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Funding
This page displays the ARTES Invitation To Tenders (ITTs) which are published on ESA-STAR. If you are looking for a specific element select from the list provided and click on the Apply button to start the search and display the results.
Funding of the individual Prime or subcontractors, for ARTES Core Competitiveness and ARTES Applications activities, is subject to authorisation of the required ARTES budget by the related National Delegations. Therefore, bidding teams are requested to inform their National Delegation(s) of their intention to participate in funded activities already before submitting a proposal.
The official information platform for providing potential bidders all the relevant documentation and details concerning the intended and issued Invitations To Tender (ITTs) for Open Competitions and Direct Negotiations is ESA-STAR - managed and operated by the ESA Procurement Department.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-BASED SYSTEM FOR AUTONOMOUS ON-BOARD FAILURE ISOLATION, RECOVERY, AND RESOURCE OPTIMISATION FOR TELECOMMUNICATION CONSTELLATIONS (ARTES AT 4A.099) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST)
The objective of the activity is to design, develop and validate an on-board software relying on Artificial Intelligence that autonomously detect, isolate and recover failures at spacecraft level and that performs resource optimisation at constellation level to recover and improve the overall availability of the service.Targeted Improvements: - Enabling autonomous FDIR management at the level of constellations.- Enabling autonomous performance…
ARTES 4.0 SPACE SYSTEMS FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY (4S) ROLLING WORK PLAN 2020-2021
1. Introduction.Four new technology and product development activities are added in 2021, that have already been identified as useful to the foreseen development of next-generation 4S solutions over the coming years. These work plan activities will be issued under the legal framework of the ARTES 4.0 Strategic Programme Line (SPL) Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S).2. ImplementationPhasing: phasing of the contractual activities may be…
DIRECT CHIP COOLING WITH PULSATING HEAT PIPES (PHPS) (ARTES AT 4D.086)
The objective is to develop and test a direct chip to baseplate thermal concept based on Pulsating Heat Pipes that reduces design complexity and yet widens the operating temperature range and thermal transport performance.Targeted Improvements: - Improved heattransfer performance to at least 60 watts per chip.- Operation in adverse vertical gravity and below -40C- Reduced manufacturing complexity in chip to unit baseplate thermal transport com…
ARTES 4.0 TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS ACTIVITY - STANDARD CALL FOR PROPOSALS
This Call for Proposals covers the industry initiated activities for the four Programmes lines identified below:ARTES Core Competitiveness Generic ProgrammeLine- Component B: Competitiveness GrowthARTES Strategic Programme Line Space for 5G/6G and Sustainable Connectivity ARTES Strategic Programme Line Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S) ARTES Strategic Programme Line Optical and Quantum Communication - ScyLight. The participating stat…
NGSO SIMULATOR FOR 5G VEHICLE-TO-EVERYTHING (V2X) (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 3A.183)
Objective: The objective of the activity is to develop and test NGSO networking techniques for 5G V2X services. The developments will be implemented and verified in a simulator modelling realistic system scenarios of 5G LEO satellites. Targeted Improvements: Enabling the provision of 5G V2X services by satellite. Description:Due to their low altitudes, LEO satellite systems may offer low-latency 5G connectivity that, paired with on-board edge…
COMPACT VHF-BAND DIPLEXER FOR SMALL SATELLITE VHF DATA EXCHANGE PAYLOADS (ARTES AT 5E.030)
The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture and test a compact transmit-receive diplexer engineering model with high isolation, low loss and power handling as required for full duplex VHF data exchange payloads.Targeted Improvements: Enabling technology for full duplex VHF data exchange system (VDES) payloads on small satellite platforms.Description: The World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019 allocated maritime VHF frequencies…
IN-ORBIT EXPERIMENT OF BEYOND LINE-OF-SIGHT GROUND TO LEO LINKS USING IONOSPHERIC REFRACTION (ARTES AT 3E.002) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST)
The objective of the activity is to test the performance of beyond line-of-sight narrow-band communication links between ground andLEO satellites in operational conditions. One of the key aspects of the experiment is the effect of ionospheric refraction and reflection as an enabler of satellite links beyond the line of sight. The activity will include the development of a small payload and aground terminal. Targeted Improvements:Enabling new s…
ARTES 4.0 SPL 4S 7B.077 - EMERGENCY LIGHTS FOR CARS IN DISTRESS WITH INTEGRATED TERRESTRIAL AND SATELLITE CONNECTIVITY (ON DELEGATION REQUEST)
The objective of the activity is to develop and test a prototype of the emergency car light device with direct to satellite communication capability in an emulated environment in laboratory.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors(incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to:…
BUFFERBLOAT FREE AND CONGESTION RESILIENT SATCOM NETWORKS (ARTES AT 6B.129)
The objective of this activity is to design, implement and test active queuing management and packet scheduling techniques at the user terminals and ground equipment, so that the SATCOM network continues to provide seamlessly an acceptable throughput and latency to users under any congestion situation.Targeted Improvements:- Enabling a responsive and fair SATCOM network in any traffic andresources availability situation.- Keeping the addition…
AUTONOMOUS HEALTH MONITORING FOR TELECOMMUNICATION PLATFORM MECHANISMS (ARTES 4.0 AT 4E.089)
The objective of the activity is to develop and test a computer-assisted approach for in-situ operational health monitoring and anomaly detection for mission-critical platform mechanisms (e.g., reaction wheels, solar array drive mechanisms, antenna pointing mechanisms, laser communication terminals, etc.) in telecommunication spacecraft. Rather than relying on telemetry data, this activity will develop an approach using the full signal and sen…
LOW COMPLEXITY SOLAR CELLS FOR HIGH VOLUME PRODUCTION (ARTES AT 4F.170)
The objective of this activity is to develop, manufacture and test new solar cells with new structures, new processes that will increase the throughput.Targeted Improvements: Doubling the production throughput by the introduction of innovative processes with anew solar cell designDescription: Currently the demand of highly efficient solar cells is exceeding the supply and requires to bemuch more competitive. Simplified manufacturing processes…
BATTERIES BASED ON EUROPEAN COMMERCIAL OF THE SHELF BATTERY CELL TECHNOLOGY (ARTES AT 4F.145) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST)
The objective of this activity is to develop, design, manufacture and test a battery with European Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) battery cells for telecom space applications. Targeted Improvements:- At least 20% mass reduction at battery level;- Enabling European independency and continuity of technology sourcing. Description: Current state-of-the-art space Li-Ion cell technology can provide around 180 Wh/kg, while Li-Ion COTS cell technolog…
ADAPTIVE THERMAL CONTROL OF TELECOM SATELLITES (ARTES 4.0 AT 4D.082) (RE-ISSUE)
The objective of the activity is to develop and test a breadboard of an electrophoretic panel enabling adaptive thermal control on telecommunication spacecraft. Targeted Improvements:-Enabling technology to allow adaptive control of radiative surfaces.-Reduction in heater power of 40% and in radiator size of 30%. Description: Traditional thermal design balances emissivity and absorption parameters based on surface materials and/or coatings sel…
MULTIFREQUENCY TRANSMIT ACTIVE PHASED ARRAYS FOR GROUND TERMINALS CONNECTED WITH MULTI-ORBIT NON GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT SATELLITES (ARTES AT 7A.078)
The objective of this activity is to design, develop and test enabling technologies for multi frequency transmit active antenna. This will include antenna radiating elements, beamforming techniques and active elements designed to cover Ku and Ka transmit frequency bands for ground terminals connected to non-geostationary multi-orbit satellites.Targeted Improvements: - Mass and size reduction by 30% by sharing components between frequency bands…
PREDICTIVE QUALITY OF SERVICE (QOS) PROTOCOL FOR NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS IN SUPPORT OF AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 3F.023)
Objective:This objective of this activity is to develop and test an extended protocol to address the support of predictive Qualityof Service (QoS) in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). The activity will also undertake the necessary investigation and selection of data-driven algorithms to automate predictive QoS in NTN.Targeted Improvements:Features enhancement to align NTN solutions in an integrated NTN/TN ecosystem in support to automotive serv…
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMOTIVE CONFORMAL ANTENNAS (ARTES 4.0 AT 7C.083)
The objective of the activity is to investigate, develop and test conformal Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology using a novel approach, such as additive manufacturing to "print" the antenna for the automotive market. Targeted Improvements: Enabling conformal board of patches with distribution feed and integration of amplifiers on the reverse side, able to follow the shape of a car roof. Description: Conventional PCB technology is…
MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES FOR DATA RATE REDUCTION (ARTES AT 7B.079)
The objective of this activity is to design, implement and test Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based data rate reduction techniques for ground terminals. A testbed will be developed to assess performance savings in terms of throughput, complexity and power consumption.Targeted Improvements: Decrease the transmitted data rate by at least 40% for specific applicationsDescription: Many types of data transmissions and recep…
NUTATION BASED FINE TRACKING SYSTEM FOR SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION TERMINALS (ARTES 4.0 SL SPL 5F.049)
Objective: The objective of the activity is to develop a fine tracking system with reduced complexity and size. The fine tracking of optical communication terminals shall be based on Rx-fibre or Rxbeam nutation for probing the point spread function at the focal plane and will replace the need for a tracking sensor. Targeted Improvements: Reduce the size weight, power and cost of space opticalcommunication terminals by 30%. Description: Nutatio…
HIGH POWER W-BAND TRANSMIT-RECEIVE DIPLEXERS FOR GROUND STATIONS (ARTES AT 6B.118) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST) - EXPRO+
The objective of this activity is to design, develop and test a high-power Tx/Rx W-band diplexer for ground terminals.Targeted Improvements:Enabling technology for ground stations W-band gateway links with high power handling and low PIM.Description:The useof the available spectrum in W-band (71-76 GHz for downlink and 81-86 GHz for uplink) is attractive to satcom systems asit could beadopted in the gateway of Very High Throughput Satellites (…
DVB ENERGY SAVING DELIVERY OF CONTENT (ARTES AT 3A.201)
Objective: The objective of the activity is to design, develop and test protocols and system level approaches for energy saving video content distribution in satellite telecommunication networks. A testbed will be developed to evaluate the energy savings achievedin real networks considering the different video codecs, air interfaces and video quality. The output shall be available to the DVBstandardisation EADC (Energy Aware Delivery and Consu…
BEAMFORMING BASED ON LOW-RESOLUTION, LOW POWER CONSUMPTION ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL CONVERTERS (ARTES AT 5C.512) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST)
The objective of the activity is to develop a beamforming concept based on low resolution and low power consumption Components of The Shelf (COTS) Analogue-to-Digital Converters (ADC). The developed concept will be implemented and tested in a combined software and hardware testbed. Targeted improvements: Improved energy efficiency by >50% thanks to the use of low resolution and low power ADC when compared to 10-12 bit resolution ADCs. Descr…
ANTENNA FOR UNIVERSAL SATELLITE-TERRESTRIAL 5G LAND MOBILE TERMINALS (ARTES SPL 5G 7C.061) (UPON DELEGATION REQUEST)
Upon Delegation Request (*) The objective of the activity is to develop and validate a mobile terminal antenna that supports satellite connectivity and terrestrial 5G. A prototype of the antenna will be manufactured and tested in a laboratory environment. Targeted Improvements: Terminal size, weight and power reduction (30 to 50%) achieved by integrating 5G satellite and terrestrial antenna systems.The integration of satellite communications…
BEYOND 5G (B5G) AND 6G NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS EDGE COMPUTING SATELLITES (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 3A.184)
The objective of the activity is to study and define a technical and deployment roadmap for edge-computing-enabled Beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G space infrastructure. Use cases of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) edge computing will be selected and a corresponding demonstrator will be breadboarded and tested.Targeted Improvements: Enabling edge-computing-capable space infrastructure.Description:The Beyond 5G (B5G)/towards 6G roadmap is rapidly evolving…
POWER MODULE FOR AUTONOMOUS SATELLITES (ARTES AT 4F.095)
The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture and test a power module that will be integrated in an autonomous spacecraftarchitecture.Targeted Improvements:Increase the level of onboard autonomy by 50% at overall platform level.Description: Current satellite operations require human intervention from ground, resulting in considerable inefficiencies and dependencies on communication window frequency, latency, and available resources,…
IN-ORBIT EXPERIMENT OF A VLEO SATELLITE TO ENABLE PRECISE ORBITAL MODELLING AND SYSTEM SIZING (ARTES AT 3E.026) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST)
The objective of the activity is to develop high fidelity models to allow the mission design of satcom constellations in VLEO. An in-orbit experiment will be designed and manufactured to measure key geographically and time dependent atmospheric parameters (density, radiation, ionospheric, chemical composition etc..) as well as satellite flight parameters (including drag, solar cells efficiency, etc..). These measurements will enable the precis…