Description
If the digital revolution may be defined in two words those would be electronics and connectivity. The wide range of consumer devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smart appliances, laptops, PCs, etc.) coupled with the access to the Internet has enabled a variety of applications that drive and shape the users' expectations, their usage patterns and ultimately their demands. Those demands require an ever-growing amount of bandwidth that puts under strain the underlying connecting infrastructure. The challenge for the next generation of telecommunication networks will be to meet the technical requirements (bandwidth, latency, coverage, etc.) while being cost-effective to provide a viable business case. Satellite, as part of the 5G infrastructure, is not an exception.
To meet the targets, future satellites will need to provide significantly more capacity at a lower cost than current the current generations. This will require more and narrower spot-beams. At antenna level, narrower beams can only be produced with larger radiating apertures, which requires larger reflectors. Unfortunately, accommodation in the launcher limits solid reflectors to 2.6m of diameter leaving only 2 options to grow the reflector size: unfurlable reflectors or in-orbit assembly. In the latter case, larger reflectors are either launched separately from the repeater or potentially 3D printed in space (to relax the accommodation constraints) and they are integrated in orbit with the satellite.
While unfurlable reflectors have been object of major research and several products are available on the market, in-orbit assembly has remained purely as a concept. However, the public announcement of commercial missions with anchor customers for in-orbit servicing indicates that this is no longer the case and the technology is closer to becoming a reality. This opens a range of possibilities for the Satcom sector to rethink the business and become more competitive.
In the case of the antennas for example, it would enable satellite manufacturers to offer larger high-performance reflectors, able to produce narrower beams and more capable satellites. In this scenario, satellite manufacturers could opt for launching multiple antennas in a dedicated launch a have them stored in space to be assembled on demand. Alternatively, they may choose to 3D print the reflectors in space. In this case, antennas could grow in size and complexity without the constrains of the launch accommodation and gravity and avoiding expensive and complex deployment mechanisms. This would increase the performance of the spacecraft and release ease requirements on user terminals, enabling new applications and uses. Further, beyond the antenna structures, In-Orbit printing could be used as well for other larger structures, such as solar panels and radiators, unleashing not only more performant antennas but repeaters as well.
Beyond the integration, manufacturers may also be able to lease the antennas to a customer and recover them once the customer’s satellite is sent to the graveyard orbit and then lease them again to a new spacecraft.
The concept may be taken a step further and move from the in-orbit integration of the reflector with the spacecraft to the in-orbit integration of the entire payload with the platform. This idea requires a modular approach where the payload and the platform are two separate entities that may be integrated in orbit, but very importantly, they may also be taken apart. The latter feature would allow operators to update their payloads – either partially or completely - with new ones reusing already orbiting platforms, but without needing to launch complete spacecraft. On the other hand, spacecraft manufacturers could provide those platforms already in orbit as a service and lease them to operators (Platform as a Service - PaaS). All in all, in-orbit assembly would enable complete new business models.
This activity will therefore study the technical and business aspects of in-orbit integration of GEO satellites and the 3D printing in orbit of some of their largest structures. Regarding the technical aspects, the activity will identify the challenges, review the state of the art and from there it will trade off, down select and baseline possible solutions. This will be done not only at antenna level, but also at the customer satellite level and the assembly mission (spacecraft, ground segment, operations). The baseline solutions will be used to derive corresponding technology roadmaps. Regarding the business aspects, the activity will study the implications to operators as well as the business case for satellite manufacturers. The activity objectives are summarized as:
• To identify potential business advantages for satellite operators.
• To identify business models for the service provider (e.g. renting vs selling).
• To identify the technical challenges.
• To trade off, down select and baseline solutions.
• To propose development roadmaps.
The activity will draw on prior internal work performed within the Agency.
Tender Specifics