Description
The objective of the activity is to develop handover techniques for supporting inter-satellite links over Fixed Satellite Services (FSS).
An end-to-end system demonstrator comprising a user terminal and the network of gateways shall be developed takinginto consideration current and future characteristics of FSS systems such as architecture, payload specifications (number of spot beams, beam hopping, etc.), interference, latency.
Targeted Improvements: Enabling technique that will allow existing High ThroughputSatellite Systems in GEO to provide intersatellite links to NGSO spacecraft.Description:Inter-satellite links between LEO and GEOcan only beimplemented in a limited number of frequency bands, which are allocated for this purpose by ITU. Moreover, dedicated GEO infrastructure such as EDRS is required to support this capability. However, recent regulatory initiatives by non-European partiessuggest thatin a few years the situation may change and regular FSS allocations could be used for such links. In addition, on-going regulatory initiatives are looking for relaxing the use of Ka-band and Ku-band terminals on moving platforms. These factors would open the doorfor existing GEO FSS systems to provide inter-satellite link services to LEO spacecraft. The latter would be considered as another moving platform using a VSAT terminal.
Enabling inter-satellite links over FSS systems requires some adaptations. One of the key developments is a handover mechanism that can cope with the dynamics of communications between GEO and LEO. Such mechanismdepends on the FSS system characteristics (e.g. architecture, number of spot beams, latency, etc.) and involves the ground segment (gateways) andtheuser terminals.
This activity will develop a handover mechanism for supporting inter-satellite links over FSS systems and will implement it in an end-to-end system demonstrator comprising the gateways, payload and user terminal.
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 "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and RD entities in ESA programmes".
Tender Specifics