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.

  • FUTURE GEOSTATIONARY AMATEUR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS PAYLOAD (ARTES FPE 1A.126) - EXPRO PLUS

    ESA will support an initiative to define a future amateur satellite payload in geostationary orbit. ESA proposes that this activitywill be implemented by a combination of collaborative internal, industrial, and amateur efforts, all within the financial envelope as indicated. The activity shall consolidate requirements from the amateur and commercial satellite industry, trade-off several payload options, address the future user segment, develop…

  • HIGH POWER AMPLIFIER FOR THE OPTICAL L-BAND (1565 - 1625 NM) (ARTES 4.0 SL SPL 5G.043)

    The objective of the activity is to develop an elegant breadboard of a high-power optical amplifier operating in L-band.TargetedImprovements:Enable access to spectrum in the optical transmission window(s) beyond the conventional C-band.Description:To date amplifiers in the optical L-band generate relatively low output power, which reduces their usefulness for high bandwidth data transmission. The activity will develop technologies to enhance t…

  • 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…

  • SPATIALLY COMBINED 40 W - 60 W Q-BAND SOLID STATE POWER AMPLIFIER (ARTES 4.0 AT 5C.494)

    The objective of this activity is to develop, manufacture and test a highly efficient Q-band spatial power divider and combiner forapplication in Q-band Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA). Experimental performance verification shall be carried out on a 40 - 60 W (nominal operating point) Q-band SSPA breadboard. Targeted Improvements: Improved power added efficiency of 5 - 10% of Q-band SSPAs in comparison to the state of the art. Description:…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • OPTICAL GROUND STATION NETWORK TESTBED (ARTES 4.0 SL SPL 6B.128)

    The objective of this activity is to develop an optical ground station network testbed to which parties can connect their ground station and prototype network-related aspects for optical and quantum communications in an operational network environment. Targeted Improvements:Reduction of manual link planning and analysis effort. Testing and simulation capabilities for optical end-to-end data delivery. Description:The objective of this activity…

  • PROTOCOL FOR 5G INTEGRATED NETWORKS TO ENHANCE RELIABLE POSITIONING (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 3F.024)

    The objective of this activity is to design and develop a simulation testbed for secure delivery of assistance data with5G satellite networks to enhance positioning.Targeted Improvements:Foster the use of 5G satellite networks to enhance positioning with ubiquitous, reliable, and secure delivery of assistance data. Enable secure time and frequency synchronisation in existing or future telecommunication infrastructure.Description:Various positi…

  • SOFTWARE EXECUTION ENVIRONMENT FOR INTELLIGENT APPLICATIONS (ARTES AT 4G.047)

    The objective of the activity is to develop and test a configurable execution environment for an intelligent platform data handlingsystemTargeted Improvements:- 30% improvement of the performance of autonomous applications.- 50% reduction of the applicationsoftware integration and validation efforts.Description: The increase of processing power onboard spacecrafts will allow the implementation of intelligent functionalities such as early fail…

  • CATHODE FOR OXYGEN-RICH ENVIRONMENT (ARTES 4.0 AT 4B.172)

    The objective of the activity is to develop, manufacture and test a cathode for use as a neutraliser in electric propulsion systemsand suitable for operation in an oxygen-rich environment for a long duration of time (e.g. >5 years).Targeted Improvements:Enabling cathode capable of operating in an oxygen-rich environment for more than a few hours.Description: Platforms operating in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) require prolonged and/or continu…

  • ROLLABLE AND DEPLOYABLE REFLECT-TRANSMIT ARRAY ANTENNAS (ARTES AT 5B.237)

    Objective: The objective is to develop, manufacture and test a breadboard of a lightweight, rollable, passive reflect-array or transmit-array deployed antenna. This shall operate at L- or Sband and have an aperture area of at least 5 square metre.Targeted Improvements: Enabling technology for large aperture deployable antennas based on a simple, reliable and robust mechanical deployment scheme, not existing today in ESA member states.Descripti…

  • W-BAND 100W CLASS WAVEGUIDE HIGH POWER ISOLATOR (ARTES AT 5C.517)

    The objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test a 100W W-band waveguide high power isolator engineering model forfeeder link applications.Targeted Improvements: Enabling technology development for W-band feeder links not existing today in ESAMember States.Description: The usage of the spectrum available in W-band for satellite communications offers the opportunity to reduce the number of gateways in the ground segment. For su…

  • 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 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 state…

  • CIVIL SECURITY FROM SPACE PROGRAMME - STANDARD CALL FOR PROPOSAL

    This Call for Proposals covers the industry initiated activities for the Civil Security for Space programme.

  • PIONEER PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS (PIONEER 4.0) - STANDARD CALL FOR PROPOSAL

    The Pioneer programme, implemented under the ARTES 4.0 Generic Programme Line "Partnership Projects", aims to supports the emergence of Space Mission Providers (SMPs), i.e. commercial entities interested in becoming one-stop-shop service providers for public and private customers. The Open Call for proposals is aimed to offer the opportunity for new companies from across all ESA member states to participate in the programme. It will…

  • INTEGRATED STRUCTURAL ANTENNA FOR HIGH ASPECT RATIO SATELLITES (ARTES 4.0 AT 5B.223) - RE-ISSUE

    The objective of this activity is to develop an integrated structural antenna concept for high aspect ratio satellites. The antenna concept shall be frequency and size scalable. Critical breadboarding shall be carried out to evaluate the concept for mobile satellite communication systems in Low Earth Orbit. Targeted Improvements: Enabling stackable satellites with efficient launch volume occupation with an improvement of 30% in comparison to e…

  • RF TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE FRONT-END FOR V-BAND INTER-SATELLITE LINK (ARTES 4.0 AT 5C.501) RE-ISSUE

    The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture and test a highly integrated transmit and receive single chip front-end (including LNA, HPA and switch functions) for V-band inter-satellite links employing electronically steerable antennas. Targeted Improvements: Enabling V-band RF inter-satellite links based on active antennas, not existing today in ESA member states. Description:Inter-satellite links (ISL) are being more and more cons…

  • HOLOMONDAS OBSERVATORY UPGRADES FOR OPTICAL AND QUANTUM COMMUNICATION (ARTES 4.0 SPL OPTICAL COMMUNICATION - SCYLIGHT 6C.013 / SL.049) - EXPRO+ - RE-ISSUE

    Objective: To develop transmit and receive systems for optical communication and the reception of quantum keys. Targeted Improvements: Tenfold speed increase in data rates by optical communication between satellites and ground and implementation of a cyber-secure quantum channel. Description: The Holomondas telescope has been identified to support the ESA programs ScyLight, HydRON as well as the SAGA Project for the preparation of the space se…

  • ARTES 4.0 SPL OPTICAL COMMUNICATION - SCYLIGHT: INTEGRATED PHOTON SOURCES FOR SPACE BASED QUANTUM TELECOMMUNICATIONS (5F.014/SL.031) (ON DELEGATION REQUEST) RE-ISSUE

    Objective:The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture and test integrated entangled photon source and faint pulse source for space Quantum Key Distribution. The high level integration combines low mass, volume, and higher reliability and is therefore ideally suited for space applications. The expected output of the activity is an engineering model of an entangled photon source and a prototype faint pulse source, which have been eva…

  • IRIS2 PHASE 1 USER TERMINAL SECURITY TESTBED.

    Endpoint security and terminal authentication, monitoring and management testbed. The activity will develop a secure connectivity user terminal on a bench, i.e. a generic platform with hardware and software resources to experiment potential endpoint security capabilities such as device identification and authentication, remote attestation and monitoring for intrusion detection, remote management for secure provisioning and decommissioning.Proc…

  • VEHICLE-TO-EVERYTHING (V2X) SERVICES DEMONSTRATION OVER SATELLITE (ARTES 4.0 SPL 5G/6G 3A.182)

    The objective of this activity is to develop a testbed that allows the demonstration of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) 5G services viasatellite. Using existing satellite assets and on-ground antenna for mobile applications (not necessarily aesthetically attractive), the test bed shall address both forward and return link traffic, to support the definition of future V2X applications and associated technical enhancements. The set of services to be…

  • LIGHTWEIGHT POST-QUANTUM KEY EXCHANGE PROTOCOL FOR IP DATA TRANSFERS OVER SATELLITE (ARTES 4.0 4S SPL 3D.017) (RE-ISSUE)

    Objective: The objective of the activity is to implement and test a lightweight version of the Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) key exchange mechanism that includes post-quantum cryptographic key exchanges. The activity will implement an open-sourced reference implementation of the protocol and perform assessment in a satcom simulator of the protocol on realistic use cases (processing power, data being transferred, latency, available ba…

  • AD HOC VEHICLE TO VEHICLE MESH NETWORK FOR IMPROVED SATELLITE THROUGHPUT (ARTES 4.0 AT 6B.117)

    The objective of the activity is to design, develop, manufacture, test and demonstrate an ad hoc ground based network system whereby nearby cars pool resources to improve satcom throughput. Cars within a terrestrial radio range of a nearby car can be used to achieve higher throughput over satcom when they are not transmitting or receiving themselves, thus creating a mesh network between local cars. Cars form ad-hoc local networks connecting an…

  • OPTICAL FEEDER LINK SITE-DIVERSITY PROTOCOLS FOR SATELLITE CONSTELLATION NETWORKS (ARTES 4.0 SL SPL 3A.170)

    Objective: Design and demonstration of link protection and restoration protocols that can be deployed to provide optical feeder link diversity in mega-constellations with inter-satellite links. Targeted Improvements: >30% increased optical network throughput witha reduced number of ground stations and reduced CAPEX. Description: Optical feeder links for LEO satellite systems suffer from frequent disruptions due to cloud blockages that rende…