Projects

This newly developed generation of avionics for commercial geostationary communications satellites (SATCOM) achieves a significant reduction in cost while at the same time greater flexibility at system and operational level are reached.

The RAMSES (Roadmap for Advanced Mobile SatellitE Systems) project has been defined in order to contribute to the definition of roadmaps of new solutions – new technologies, new products – for the successful deployment of Next Generation Mobile Satellite Systems in the 2025 timeframe.

The Airbus DS GmbH LION Navigator is a multi-GNSS-constellation multi-frequency receiver for spacecraft that is space qualified for operation in low Earth orbits and in-tended for geosynchronous Earth orbits. The goal of the activity is to enlarge the application area of the LION Navigator to launch and early operation phases on transfer up to and including the nominal operation in geosynchronous orbit.

The project comprises investigation on how novel semiconductor technologies (GaN) can be used to meet demanding, future requirements on signal sources. The effort is divided in three consecutive technology steps. This first step include system definition, semiconductor technology trade-off and broadband VCO design including detailed PLL EM unit design. One PLL EM Unit has been built to show function and performance of the VCO.

In the main study "Characterization of the Mobile Tracking Needs // ESA AO/1-6669/10/NL/NR" a measurement database was designed, developed and published. The database provides statistics of motion dynamics for mobile satellite terminals. The database (with access to industry residing within ESA member states) supports the design and testing of Satellite Communications On-The-Move (SOTM) tracking systems. The activity included a data gathering campaign and the development and population of a database.
In this Contract Change Notice (CCN) standard motion profiles are defined based on the full set of measurements (including new measurements). The motion profiles are included in the GVF-105 standard SOTM test recommendations and their usability and applicability were tested in a pilot test with a commercial SOTM terminal at the Fraunhofer IIS Facility for Over-the-air Research and Testing (FORTE).

The project developed key technologies for UHD satellite broadcasting systems both for direct-to-home (DTH) services as well as for presenting live events in digital cinemas. It successfully developed and implemented a real-time encoder for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) supporting High Dynamic Range video.

In this project a secure multicast framework and architecture is defined on top of a multi-spot beam interactive satellite system, including the proposed application scenarios and use cases. A demonstrator is designed and developed to verify and demonstrate the defined secure multicast solution and proposed enhancements. Finally, implementation guidelines and standard evolution recommendation for the secure multicast satellite system are produced.

Through the Artes-34 R&D project “KaLQ” with ESA, Kongsberg Norspace has developed and successfully qualified the two frequency converter units for conversion between Ka- and L-band frequencies. The up- and down-converter units are tailored for use on in a Ka-Band Terminal for Inter Satellite Links.

This project investigates the feasibility of satellite networks integration with terrestrial clouds to dynamically and optimally offer services. It identifies suitable solutions in connection to key satellite capabilities, such as broadcasting/multicasting, large coverage areas, ability to reach remote areas, mobility support, service resilience and flexibility for extending capacity, as well as uniform QoS irrespective of distance to end user.

ACCORD specifies a complete platform capable of generating innovative terminals able to automatically reconfigure seamless switching between different air interfaces.
This truly innovative approach is based on: Smart router, provides seamless vertical handover selecting the most appropriate network on Quality of Service-based policies; Common Interface, manages satellite and terrestrial air interfaces and their protocols using a fully Software-Defined Radio approach.

High power telecom platforms require the deployment of large appendages like solar arrays, antennas or radiators. In many cases their deployment needs to be speed regulated in order to better control their dynamics but also to avoid excessive latching shocks. This activity has been performed to demonstrate the potential of Magneto Rheological fluids in order to provide tuneable speed regulator solutions. An Engineering Model of a self-standing speed regulator unit, based on Magneto Rheological fluid technology, has been produced and tested.

The increase of required thrust power will follows the increasing mass and power of future satellite.
In the frame of future development, a big challenge consists to develop a high voltage power supply configurable to supply several kind of thrusters.

Design, development and test of an engineering model of a wideband and highly efficient radiation-cooled 250 W Ka band space traveling-wave tube.

Through the Artes-34 R&D project “Development of 2nd Generation Telemetry and Beacon Transmitter (“TxBx2”) with ESA, Kongsberg Norspace has developed and successfully qualified two new beacon transmitters at C-band and Ku-band. After the completion of the test campaign, the Ku-band unit was rebuilt to a frequency agile Telemetry Transmitter. This EQM is also successfully qualified.

The development of a slimline Q/V-band feed system EM suitable for gateway applications in telecoms GEO VHTS systems.

The new SKYWAN 5G is designed for the Next Generation of Satcom. It is THE ONE mesh VSAT network solution with multiple integrated DVB-S2 stars. All data is transmitted reliably in single-hop and time critical data is prioritized avoiding extra delays. The unique hardware design of SKYWAN 5G has already build in the highest flexibility, fits all topologies and enables growth of your network by stacking The ONE modem.

The activity “Standards Preparation For SOTM Terminals“ is a study to define a common way to specify and verify Satellite On The Move Terminals (SOTM). Currently SOTM terminals are not consistently specified, nor independently verified for a number of key performance criteria. Under these circumstances, it is difficult for service providers, satellite operators, and end users to clearly understand the capabilities of the product being offered without embarking on expensive and lengthy trials. For the SOTM market to continue to grow, obstacles preventing fast and fluid transactions need to be removed, and a clear understanding of product performance needs to be developed. This activity will help move the SOTM market away from the characteristics of a niche market and towards a more established, consumer and manufacturer friendly one.

Telecom satellite transponder specifications relating to transmission performances which may be overly stringent, and which could be relaxed, thereby reducing satellite overall cost and schedule.

SPELL (Satellite Procedure Execution Language and Library, https://sourceforge.net/projects/spell-sat/) is a free, open source software package developed by SES in cooperation with GMV. The purpose of SPELL is to automate the execution of satellite procedures. SPELL works on multiple satellite platforms and can be interfaced to multiple ground control systems. Thanks to this versatility, SPELL increases the productivity of satellite controllers and engineers. The EASO project aimed to develop the satellite procedures and the automatic procedure converter software necessary to extend the use of SPELL to SES’ satellites fleet.

Feasibility of an advanced highly integrated, low mass and cost efficient High Order Scalable Solid State Switch Matrix for use in future Ka-band multibeam payloads, aiming at reaching higher on board capacities, higher number of user beams and even higher number of RF equipment units.

Next generation of flexible payloads will continue to widen towards the on-board processing (OBP) architecture as core of their design. The increasing of the satellite capabilities in term of service and applications demand is pushing the exigency to improve the current way to think and design a SATCOM payload.
At European level another mandatory exigency is motivated by the technological non-dependence and competitiveness as stated and stimulated by European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC) in the frame of H2020. This is to guarantee not only the non-dependency from products coming from out-side Europe and its affiliate Countries, but also to improve the competitiveness and final product/solutions performances. First step to improve OBP technology towards a Next Generation (NG) is to implement new space components having rad hard characteristics and improved integration scale moving towards deep sub-micron microelectronics (DSM) technology at 65 nm end beyond.
The Study has given an outlook on the new space missions and related market interest that are stimulating the DSM as driver for the NG-OBP development. The description starts from an outlook on the state-of-the-art of the OBP technology, watching the main technologies up to now assessed. A view is provided on the relationships between the main actors can be involved in the space DSM and that contribute in the implementation and improvement of this technology.
The Study has been concluded providing a summary on the main key functional requirements derived by the provided technology assessment, useful for the future developments and contributing in convincing the satellite market to make the jump towards a new age of the satellite technology.
Another item provided in the concluding part of the Study has been the definition of a cost/benefit analysis providing a consistent technology roadmap.

During the next two decades, civil Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) market is expected to ramp-up exponentially. While UAS integration in non-segregated airspace will start in 2015, regular flights are expected in 2025.
ESPRIT aims at identifying and defining the best solution to provide satellite Command & Control communications to UAS when flying in non-segregated airspace.

The central focus of this project is to develop, integrate, verify and optimise enhanced transmission techniques through testing over wideband satellite transponders, which allow reaching over 1 Gbit/s single carrier per transponder transmission data rates.

Tactical and mobile satellite has become an increasingly important means of communications for European defence forces. Systems have predominantly been based around the UHF TacSat system, which is quick and easy to use, making it popular with users as a means of providing reliable voice and low rate data communications. However, the limited UHF spectrum and system capacity has meant that users have been looking increasingly to commercial mobile satellite systems to fill the gaps in capability.

The Next Generation Tactical and Mobile Satcom Systems Study aims to develop typical user scenarios; identify the capability gaps in current systems; and produce technical (and non-technical) solutions to address these gaps.

The target of the ESA contract. 21425/08 is to design and develop converter and local oscillators for flexible payloads. Thales Alenia Space Italia has designed, manufactured and tested the Engineering Model of the unit verifying the given requirements. As result of this study, Thales Alenia Space is able to propose Ku band Frequency Flexible Down Converters for Flexible Communication Payloads with less units having the same configuration and enhanced flexibility in frequency.

3D-MID Technology enables the integration of mechanical, electronic, optical and thermal functions into single parts via selective metallisation offering a high geometric design freedom. This enables the miniaturisation of electronic devices and allows three-dimensional designs to be realised with offer significant reductions in space and weight compared to conventional electronic manufacturing methods.

The Communication Equipment Test Bed (CETB) phase 2 programme is an evolution of CETB phase-1 which ended in 2013. Phase 1 covered the development of:

• TT&C (Telemetry, Telecommand and Control) transceiver
• C-band downlink transmitter
• High speed data recorder
• CCSDS translation node

Phase-2 has covered the evolution of the TT&C product to meet market requirements not previously addressed.

In future high-capacity multi-beam GEO satellite networks, mobile terminals are subject to relatively frequent beam and gateway handovers with a significant rate of inter-system handovers to be handled by sophisticated IPv6-mobility management solutions.

The verification of satcom scenarios on a test bed tailored for heterogeneous mobile networks alongside with the analysis of respective economic impacts are on focus of this activity.

GaAs Triple Junction 30% BOL Solar Array Off-the-Shelf Family for Spacebus Development

Ultimate Eurostar 3000 (E3000) AOCS evolutions for low-thrust transfer and electric station keeping, implemented on full electric telecom satellites:
• Accommodation of new gyroscopes and new wheels,
• Development and qualification of:
o Star tracker-based AOCS for operational and recovery modes,
o Management of low-thrust transfer (Electric Orbit Raising = EOR)
o Commanding of the robotic arm supporting the electric thrusters in EOR and on-station configuration
o Autonomy management with hierarchical Failure Detection Isolation and Recovery (FDIR), commandability and observability optimization adapted to electric transfer.

A GaN SSPA was developed with the aim of reducing complexity and cost, with increased power (from 15W to 30W), and thus halving the number of operational SSPAs and simplifying payload architecture. The overall SSPA test approach has also been improved with a significant increase in throughput during production realised through streamlining of test stages and optimisation of test algorithms.

A robust, efficient and flexible communication data bus compatible with a next generation of more versatile and powerful Telecom payloads.

The RF2D-D2RF project (direct Digital to RF and vice-versa), basing on the data converters manufactured by E2V within the ESA deep submicron technology activity, has concretely removed analog frequency conversions directly processing L band signals in digital. The performances of the RF digitization/generation hardware demonstrator have been analytically modelled and measured for a triple RF2D and D2RF beamforming-ready chain.

To improve the flexibility of the individual satellite, TESAT has developed the new product line of Flexible Programmable Microwave Power Modules (FPMs). The subject of this program lies on the development of a EPC/LCAMP assembly for higher power class FPM in the currently most frequently employed frequency band for telecommunication payloads, a 300W Ku-Band Single FPM. Additionally a qualification campaign is to be conducted using an EQM EPC/LCAMP assembly with a representative 300W TWT.

The aim of the activity was to qualify an EQM for a Circular OMT for complete K/Ka-Band (TX: 17.7-20.2GHz & RX: 27.0 – 30.0 GHz) suitable for multibeam applications.

The aim of the study is to define an ambitious roadmap for payloads in the C/Ku-band core market in order to achieve a significant competitiveness improvement.

The SATURN project is oriented to the development of “on-board” technologies required to enable maritime versatile applications to be built on future S-band based service platforms.

The motivation behind this project was the fact that extensive research is ongoing within (terrestrial) telecommunications to develop and standardize future mobile networks without much thought of the potential exploitation of satellites. At the same time, research specific to satellite-based telecommunications is just a fraction of its terrestrial counterpart and often said to be at least 5 years behind.

By looking at new technology, standardization, and concepts in the terrestrial domain, we wanted to identify a number of key areas where the satellite industry can adopt or reuse in order to close this gap.

The HeHPV – short for “Helium High-Pressure Vessel” – is an innovative, light-weight, cost-competitive composite-overwrapped tank for storage of helium pressurant gas for satellite propulsion systems. Based on a common diameter, a tank family range of 50-75 l has been qualified for current and future satellite demands.