade-off and preliminary design of a
next generation of Ka band flexible broadband multimedia payload. The payload
design shall be driven to match varying traffics per beam during the mission
life and shall therefore allow on board flexibility in terms of variable
bandwidth and RF power to beams, according to the traffic. The use of
physical layer with Adaptive Coding and Modulation shall be assumed for the
payload parameter optimisation (i.e. antenna patterns). Description: First,
some examples of likely future traffic per beam scenarios shall be
identified. In particular, these scenarios will identify beams with
higher/lower traffic expected and with higher/lower degree of uncertainty in
their traffic estimation. Based on these scenarios, and assuming one specific
satellite platform, the contractor will then identify different payload
architectures that could efficiently cope with the levels of traffic and
associated uncertainty. In particular, the payload can make use of different
groups of beams assigned to either classical ’non flexible’ channelised
hardware or to ’flexible’ hardware implementation based on the use of MPAs
and/or flexible TWTAs. Different shares between MPAs and flexible TWTAs may
be considered depending on the level of flexibility required by the different
beams. The C/I requirements will be analysed in depth. In particular, the use
of a physical layer using ACM techniques can lead to side lobe level
relaxations and to increase the level of frequency reuse. The proposed
payload architectures will then be evaluated and adequately optimised. The
selection and optimisation of payload architectures shall be performed using
results from multidimensional link budgets. Payload accommodation exercise
for the final selected and optimised payload will then follow.
ESTEC
Programme Ref.: 5A.015
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 412
Ref. No.
09.153.35
PAYLOAD ON BOARD SELF CALIBRATION TECHNIQUES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The aim of this activity is to define on board self calibration
techniques for payloads using distributed elements such as active/semi-active
antennas and MPAs to identify architectural options for their implementation.
A trade-off between the options will be performed and the feasibility will be
analysed. Emphasis will be given to the definition of the type of calibration
technique and signal to be used (single tone, multi-tone, modulated carrier,
spread-spectrum signal, etc.). Description: With the increasing complexity of
payload architectures using active/semi-active antennas and MPAs, the
achievement of good amplitude and phase tracking becomes compulsory to meet
the expected payload performance. In particular, this is related to end-toend delay, amplitude and phase tracking as well as synchronisation since
payload architectures are using one or several of the following equipments:
Multi Port Amplifier, active/semi-active antennas, multiple frequency
conversion stages, separated LOs, Digital Signal Processors (making use of
several Analogue to Digital and Digital to Analogue converters), etc.
Equipment performance variation over temperature and lifetime would also have
an effect on the tracking and shall be taken into account in the calibration
system analysis and evaluation. The activity will focus on techniques for
end-to-end calibration and tracking of amplitude and phase of parallel paths
in payloads using distributed elements. Calibration and tracking of amplitude
and phase of individual equipments such as MPA is addressed in another
ARTES-5 activity.In addition, it should be noted that the introduction of an
overall payload calibration system could possibly simplify the stability,
tracking and delay performance requirements currently specified for each RF,
Analogue and Digital equipment. The required technology developments will be
identified for the preferred calibration technique.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 413
Ref. No.
09.153.36
MULTIPLE BEAM PORT-TO-BEAM SYNTHESIS METHODOLOGY AND
ANTENNA ARCHITECTURES
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To develop a multi-beam multi-frequency tool for the combined
optimisation of the complete antenna system. Description: The capability to
optimise the complete antenna system is required for user terminal antennas
with wide scan range and polarisation tracking as well as for large multibeam satellite antennas. In both applications there is a strong need to
optimise the antenna architecture to reduce complexity and avoid component
over-design. The synthesis of efficient antennas for multiple-beam multifrequency dual-polarisation coverages is a complex task involving a large
number of components in the chain. Furthermore there is a growing need to be
able to address multiple and quite different configurations and compare them
in a unified systematic way. A tool optimising the whole antenna system is
expected to result in improved overall performances and in a proper balance
between the requirements on the individual antenna components. The increase
of computing power has enabled very sophisticated synthesis methodologies for
the initial definition of the necessary characteristics of the individual
components, and optimisation methodologies for the refinement of their
design. Independent optimisation tools exist for most antenna architecture
components, but nothing is available for the initial synthesis and the global
refinement of the overall antenna architecture and configuration. Furthermore
some areas, like the optimal selection of beam generation weights, which are
very critical in multi-beam multi-frequency antennas as well as for beam
hopping and for beam re-configuration, are not yet properly addressed. The
activity will cover these areas by either extending the reach of existing
tools or developing new ones, and achieve the overall objective by assembling
the different components into a tool for the overall antenna design to be
included in the European Antenna Modelling Library. The resulting design tool
will be applied to operational test cases derived from system studies. Note:
This activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2 activities
will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 414
Ref. No.
09.153.37
KU-BAND HIGH POWER FEED COMPONENTS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To design and test an EM of a Ku-band feed system having more than
4 kW input power and dedicated Transmit and Receive access.
ESTEC
09.153.38
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
HIGH ACCURACY ANTENNA POINTING SYSTEM
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Objective: To analyse antenna pointing errors budget and investigate the
techniques and technologies required to increase pointing accuracy for
broadband multiple high gain pencil beams. To identify the methodology and
the hardware/software required for the antenna pointing determination and
correction for single and multiple feed per beam concepts. To elaborate the
achievable antenna pointing error budget and associated development plan.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 415
Ref. No.
09.153.39
COMPACT HIGH POWER S -BAND OUTPUT MATRIX
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of this activity is to develop and test a Breadboard
of a large compact multiport coupler for high power output matrices needed
for 8x8 or larger MPAs in Sband. RF performance, mass, footprint and cost
savings shall be evaluated. Description: Output matrices such as Butler
Matrices are an enabling technology for multiport amplifiers (MPA) to achieve
beam switching and steering in satellite systems. Standard output matrix
configurations employed today consist of several stages of hybrids that are
interconnected. For matrices larger than 4x4 this requires crossovers of
connections resulting in complex assemblies. However, existing concepts of n
-dimensional Riblet couplers or other single layer coupling concepts could
offer considerable footprint reduction and significantly simpler assemblies.
For output matrices this opens the possibility for improved thermal designs
and less risk of PIM due to reduced number of piece parts as well as enabling
compact high power equipments for next generation satellite systems handling
twice the power per channel compared to current designs. In addition it is
well known that noise reduction of MPAs can be achieved by careful design of
the output matrix. Thus the propagation of intermodulation products shall be
analysed and considered in the selection of the design concept In order to
demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the developed concepts a
compact S-band high power output matrix Breadboard shall be built and tested.
Note: This activity has been designated as "Priority 2". Priority 2
activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one
delegation.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 416
Ref. No.
09.153.40
INPUT FILTERS FOR L-, S-BAND APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of this activity is to manufacture and test
breadboards of a new class of compact low loss L-, S-band input filters.
Description: Coaxial filters are currently standard technologies for L-, Sband input filters. The technology offers a wide range of flexibility as it
can be tailored to narrow bandwidths, but also bandwidths up to one octave
can be achieved whilst maintaining excellent out-of band performance.
However, this technology is inherently large and bulky since it is based on
TEM air resonators. In this activity a new class of input filters shall be
developed and tested based on TM mode dielectric resonators. Preliminary work
has shown that a resonator footprint reduction up to 50% can be achieved
compared with coaxial technology whilst maintaining the same in-band RF
performance. However, this need to be carefully traded-off against the
spurious performance and a design concept for in-line and cross coupled
filters for complex transfer functions shall be developed. Other challenges
exist in mounting the dielectrics, which shall be addressed and solutions
suitable for space application shall be developed. In order to evaluate the
developed concepts, different breadboards (3) shall be built and tested to
validate this new technology including the achievable bandwidth and out-ofband performance. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 417
Ref. No.
09.153.41
MODELLING OF PASSIVE INTERMODULATION IN MULTICARRIER
OPERATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: The objective of this activity is to develop modelling software
capable to evaluate and predict passive Intermodulation levels (using
realistic modulations and frequency plans) on multicarrier systems from test
measurements of two carriers PIM products. Description: With the advent of
high power channel communication satellites, a new source of interference,
passive intermodulation (PIM), has arisen as a spacecraft performance of
considerable importance. Waveguide flanges and coaxial connectors have been
identified as major source of Intermodulation Products in telecommunications
satellites. Actual satellite requirements push technology to achieve levels
of PIM bellow -200 dBc. In multicarrier systems, PIM prediction is even more
complicated than for two carriers, making in some case impossible to qualify
by test. In this activity, a modelling tool shall be developed to quantify
the level of PIM in multicarrier non-modulated and modulated systems using
test data based on two input non-modulated carriers. The modelling shall also
consider amplitude and phase of the carriers as inputs plus the temperature
range during the mission and will analyse the G/T degradation due to PIM. The
modelling software shall be validated through an appropriate test campaign to
demonstrate accuracy of predictions versus real test measurements.
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 418
Ref. No.
09.153.42
FREQUENCY SYNTHESIZER PHASE NOISE MODELLING
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To characterize and model the baseband phase noise performance of
the key frequency synthesizer components (transistors, Voltage Controlled
Oscillators (VCOs), Phase-Frequency Detectors, followed by the creation of
linear/non linear models of the overall synthesizer loop for phase noise
performance optimisation. Finally, a breadboard of a representative
synthesiser will be developed for validation of the design methodology.
Description: Due to the introduction of higher order modulations, future
satellite telecommunication payloads will require improved phase noise
performance. In addition, the introduction of flexible payload and tuneable
LO sources, call for the utilisation of frequency synthesizers with the
associated compromises between tuning bandwidth, frequency setting resolution
and phase noise performance. As a consequence, the currently used phase noise
modelling and design methodologies need to be improved in order to allow
better optimised and performing phase noise performance. The proposed design
methodology is based on the creation of a baseband noise data base, covering
the currently used components for the implementation of frequency
synthesizers. This baseband noise data can then be introduced in a model of
the complete synthesizer, that includes a suitable non linear model of the
VCO able to correctly model the upconversion process from baseband noise to
phase noise modulating the LO signal. The models of the various elements in
the synthesizer will be introduced in an off-the-shelf software tool to
calculate the resulting phase noise performance of the synthesizer. The
activity shall also investigate the possibility of topological improvements
to the LO synthesizer. Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation
(in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required.
For additional information please go to EMITS news (dated 05/02/2001)
programmes".
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 419
Ref. No.
09.153.43
COSPAS-SARSAT ANTENNAS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To design, analyse and implement a breadboard of a body-worn
antenna for the COSPAS/SARSAT satellite system. This activity will
investigate wearable antenna solutions suitable for the COSPAS-SARSAT system.
The wearable antenna shall be body-worn, lightweight and conformal to the
body. This can facilitate the hands-free operation of man-satellite
communications and satellite search-and-rescue by being integrated in for
instance survival suits and inflatable life rafts. Antenna bending as well as
water exposure, can have dramatic effect on the antenna performance in terms
of antenna mistuning on various parameters, such as, gain, impedance
matching and cross polarization. These issues will be dealt with within this
activity. The activity will comprise: - preliminary design of a wearable
antenna; - preliminary tests on materials/processes to verify approach; breadboarding and testing of a wearable antenna. Procurement Policy: C(1) =
ESTEC
09.153.44
Programme Ref.: 7-.016
ANTENNA RADOME FOR SATCOM USER MOBILE TERMINALS
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
C
09 NO
Q3
200-500
The activity will investigate state-of-the-art materials, multilayer
structures, metamaterials and RF techniques to minimize potential performance
degradation while trying to reduce cost. Radome materials suitable for all
types of user terminals, i.e. car, train, and airplane, will initially be
considered through study and material sample realisation and measurement. A
prototype model will be designed, manufactured and tested for one selected
type of user terminal. In this activity, the contractor shall: - Expand and
refine requirements for radomes. - Study and identify suitable material
technology candidates for antenna radomes for Ku- and Ka-band and for the
aeronautical, maritime and land mobile environment. - RF test these
candidates at sample level. - Propose best candidates. - Design, manufacture
and RF test a prototype radome for a selected environment (e.g. Ku-band
maritime). Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime
ESTEC
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
Page 420
Ref. No.
09.153.45
ALPHASAT-BGAN/GSPS APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To develop ad-hoc applications to exploit to the maximum extend
the capabilities of Alphasat. The new mobile terminals and services being
introduced as part of Alphasat together with the improved bandwidth
availability create possibilities for a whole range of new applications.
Description: A set of new applications exploiting the enhanced communications
services and platform offered by Alphasat will be added to the portfolio of
existing applications. During an early phase, the new applications will be
integrated with the existing elements of the BGAN system (i.e. user terminals
and ground segment infrastructure) and deployed using the Inmarsat-4
satellite constellation. This will allow an early demonstration of their
capabilities. On a subsequent step, the applications will be integrated in
the available system platforms developed in the frame of the Alphasat Ground
and User Segment Programme and supporting the Alphasat mission.
Demonstration, validation, inter-operability testing and dissemination
activities shall be carried out in order to prove the adequacy of the end-toend system performance and the benefits brought by the applications on
different utilization scenarios of Alphasat. Several trial campaigns shall be
conceived in order to test the operational performance and to validate the
developed applications against user needs. At this stage there are no
specific applications defined in the Work Plan. The objective is to issue adhoc call for proposals with the aim to: - Attract new applications that can
be hosted by Alphasat; - Provide evidence of the benefits that a wide range
of user communities can gather from the utilization of Alphasat; -Support the
creation of new market opportunities for Alphasat based communication and
added value services.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr ELIA
Budget Ref.: 100488 - ARTES 8 Sub-Element IV
Spec. Prov.: DK+IRL+N+UK
Programme Ref.: ARTES 8
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q3
Page 421
Ref. No.
09.153.46
PREPARATION OF NEW GENERATION MIDDLE-RANGE GEO
PLATFORM
TT Q
PP
Price
Recent market developments outlined below suggest that preparation of new
generation middle range GEO platform is a topic that will need to be
addressed to help maintain European competitiveness for this strategic
product: European manufacturers will clearly need to develop innovative ways
to address the market challenges facing them. This study will aim to identify
an evolutionary route to provide better platform performance by adopting
innovative and efficient measures to improve the current GEO platforms
through a modular approach to better customise the platform to the mission,
generate economy of scale through harmonisation and better utilisation of the
production facilities. The key focus of the study will be to develop an
innovative approach to system design, launcher & orbit transfer versatility,
manufacturing processes, lifetime extension supports (re-fuelling on orbit),
on-board computer, propulsion, power equipments, avionics, structure,
thermal, solar arrays, aeronautical materials as well as to exploit synergy
with GEO platform developments in other sector (e.g. MTG). It will also
address the relevant product implementation strategy and streamline
activities for effective market penetration. Hopefully, the proposed
development will emulate the commercial success of the European platforms
including Eurostar E3000, Spacebus 3000 & 4000 and stimulate demand in the
captive domestic market. For a more extensive description of this activity
please refer to http://telecom.esa.int (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
SENIOR ADVISOR TO D/TIA / TIA-S
FUTURE PROG AND APPL DIV (TEMPORARY) / TIA-SF
Responsible: Mr MANCINI
C
Budget Ref.: 100410 - ARTES 1 Phase V
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 YIPC 200-500
Q4
Page 422
Ref. No.
09.153.47
LOW COST ANTI-INTERFERENCE TECHNIQUES FOR SATCOM
COMMERCIAL SATELLITES
TT Q
PP
Price
Commercial satcom systems are increasingly being utilised by the military to
enhance global connectivity for the provision of milsatcom services. A key
feature of this market will require commercial satellite operators to address
network security aspects that will protect the satellite network from jamming
and radio interference. As interference/jamming vulnerability is a common
problem for the commercial and institutional customers alike they would both
benefit from low cost anti-interference/jamming solutions that would
maintain a robust and reliable quality of service. Commercial satellite
operators are willing to support anti-jamming measures and other protective
measure for their satellite to better guarantee their operational services.
In support of this logic the objective of this study activity is to assess
anti-interference/jamming techniques applicable to telecommunications
commercial satellites end-to-end system taking into account market demand
evolution and the need to develop low cost techniques in line with the
operators commercial requirements. For a more extensive description of this
activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int (current and future
opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 423
Ref. No.
09.153.48
STUDY OF A STRATEGY FOR INTRODUCING INNOVATION IN
SATCOM COMMERCIAL SCENARIOS
TT Q
PP
Price
Government hosted payloads on commercial satellites is a form of partnership
between the commercial sector and governments. As this model is of mutual
benefit to both the governments and commercial operators, deriving from the
possibility to share system costs for development, launch and operation, it
was increasingly used by a number of commercial operators to host government
payloads on their satellites. The idea behind this study is essentially to
systematize the approach of partnerships procurements and piggy back payloads
so as to enable flight heritage opportunities for newly developed
system/technology or newly envisaged services (high market risks) through the
exploitation of several launch opportunities that exist yearly from the
launch of commercial Satcom operators. The approach is deemed to reflect the
operators commercial constrains and their assessment of risk retirement with
respect to innovation. Announcement of opportunities will be issued to invite
innovative concepts based on partnership with operators, where operators
might provide low cost piggy-back opportunity on their commercial satellites
and cheaper operation of ESA developed payloads and related services. The key
objective of this study shall be to assess the overall framework for the
above partnership/piggyback scenario considering in particular the liability
aspects and the overall mechanism of implementation. For a more extensive
description of this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int (current
and future opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 424
Ref. No.
09.153.49
BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATION OF MOBILE SATELLITE
SYSTEMS IN TERRESTRIAL MOBILE NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
The development of future advanced terrestrial mobile systems is a very
challenging task. Satellites will play a significant role in this future
system and hence this will need to be reviewed. An approach that will
mutually benefit both the terrestrial and satellite industry would consist
of: Raising awareness amongst the Mobile operators, manufacturers and the
associated fora GSMA, NGMN, UMTS Forum, etc. of the strategic role that
satellite can play in the evolution of the future mobile systems; by doing so
ESA will be helping to create interest towards integrated mobile satellite
systems (MSS) among the terrestrial mobile networks community; Satellite
actors learning from the wide range of experience of terrestrial operators
and manufacturers in the development of technology, standards and business
practices. Recognising this synergy, a study is proposed that will aim to
establish the cost benefit of integrating satcom in NGMN, determine the
approach for enhancement of offered services through integrated
satellite/terrestrial systems. The study will also specifically focus on
Cost-benefit analysis of integrated MSS with terrestrial mobile operator with
a view to CAPEX, OPEX reduction and other business issues. For a more
extensive description of this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 425
Ref. No.
09.153.50
SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS FOR FUTURE ARCTIC
COMMUNICATIONS NEEDS
TT Q
PP
Price
Communications in Arctic regions have traditionally been a market for low
data rate messaging systems e.g. Orbcomm, Gonets and narrow-band voice
services provided by Iridium. Changes in the Arctic environmental conditions
open up new possibilities for resource exploration, development and marine
transport which will have to be supported by higher-bandwidth satellite
communication systems. This activity shall address institutional
communications e.g. maritime safety, environmental monitoring; and
commercial/professional communications e.g. in shipping, Oil & Gas industry.
The study shall specifically aim to provide an overview of current satellite
systems, identify further trends, identify national or international
regulations and consider the various satellite systems that will be
operational in the coming future. The outcome of the study shall identify
opportunities that will be available to European industry and technical
developments that will be required to meet the requirements of the planned
and future satellite systems. For a more extensive description of this
opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 426
Ref. No.
09.153.51
THE ROLE OF SATELLITE IN FUTURE INTERNET SERVICES
TT Q
PP
Price
The current Internet has evolved into a commercial distributed database
interconnecting machines and as a content distribution network. Whilst very
popular, it suffers from severe technological shortcomings. The features that
would be desireable in a Future Internet would be Global coverage, Networks
resilience, Wireless (mobile) high data services, Media Aware Networking
Devices, Virtual worlds including 3D and personalised content rendering,
Integration of physical world with digital world, huge numbers of connected
persons/sensors/machines, Composed services, P2P/social and multi-sensor
networking communications as well as Real-time applications. To meet the
above requirements the future Internet will, as a minimum, be expected to be:
secure and reliable, managed through an open, dynamic, decentralised
governance supporting unpredictable behaviour; capable of providing
scaleable and flexible services with the same performance anywhere around the
globe regardless of user location; capable of supporting emergency
management and to assist society to restore situations on emergencies, crisis
or natural disasters. A study activity is proposed, that will take into
account US, EU and other International studies undertaken in this area, to
provide a foresight into the long term perspective for the evolution of IP
satellite services and applications. It shall focus on two major system use
cases: i) internet of persons - social networking; and ii) internet of things
- multi-sensor networking. For a more extensive description of this activity
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 427
Ref. No.
09.153.52
SATELLITE MACHINE-TO-MACHINE SERVICES MARKET SURVEY
TT Q
PP
Price
The global satellite Machine-to-Machine (M2M) market is experiencing robust
growth as companies are continually seeking ways to raise productivity while
reducing costs. M2M is a superset of the conventional Supervisory Control And
Data Acquisition (SCADA) applications. M2M communications can be used in an
endless number of ways ranging from logistical tracking, telemetry, remote
monitoring, geo fencing, security, scientific monitoring as well as in
wireless sensors networks and environmental monitoring applications. This
provides an enormous target market size, as industries ranging from
agriculture to retail are beginning to make use of M2M communications and are
exploring new ways to benefit from the technology. This is expected to be one
of the largest market drivers for the satellite services in the upcoming
years with 2007 revenues of $527 million forecast to increase to $3.5 billion
according to Frost & Sullivan research. The aim of the study activity is to
assess the potential satellite M2M market, understand the business structure,
the competition and the role that satcom actors can play. The activity will
cover a survey of actors and third party ground segment players involved in
the M2M market and consider all products, for both satellite and terrestrial
solutions, and market segments (B2B/institutional/consumer) for both fixed
and mobile applications. For a more extensive description of this activity
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 428
Ref. No.
09.153.53
NEXT GENERATION SATELLITE M2M/SCADA NETWORKS AND
TERMINALS
TT Q
PP
Price
With the advent of multispot beam satellites, the cost of
bi−directional communication is significantly lowered compared to
traditional Ku−band systems thus potentially reducing the cost of the
satellite capacity impacting favourably on the use of satellite based
M2M/SCADA systems. However, these networks will need to be provided security
features to safeguard against radio interference. The study shall investigate
the evolution of the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Mobile and SCADA satellite
communications towards the reduction of CAPEX and OPEX of the service,
improving the security aspects and finally the end-to-end quality of service.
Among the axes to be analysed the following ones shall be considered as a
minimum: Antennas: low cost, small aperture, low output power, transmit and
receive antennas. Improvements in the air interface with enhanced spectral
and energy efficiency; Use of Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) paradigm to cope
with large and variable link delays; Increased reliability and availability
using product and security engineering techniques. Engineering of a user
terminal resulting in a very low-cost product and associated operation. For a
more extensive description of this activity please refer to
http://telecom.esa.int (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 429
Ref. No.
09.153.54
FLEXIBLE RADIO SATELLITE NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Major industrial groups and telecom market analysts indicate that the
evolution towards the next generation telecom networks, including access and
core networks, will last well beyond 2020. Meanwhile, conventional and
advanced system technologies will coexist, i.e. 2G, 3G, 3G+ and 4G. In such
heterogeneous environments, it is essential to enhance inter-working and
offer ubiquitous access to the largest number of services by empowering
interoperability. Moreover, it is recognized that frequency spectrum is a
scarce resource that will need to be used more efficiently and flexibly to
support future wireless and satellite applications. To accomplish this in
future proof mode, there is the need to investigate the design of flexible
radio schemes which are both bandwidth and power efficient. The study
activity aims to investigate the applicability of flexible radio concept in
satcom systems. The term flexible radio is used in contrast to ’rigid’ one
i.e. based on single waveform. The basic idea is to use to the maximum
possible extent a common single architecture that could perform tasks like
demodulation, channel estimation, synchronisation etc. and represent
disparate access schemes and waveforms and enable more flexible system
operation by simple & compact parametric adaptation of the used scheme. The
activity addresses both public safety and commercial mobile systems where one
of the more interesting test cases for incorporating flexibility in satellite
systems is in the gateway/terminals. For a more extensive description of this
opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 430
Ref. No.
09.153.55
SYSTEM STUDY OF NEW GENERATION PUBLIC MOBILE RADIO
(PMR) NETWORK
TT Q
PP
Price
When disaster relief workers arrive on the scene there is often an urgent
need to establish effective communication links both between different teams
inside the affected area and with the national disaster response facilities
and the wider international community. Civil protection agencies and their
field workers rely on telecommunications to obtain and transmit a wide
variety of information both in the field and between central facilities and
the field units, to coordinate the complicated logistics of their operations.
Civil protection users have identified lack of interoperability between
different ICT systems as a key problem affecting their operations and one
that they believe Satcoms can help to resolve. The main objective of this
activity is to study a new generation PMR network, that includes satellites
in its end-to-end configuration, to support the development of communication
standards that improve interoperability among European CP agencies. The study
will develop a standard that will basically integrate PMR-type
communications, satellite communications and additional communication
interfaces to achieve more cost effective solution for PMR networks, enable
users to take advantage of additional features of current and emerging
technology; help to accelerate the development of new end-users services,
build the foundation for new bandwidth demanding services and develop
broadcast applications including real time and fast broadcasting capabilities
to update personal database. For a more extensive description of this
opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
200-500
Page 431
Ref. No.
09.153.56
METHODOLOGY TO SPECIFY & ANALYSE QOS FOR BOD
SATELLITE ACCESS SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Current broadband systems lack a consistent way to validate their performance
objectives. This mainly concerns issues of shared access schemes (Bandwidth
on Demand - BoD) and packet based multiplexing, where packet delay, jitter
and loss can be variable and depend on the actual system load. To address
these issues, this study aims to define performance requirements and related
validation tests for IP based broadband satellite systems. The study will
specifically focus on the following issues: define a methodology to be
illustrated through a set of Use Cases that is based on currently deployed
technology for IP based broadband satellite systems (e.g. DVB-RCS, Sat3Play,
other VSAT systems). Such methodology will, in particular, propose harmonized
QoS performance parameters. Such parameters are crucial for supporting
network operators in the pre-planning of their network QoS performance;
review SatLabs recommendations for performance specifications and evaluation
to examine if they can serve as basis for the proposed methodology; assess
the applicability of the methodology to other types of satellite systems such
as broadband to mobile; Propose and demonstrate tools to support the
methodology. Iperf is the commonly used tool to measure TCP and UDP
performance but is not very precise, reliable or complete. SITperf is an
example of a possible tool, developed by ESA, to test how two-way satellite
networks perform in real deployment scenarios. It is based on a distributed
system platform that can test performance (i.e. throughput, packet loss,
roundtrip times, etc) of any IP based satellite network, even through large
scale tests. For a more extensive description of this activity please refer
to http://telecom.esa.int (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 432
Ref. No.
09.153.57
TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT &
FLEXIBLE BACKBONE NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Satellite can play an important role in the continuous expansion of Internet
backbones taking place all over the world. The necessity of providing, for
certain locations, throughput in the order of several Gbit/s calls for the
adoption of frequency bands in which adequate bandwidth is available. Ka
band, with 2.5 GHz of available bandwidth is a distinct possibility but the
use of Q/V band also needs to be investigated. The use of high frequency
bands, on the other hand, makes more challenging the fulfillment of the link
availability requirements, that for this scenario are higher than 99.9%. An
effective solution is to employ advanced Interference and Fading Mitigation
Techniques (IFMT), such as Adaptive Coding and Modulation, originally devised
for satellite interactive networks. The key aim of the study is to carry out
an analysis of technology and architectural aspects with associated
cost/benefit analysis for satellite networks that can provide for high
throughput (up to several Gbit/s) and flexible connectivity between Internet
backbones. The study will focus on the optimization of the space and ground
segment with a particular emphasis on identification of relevant scenarios
for satellite applicability to Internet backbone connectivity, identification
and analysis of technologies and techniques that enable fulfilment of the
system requirements, with emphasis on space/ground equipment, payload
flexibility and advanced IFMTs, high level system design and optimization to
reduce the overall cost and improve the system remunerability, Cost/benefit
analysis and identification of required technology roadmaps. For a more
extensive description of this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 433
Ref. No.
09.153.58
DATA RELAY SYSTEMS: ADAPTIVE LINK AND PROTOCOL DESIGN
FOR HIGH DATA RATE LINKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Currently two methods are used for downloading data from Earth Observation
satellites: either direct data download from Earth observation satellites or
via a (geostationary) data relay satellite. In the case of direct downlink,
due to the time varying geometry, the link characteristics undergoes a
substantial change during the satellite overpass over a ground station. Also
only a limited time window is available for the data download.In the case of
data download via a (geostationary) relay satellite the distance between the
LEO and the GEO change with time and an adaptive link would provide
substantial advantages. The application of optical links, between LEO and
GEO, and the microwave feeder down link from the GEO data relay satellite are
affected by atmospheric disturbances and can benefit by applying adaptive
coding and modulation for the two concatenated links to form an optimal link.
The key aims of this study activity are to design adaptive links and data
transmission protocols for high data rate relay satellite systems and amongst
the axes to be analysed the following shall be considered as a minimum :
investigate different data relay scenarios, including the service
requirements and the respective time varying link characteristics; design
adaptive modulation and coding schemes to optimally exploit the current link
situation; design suitable adaptive data transmission protocols taking into
account the long and time varying transmission delay, as well as very high
data rate requirements; investigate the joint usage of RF and optical
communication links to achieve very high data rates and very high service
availability; For a more extensive description of this activity please refer
to http://telecom.esa.int (current and future opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 434
Ref. No.
09.153.59
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO DESIGNING AND ANALYSING
SYSTEM LEVEL RELIABILITY FOR LOW COST
TELECOMMUNICATIONS MISSIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
The standard industry methods of assessing satellite system reliability uses
a bottom up approach and are largely based around MIL-HBK-217. Such
approaches provide numerical measurements of reliability for subsystems or
systems via mathematical descriptions of the relationships between electronic
components of known failure rates. The failure rates used are based on
statistical life data and adjusted according to effects of factors such as
procurement level and environment. These quantitative reliability
measurements are used by both operators and insurance underwriters when
assessing spacecraft and ground equipment in overall business case analysis.
The requirement to quantify system reliability in a bottom up fashion can
significantly influence satellite design in terms of module redundancy,
margins and component selection resulting in significant manpower use that
can drive up the satellite cost. Also basing assessments of system
reliability purely on component data is not always the most appropriate
engineering approach as other factors including mission complexity can also
affect overall system reliability. The aim of this study is to: survey
different approaches to reliability assessment; assess the relevance of
bottom up reliability assessment methods with new and emerging technologies;
assess whether different reliability analysis approaches are appropriate
for systems using spacecraft of different sizes and complexities; assess
the extent to which different reliability analysis approaches can adversely
impact on low cost approach to spacecraft designs. For a more extensive
description of this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int (current
and future opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
200-500
Page 435
Ref. No.
09.153.61
DEFINITION OF THE SATELLITE COMPONENT OF THE
GENERATION BROADCASTING TO HAND-HELDS
TT Q
PP
Price
There is a growing need for enhancing mobile broadcasting capabilities and in
this field the role of the satellite complemented by terrestrial networks is
generally acknowledged. Very recently the DVB-NGH (Next Generation HandHelds) mission study has concluded that there exists means to achieve a
significantly enhanced standard for broadcasting to handhelds and their
standardisation should be commercially desirable. The most promising way to
achieve this seems to be using the best features of DVB-T2 and DVB-SH plus
additional enhancements. The DVB−NGH mission study indicates that the
new standard could address all relevant system configurations (terrestrial,
terrestrial−satellite hybrid) in order to avoid market fragmentation.
The activity shall study the techniques and technologies to support the
satellite and satellite/terrestrial hybrid components of the NGH to support
the standardisation which is expected to be introduced around 2013. The study
shall undertake an in depth investigation of all system layers and focus
specifically on the following improvements of the system aspects:
Techniques for increased frequency and polarisation reuse schemes among the
satellite beams (from system, satellite payload and waveform perspective);
Techniques for minimising the satellite/terrestrial exclusion zones;
Flexible support of different service qualities and layered source coding
techniques; Protocol stack and overhead reduction making the system as much
as possible IP friendly while minimising overheads related to encapsulation
and signalling; Increased power and spectral efficiency in mobile use
cases; Other physical techniques enhancing time and frequency diversity for
combating slow fading; Optimised pilot design for high mobility conditions,
advanced synchronisation techniques; Minimization of physical layer
overheads (e.g. OFDM guard interval). For a more extensive description of
this activity please refer to http://telecom.esa.int (current and future
opportunities).
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q2
100-200
Page 436
Ref. No.
09.153.62
VERIFICATION TOOL DEVELOPMENT FOR GSE BASED DVB
SYSTEMS
TT Q
PP
Price
Following the definition in the DVB-S2 standard of a Generic Stream (GS)
format as an alternative to the most used Transport Stream (TS), a working
group within DVB-GBS has recently defined a novel encapsulation protocol, the
Generic Stream Encapsulation protocol (GSE), for transporting IP over DVBS2/GS. The need for increased efficiency and flexibility has motivated a
number of satcom key players to move to a protocol different than MPE/MPEGTS. GSE shows indeed a number of important advantages, for example: *
important overhead reduction (factor 2.5/3) for a typical throughput gain of
10%; * increased scheduling flexibility and improved QoS; * multi-protocol
support; * support for security and header compression. GSE is now
incorporated in the latest DVB-RCS (v1.5.1 to be published) and SatLabs
(v1.3) specifications. The scope of this activity will cover the upgrade of
the Common Test Bed (CTB) for DVB-RCS terminals qualification testing;
carried out by the running ARTES-1 activity Common Test Bed for DVB-RCSCompliant Terminals . This CTB upgrade shall cover the implementation of GSE
testing. This activity shall also cover OTP (Outline Test Plan, used for
SatLabs qualification), test cases development and validation.
ESTEC
C
Z+CDN
Status: INTENDED
09 NO
Q3
100-200
Page 437
Ref. No.
09.153.63
N2
ESTEC
CONSUMER INTERACTIVE SERVICE OPTIMISATION FOR LARGE
SATELLITE NETWORKS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To identify potential inefficiencies of the current DVB-RCS
standard when applied to large and fully loaded satellite networks, and
propose modifications/solutions to optimise the system cost and increase the
end-user QoS experience.So far the deployed DVB-RCS networks are limited to a
few thousand users. Also, in most of these networks, the load (number of
active users per MHz of satellite Bandwidth) is kept low in order to limit
the stress on the system. However, upcoming large Ka-band satellite networks
as well as the need to reduce the cost of the service to be competitive for
the consumer market, requires a large user population (> 10000 terminals) and
a fully loaded system. DVB-RCS networks have not been tested under such
conditions, and some inefficiencies may exist. In this activity a multi-spot
beam network with capability to address population of users in excess of
100000 terminals shall be considered. The consumer access market shall be
primarily addressed with user QoS requirements similar to current terrestrial
access systems (like ADSL). In this scenario, the cost effectiveness of a
network based on the current DVB-RCS standard shall be analysed together with
its capability to deliver the required user QoS. To this end the service
business case shall be derived and the major weak points identified. For the
issues related to delivering the required user QoS, analysis and network
simulations shall be carried out to quantify the issue. Techniques to improve
the cost effectiveness and the end user QoS shall be proposed and its
impact/benefits to the system assessed. Among the innovative techniques to be
tested to improve the service, the integration of a random access channel
with the DAMA channel shall be considered. NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY HAS BEEN
DESIGNATED AS "PRIORITY 2". Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on
Status: INTENDED
C
09 NO
Q4
200-500
Page 438
Ref. No.
09.153.64
IRIS SYSTEM DESIGN PHASE B
TT Q
PP
Price
The main objectives of the Phase B of Iris are: a. Consolidation of phase A
results and Mission and System Requirements Documents; b. Definition of a
Communication Standard baseline; c. Deployment strategy and validation
strategy for the Satellite System and definition of the Subset to be
Developed and procured within Iris Phase 2.2; d. Preliminary design and test
of communication system main components (user terminal, terrestrial gateway
and space segment payload); e. Interface with SESAR industrial work,
coordination of activities and identification of respective work packages for
Phase C/D/E1; f. Agreement with the EC/the future owner of the satellite
system on the transfer of assets from ESA to the owner of the satellite
system at the end of Iris Phase 2; g. Preparation of the System Requirements
and design baseline for the Phase C/D/E1 procurement.
ESTEC
09.153.65
MANAGEMENT SUPPORT OFFICE / TIA-TM
Responsible: Mr GINATI
Budget Ref.: 100447 - ARTES 10 Phase II.1
Spec. Prov.: F+D+I+E+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+POR+CZ
SATELLITE OPERATOR & SATELLITE SERVICE PROVIDER(S)
IRIS PHASE B SUPPORT
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q1
Main activities: 1. support the Agency in the definition and assessment of
all operational aspects for the Iris system. 2. Define: the service model for
the Satellite Operator; the business case for the Satellite Operator; carry
out a cost/benefit analysis from the perspective of the satellite service
provider on the various options proposed for the operational space segment.
3. Define: how to transition from operation of the Iris Subset during the
Validation Phase (Phase E1) to operation of the future operational
communications infrastructure, taking the proposed deployment scenarios from
the System WP into account; and how to transition process from a users
perspective, evolving from today s use of Satcom equipment on-board a/c as
optional back-up towards the use of datalink services as primary means of
communication in high-density continental areas. 4. Determine the activities
necessary to support the service validation (i.e. post-system validation),
define the pre-requisites needed and the inputs required from other
stakeholders in the service validation activities, and provide a high-level
estimate of the associated level of effort required (work hours / cost).
Perform an end-to-end dependability analysis and risk analysis for provision
of the satellite communications service and for operation of the satellite
communications infrastructure.
ESTEC
INTEGRATED & TELECOM-RELATED APPLICA DEP / TIA-A
Responsible: Mr GINATI
Budget Ref.: 100447 - ARTES 10 Phase II.1
Spec. Prov.: F+D+I+E+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+POR+CZ
Status: INTENDED
Page 439
Ref. No.
09.153.66
N1
ESTEC
09.153.67
N1
ESTEC
ARTES 5.2: TELECOM -TECHNOLOGY CALL FOR PROPOSALS
TT Q
PP
Price
C
09 NO
Q1
> 500
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
ARTES 5.2 is the ESA Telecom Technology programme for development of new
technologies and techniques for satellite telecommunication. ARTES 5.2
operates with a ’Call for Proposals’ which is always open. Industry responds
with proposals as they find it opportune. The activities proposed in response
to this ’Call for Proposals’ must be relevant for the space segment or ground
segment of a satellite telecommunications system. The content of an ARTES 5.2
contract shall address the introduction of new technologies and techniques in
the initial stages of the development of a product and shall exclude
qualification in case of a product for space and industrialisation in case of
a product for ground. The product shall have a clear market potential.
Essential characteristics of this programme are the proactive role of the
Bidder in defining and proposing projects oriented to sustainable products
(equipment, software, systems) in the wide area of satellite
telecommunications and the sharing of funding by ESA and industry/businesses
for the development of the new technology to be used in the products.
Although not a competitive tender action, the ARTES 5.2 Call for Proposals is
published among these in order to achieve a higher degree of visibility.
NOTE: The closing date above had to be established solely for technical
reasons connected with EMITS and ought to be ignored.
Spec. Prov.: B+F+D+I+E+S+CH+IRL+GB+A+N+FIN+GR
Programme Ref.: ARTES 5.2
BIRD STRIKES RISK REDUCTION FOR CIVIL AVIATION
The study shall investigate technical and programmatic issues of a system to
mitigate the risk of bird strikes for civil aviation authorities. This system
would generate real-time bird strike warnings by combining bird information
at local and global/regional scale (provided by space and non-space systems)
with ancillary data on relevant factors for local bird movements (such as
environmental and meteorological conditions provided by Earth Observation
satellites, specie-specific behavioural patterns as well as NAV data for
track and trace of tagged birds, etc).
DIRECTOR GENERAL DG
INTER-DIRECTORATE TASK FORCE / DG-F
Responsible: Ms VAISSIERE
Budget Ref.: 100456 - ARTES 20 Phase I
Spec. Prov.: B+F+D+I+NL+E+CH+IRL+GB+A+N+FIN+POR+GR+LUX+CZ
Programme Ref.: IAP/ARTES 20 F04
Status: INTENDED
Page 440
Ref. No.
09.153.68
N1
ESTEC
09.153.69
N1
ESTEC
PEACE BUILDING AND DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (SIS = SPACE
INSTRUMENT FOR STABILITY)
TT Q
PP
Price
Two phases are forecast: (1) feasibility phase, leading to user requirements
and (2) on-field demo to collect user feedbacks. A logistic period of +/- 3
weeks is forecast between phase (1) and (2) to perform remote installations.
DIRECTOR GENERAL DG
Status: INTENDED
MOSQUITO HABITAT
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
C
09 NO
Q2
200-500
To assess the feasibility, viability and added value of space assets (esp.
earth observation data and satellite navigation/positioning tools) for
developing predictive risk maps and GIS for mosquito surveillance, control
and study in Europe. The feasibility study mainly aims at: - identifying the
users of the future system and associated service and the relevant
stakeholders, analysing their respective needs and defining the user
requirements, - performing a state-of-the-art analysis of the different
existing technological solutions (both space and terrestrial based) best able
to respond to the user needs and to meet the requirements, - proposing a
concept of system and associated service, - proving the feasibility of the
concept (Proof of Concept) with a prototype to be used with operational
scenarios, - analysing the long-term viability of the system and associated
service, - preparing the inputs for a full-fledged concept demonstration
(i.e. the demonstration project), in particular with the active involvement
of users.
MANAGEMENT SUPPORT OFFICE / TIA-TM
Page 441
Ref. No.
09.153.70
N1
ESTEC
09.153.71
N1
ESTEC
PRIVATE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
TT Q
PP
Price
The overall goal is: * to develop a service based on a remote interactive
medical solution for isolated environments (Remote Control Aid) to enable
mobile people located in remote areas to make an assisted preliminary medical
diagnosis by themselves, to send the diagnosis and the adapted treatment to a
remote medical doctor for confirmation, and to give advices to the patient
considering his location, environment and the personal information she/he
uploaded on a secured database before her/his departure. * to develop a
tele-echography service for remote hospitals (to be confirmed).
DIRECTOR GENERAL DG
Programme Ref.: IAP/ARTES 20 F17B
Status: INTENDED
SATELLITE SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS FOR UAV
C
09 NO
Q1
100-200
C
09 NO
Q1
> 500
Advanced UAS are used or proposed in many missions covering security
(including border patrol, anti-drug warfare, chemical, biological and
radiological detection, maritime vessel identification and interdiction),
surveillance of infrastructures (pipelines, power lines, railways, waterways,
roads, airports), search and rescue, mapping, fisheries, agriculture,
forestry, natural resource monitoring, fire fighting and emergency
management, airborne communication collection and relay, weather data
collection, environmental monitoring, pollution detection and other
scientific research. Integrating UAS in non-segregated airspace raises a
number of security- related issues, namely: The security of the population
and ground assets; The security of the airspace users; The security of
the UAS infrastructure; The security of the UAS mission products.
DIRECTOR GENERAL DG
Status: INTENDED
Page 442
Ref. No.
09.153.72
POLARISATION FLEXIBLE (DUAL LINEAR/DUAL CIRCULAR) FEED
SYSTEM
N2
Objective: To develop and test an engineering model of a transmit/receive
compact feed that can be reconfigured in flight to dual linear or dual
circular polarisation. Description: Due to historical, technical and
regulatory reasons, satellites at C, Ku and Ka band operate with different
polarisations. The recent operator merging is expected to lead to fleet
rationalisation as demonstrated by the purchase of PanAmSat by Intelsat, the
fist using C-band linear polarisation and the second mainly circular
polarisation. It has been identified that changing the radiated polarisation
of the space segment is by far less expensive than upgrading the large number
of user terminals. It is expected that future telecom missions at C, Ku and
Ka band will require multiple polarisation reconfiguration capabilities (dual
linear and dual circular) to provide service over different geographical
areas (orbital relocation over different ITU zones). Feeds must be able to
operate in transmit and receive mode and to be in flight reconfigured either
in linear or circular polarization. Innovative methods for selecting between
circular and linear polarisation shall be investigated, minimizing feed
losses, polarisation purity impairment, reliability and mechanical
complexity. The proposed concepts will be studied in detail up to the design
of complete feed, including all high power building blocks (OMT, Polarisers,
Filters, Exciters, Switches, Phase shifters,.. as required) with due
consideration for multipaction and PIM issues. An engineering model will be
developed and tested of the preferred concept. NOTE: This activity has been
ESTEC
Status: INTENDED
TT Q
C
PP
09 NO
Q4
Price
200-500
Page 443
Ref. No.
09.153.73
N2
ESTEC
INTEGRATED USER TERMINAL FOR INTERACTIVE APPLICATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objective: To investigate and demonstrate the technical and economical
feasibility of integrating the present IDU and ODU into one integrated unit
having a wireless or power-line interface to the indoor PC for reducing
cabling issues. Description: To make the satellite-based interactive services
more appealing, the user terminal needs to evolve towards a plug-and-play
concept. Some of the drawbacks of current broadcast and interactive
satellite user terminals include cabling issues, unfriendly deployment and
limited capability of sharing the same access point among a small community
of users. In this activity some techniques and technologies to cope with
these issues are addressed with a reduced impact on the overall terminal
cost. Key aspects to be addressed within the design activity shall include:
1) integration of the DVB-S2/RCS (i.e. IDU) with WiFi, WiMax or powerline
modems within the ODU with limited footprint, 2) more sophisticated ODU
control signals (to control for example the tuner frequency band, etc). The
integration of the DVB-S2/RCS/WiFi or WiMax modems within the ODU eases the
terminal installation and allows the sharing of the same access point among a
small community of users. There are technical challenges to such an
approach. IDU components will need to sustain ODU environmental condition.
The antenna will need to support the additional weight of the terminal, the
housing must contend with higher heat dissipation and the EMC environment
will be more demanding due to the close integration of the electronics.
However, the new architecture does not need to adhere to the IFL (inter
facility link) interface anymore which may lead to new electrical topologies
where cost savings can be made. The activity will be split in two phases. The
first phase will be a study to prove the technical and economical feasibility
of the approach as well as to define a standard wireless/ powerline interface
and new functionalities including the control commands for managing these new
functionalities. This study shall also identify possible new longer term
technology developments required to cost effectively realise the integrated
unit. If such technology is identified, the second phase will be initiated
to breadboard this technology to evidence the viability of the approach. It
is emphasised that if no new technology developments are required after phase
1, phase 2 will not be initiated. NOTE: This activity has been designated as
request of at least one delegation. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity
5 Period 2 Phase IV
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q4
Page 444
Ref. No.
01.154.04
GALILEO MISSION CONSOLIDATION SUPPORT
TT Q
PP
Price
This procurement action addresses several urgent tasks aimed at supporting
the consolidation of the GALILEO Mission. Objective is to finalise the
GALILEO mission & system requirements prior to the start of Phase C/D. Close
co-ordination between the GALILEO Phase B2 contract and these Mission
consolidation activities will be ensured. In particular the work to be
carried out here shall result in an accurate specification of required
GALILEO services and interoperability with respect to other positioning and
timing systems such as GPS and GLONASS, as well as the interface between
GALILEO and other external systems such as UMTS. It shall include the
establishment of a number of specialised working groups dealing with issues
like time-frequency interface, geodetic reference system
aspects,interoperability, etc., and also consolidate the issues related to
provision of a Search & Rescue Service and other value-added services (like
communications) within GALILEO, and contribute to the consolidation of the
local component requirements, including standardisation. Moreover, this
activity shall provide support to definition of the GALILEO signal in space
for the various services through the organisation of task forces gathering
major experts in the field and user groups. It will liase closely with the
signal work carried out under the GALILEO Phase B2 study contract and will
take into account the results of the international discussions (EU, USA and
the Russian Federation) on the different frequency plans. While not
exhaustive, a summary description of tasks is provided. The scope of these
tasks has been closely co-ordinated with the EC. In particular, the EC
intends to launch complementary Mission-related activities in 2001, under its
5th Framework Programme. Bidders will be invited to submit proposals either
for individual tasks or for a combination of tasks. This may result in a
number of separate contracts to be placed.
ESTEC
DIR. GALILEO PROG & NAV RELATED ACTIVITI - D/GAL
NAVIGATION DEPARTMENT / GAL-N
GALILEO PROJECT / GAL-NG
Responsible: Mr BENEDICTO RUIZ
Budget Ref.:
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+GB+IRL+A+N+FIN+POR
Programme Ref.:
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC > 500
Q1
Page 445
Ref. No.
07.154.10
DEVELOPMENT OF BREADBOARD FOR GENERATIVE PAYLOAD FOR
REGIONAL NAVIGATION SERVICES TO SUPPORT EGNOS
EVOLUTIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) such as EGNOS currently based on
the use of transparent transponders would benefit significantly from a
generative payload concept because the drastically simplified up-link
stations and the capability to implement secure up-links. The overall payload
performance and the validation of the apportionment of specifications at unit
level need to be validated. This validation requires early breadboarding and
test of a representative payload prototype. The activity will include the
design, manufacturing and test of an electrically representative end-to-end
breadboard of a 2nd generation EGNOS payload . Re-use of existing European
payload equipments from EGNOS and Galileo will be encouraged adapting it as
required to the specifications of this new generative payload.
ESTEC
07.154.15
NAVIGATION APPLICATIONS/USER SERVICES / GAL-NA
Responsible: Mr LUCAS RODRIGUEZ
Budget Ref.: 100432 - European GNSS Evolution Programme
Spec. Prov.: B+DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+A+N+FIN+POR+GR+CZ+CDN
Programme Ref.: GNSS
ADVANCED PAYLOAD ARCHITECTURE FOR GNSS
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q2
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
The activity will explore advanced GNSS payload architectures according to
the mission drivers and spacecraft requirements derived from the exploratory
system studies being initiated under separated activities. This activity will
include: Assessment of the adequacy of high speed digital navigation
signal generation and Software Design Radio technology, to enhance payload
in terms of GNSS Signal-In-Space, flexibility to adapt to different signal
types, high level of integration, Assessment of the adequacy of
re-configurable on-board navigation multi-beam antennas, evaluating the
impacts at system/payload level of the use of alternative frequency bands (
i.e. C band) and beam hopping techniques, Trade-off of the several options
and evaluation of payload concepts for inter-satellite-ranging and
communication sub-systems, Identification of required technology
developments.
ESTEC
Responsible: Mr FAIVRE
Spec. Prov.: DK+F+D+I+NL+E+S+CH+IRL+A+N+FIN+POR+CDN
Programme Ref.: GNSS
Status: INTENDED
Page 446
Ref. No.
09.154.01
N1
ESTEC
09.154.02
N1
ESTEC
CONSOLIDATION OF INTER-SATELLITE SUB-SYSTEM FOR GNSS
ORBIT DETERMINATION AND TIME SYNCHRONIZATION
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Analysis of the evolution of the Navigation Determination (e.g.
Orbit Determination) Function, due to the introduction of inter-satellite
ranging & inter-satellite communication-links added capabilities.
Description: The on-going system activities (ref. EGEP, GSP programmes) are
indicating a very significant improvement in the system navigation
performance figures thanks to the introduction of the inter-satellite ranging
& inter-satellite communication-links. At the same time the on-going
activities are identifying the critical technologies necessary to enable
these enhanced capabilities mentioned above (both at space segment and at
ground segment level). Although the feasibility of the critical technologies
is also being assessed within the ongoing activities, a consolidation from
both technology perspective is mandatory, mostly for the inter-satellite
ranging & inter-satellite communication-links on-board sub-systems. This
consolidation is required to investigate to further reduce the power, mass,
and volume of this critical unit, and is possible thanks to the fact that
present specification includes very significant margins. The activity will
trade-off inter-satellite ranging & inter-satellite communication-links
on-board sub-systems complexity versus orbit and clock prediction algorithm
performances. The orbit and clock prediction algorithms have been already
addressed in the related studies and will be an input to this activity.
Programme Ref.: EGNSS 21
Status: INTENDED
CHARACTERISATION OF INTERFERENCE IN S- AND C-BAND
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
C
09 DAC 200-500
Q2
Objectives: Characterization of interference in the GNSS parts of the S- and
C-band spectrum. Description: The explotation of S-band and C-band for the
implementation of new GNSS signals has been the subject of a number of system
studies already initiated within the European GNSS Evolutions programme.
However, as identified in those studies, there is no detailed information
available on the characterization of the interference in the relevant part of
these bands.Accordingly, this activity shall identify, by the means of a
measurement campaign, the existing interference in S- and C-band. An
assessment of the expected impact on the satellite navigation receiver
performance shall be also performed. The results are input to future S- and
C-band activities (e.g. signal design, RX design).
Page 447
Ref. No.
09.154.03
N1
ESTEC
09.154.04
N1
ESTEC
USE OF EGNOS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENT
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Definition of specific algorithms for the use of EGNOS data in
urban environments. Description: Todays EGNOS receivers implement algoritms
using EGNOS data as specified for aeronautical users. However, this approach
might be too rigid for other users than aviation (e.g. it forces the users to
disregards satellites declared as "not monitored" by EGNOS). In this
activity, the Contract shall define usage of EGNOS data better suited to
urban users, shall run analyses to figure out the expected performance, and
shall run in field campaigns to confirm of modify the expectations. As part
of the job, the Contractor shall consider and tradeoff the possibility of
excluding multipath-affected measurements out of the computations, and shall
tradeoff the cost / complexity and performance of single-frequency navigation
receivers applying EGNOS corrections vs dual-frequency navigation receivers.
Status: INTENDED
GNSS OPEN SIGNAL SPOOFING ISSUES
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
C
09 DIPC 200-500
Q2
Objectives: Assessment of the weakness of the GNSS signals wrt to spoofing.
Description: Spoofing is a technique by which a wrong GNSS positioning is
generating by feeding fake GNSS signals to a receiver. Several measures
exists to protect users against the threat of spoofing including satellite
navigation signal authentication, external augmentation services or the use
of complementary sensors on the receivers. The purpose of this activity is to
assess the practical threat posed by spoofing so that adequate
countermeasures can be studied and defined in separate activities of the
programme. In particular, the case of low cost spoofers, involving low or
medium complexity, will be addressed. Following an analysis of the
weaknesses of the current signal/message for the existing and planned Galileo
and GPS open signals, the activity will include the prototyping of the
signal generation and the receiver chains with a view to analyze the spooginf
threat. The study will conclude with recommendations on practical ways to
protect against spoofing. Security aspects for the protection of information
will be taken into account in the undertaking of this activity.
Status: INTENDED
Page 448
Ref. No.
09.154.05
N1
ESTEC
USE OF C-BAND FOR GNSS-REFLECTOMETRY
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: The objective of the activity is the study and evaluation of the
merits of C-band satellite navigation signals to GNSS-R applications.
Description: GNSS-Reflectometry is a new technique based on the use of the
reflected GNSS signals in the surface of the Earth, i.e. the sea surface for
earth observation applications. Today it is realized on the use of existing
and planned L-band navigation signals only from GPS, Galileo and other
constellations. The use of C band satellite navigation signals for GNSS-R
application has the potential for improvement of mesoscale altimetry accuracy
because can assit in reducing the errors induced by the ionospherem and the
sea surface roughness. The combination of L- and C-bands leads to a much
smaller error amplification factor, with the result that it is not neccesary
to apply ionospheric spatial filtering as currently proposed for this
application. This will lead to a better removal of the excess path delay.
Moreover, independent C-band and L-band observations will allow reducing the
speckle and hence improving the altimetric precision. C-band will also bring
benefits to wind retrieval measurements since C-band is the frequency of
choice for current wind scatteromters. Moreover, C-band will also assisst in
the determination of the ionospheric Total Electronic content as a direct
by-product of the altimetry application. This study will look at benefits of
C-band for both ice and land in terms of determining ice-free board and
soil-moisture. Models and simulations currently available for the L-band
only instrument will be extended to the use of C-band.
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DAC 100-200
Q2
Page 449
Ref. No.
09.154.06
N1
ESTEC
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ANTENNA PROTECTION STRUCTURE
FOR GNSS REFERENCE STATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Development of a prototype Interference Local Protection
structure. Description: Interference and multipath at the EGNOS and Galileo
Sensor Stations are of major concern. Interference and multipath impact the
quality and availability of the output of Sensor Stations, hereby impacting
the overall GNSS performance. In this activity, a prototype construction
called the Interference Local Protection (ILP) shall be developed and
demonstrated. The ILP is a structure around the antenna of the Sensor
Station, hereby shielding the antenna from external interference and
multipath from low elevations. This structure is a geometric construction
with a diameter of 1 to 3 meter , consisting of RF absorbing material. The
structure has to be optimised for both interference and multipath protection,
capability of tracking satellites at low elevations, and operational
constraints. The ILP does not require any modifications of the Sensor
Station s antenna or receiver. In the past, at a number of EGNOS Sensor
Stations structures have been installed to mitigate interference and
multipath. An ongoing feasibility study indicates that the performance of
these structures can be significantly improved by optimising the shape and
the material used. In this activity, the ILP shall be developed and
demonstrated. The ILP concept is a candidate technology to be applied for the
modernization of EGNOS reference stations.
Status: INTENDED
C
09 DIPC > 500
Q1
Page 450
Ref. No.
09.154.07
N1
ESTEC
APPLICATION OF DUAL-TRACKING TECHNIQUE TO GNSS
REFERENCE STATIONS
TT Q
PP
Price
Objectives: Design, development, and demonstration of benefits of the dualtracking antennas concept for Sensor Stations. Description: Interference and
multipath are among the most important limitations to GNSS systems. The
proposed concept called dual tracking of signals includes two GNSS
receivers and two GNSS antennas; the gain of one antenna is optimised for
tracking satellites at high elevations (e.g. > 30 degrees), the other for
tracking satellites at low elevations. Each antenna is connected to its own
receiver, and advanced algorithms are applied to combine measurements of both
receivers to measurements of a single "virtual receiver and antenna". As a
result, using the advanced algorithms for combining data of both receivers in
an optimal way: - Tracking satellites at low elevations can be optimised; The impact of multipath and interference can be minimized. This activity
includes the whole process of design, development and / or integration of HW
and SW, and demonstration of the benefits of the dual-tracking antennas
concept for Sensor Stations, an in particular for the modernization of the
EGNOS reference stations.

list of intended invitations to tender 2009 - Emits

Transcription

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