Projects

The objective of the Trapeze project is to
build a satellite tele-education service showcase for
travelling people like those in bargee, circus or
fairground communities. Due to their mobility, these
communities do not have access to fixed communication
lines. The satellite tele-education service showcase is
intended to convince organisations in the EU involved in
the education of travelling communities of the value of
integrating such services into their existing teaching
practices.

TRACKS provides an extension of a GSM
cellular network using satellite links in combination with
a transportable Base Stations for developing countries
and crisis management. A GSM micro switch is
interfaced to the EADS Astrium telephone network (and
thereby to the Public Switched Telephone Network) by
the transportable VSAT terminal through the
multiservices router functions.

The objective of the project was to develop Forsway´s one-way Internet over satellite gateway, Mímir, into a carrier grade solution for operators of all sized.

Vsatnet.com has developed a basic ADSL-like Internet access service via satellite with brand name: SatXpress.

CollaBOD is an integrated Bandwidth-on-Demand management system developed to control satellite circuits in real time and fill a gap betwen users.

Cost-effective satellite communications by more efficient use of bandwidth is the goal of the IMPSAT project.

T@HIS is a telemedical network connecting
physicians and hospitals over a new-generation satellite
network based on the recently launched AmerHis
payload on the AMAZONAS satellite. Within the project
three remote clinics in Amazonas, Para states in Brazil
have been connected to a referral hospital in Porto
Alegre. The dominant type of images transferred over
the system is ultrasound images, acquired from portable
or stationary ultrasound devices.

The objective of this project is to
implement a dual use network (commercial and
emergency management uses) which is ready at all
times to immediately respond to the requirements of a
crisis or failure of terrestrial connections. A number of
specific hardware and software features will be
developed, typical user configurations built and a pilot
network operated.

The AeroFleet system is a solution for
operators of small and medium sized aircraft and
helicopter fleets providing digital air-to-ground
communication for efficient fleet management. The
AeroFleet system consists of a cockpit display allowing
the creation of messages over the satellite
communication link and the presentation of data sent
from ground to the crew in a graphical way (e.g.
weather information, mission dependent area of
operation) and associated dispatch software. The display
will interface with the airborne part of the Satcom
equipment to provide further communication functions
without flight crew involvement.

The key-objective of the project was to design and to develop a multifunctional "black box" that consists of an intelligent user terminal router and provides interfaces to multiple communication systems.

VERDI is a solution for the provision of
broadband corporate services exploiting Virtual Reality
environment for eLearning and eMarketing. The VERDI
project aimed at delivering a comprehensive solution,
demonstrating the added value brought to corporate
applications and working on the improvement of both
the cost-effectiveness of the service provision and the
perceived quality of the service.

VideoSat for Distance Learning (V4DL) aims to exploit satellite broadband and broadcast
capabilities, providing Value Added Services for
Continuing Medical Education and Medical Scientific TV
via Satellite. V4DL carries two major innovations: a
distance learning methodology that binds emotional and
narrative learning theory with video simulation
technology (Edufiction), and an optimised user
experience thanks to a specific Set Top Box capable of
executing the specific eLearning application, managing
the GUI and all data transmission functionalities.

This study will determine the causes of the current problematic situation regarding Conditional Access Systems (CAS). It will detail how the lessons learnt should impact the development of new CAS for broadcast services.

Through the MIST concept, isolated and
mobile sites like ambulances and ferries can benefit
from teleconsulting. The Wireless Sickbay element of
the project developed, tested and implemented a
telemedicine solution that can be fitted to a vessel (in
this case the Marine Atlantic super ferry The Joseph and
Clara Smallwood) to allow quick responses to medical
problems from the RCST/IEMN network site in Port aux
Basques, Newfoundland. MIST was dedicated to the
creation of a technology, application, and human
systems model that can be custom fitted to a vessel to
meet its specific requirements.

The objective of project Cached VIdeo Content Set top Box was to provide a cost effective solution for a satellite based PushVOD (Video On Demand) infrastructure. This would allow end users located in areas not covered by reliable broadband networks to access services such as on demand video rental and Catch Up TV.

G3 Solar Array Drive Mechanism project aims to capitalize successful qualification and heritage of Constellation, SpacebusTM and ATV SADM to
develop a new product that meet competitiveness and technical objectives of the new SpacebusTM satellite range.

Hurricane is a dual polarised Ka-band Satcom on the move (SOTM) system which comprises a low profile antenna to be mounted on a positioner to dynamically track the satellite as the system moves. This project covers the design and fabrication of the low profile antenna which uses novel technology to produce an efficient array based aperture to enable a significant reduction in antenna height compared to reflector solutions whilst maintaining the required G/T performance.

The next generation solar array (NGSA) under development by Airbus Defence and Space is based on a hybrid solar array concept consisting of a rigid backbone of Eurostar 3000 (E3000) type sandwich panels in combination with lightweight lateral panels.

The Typhoon project has successfully designed, developed and tested an X-band (7/8GHz) Satellite-On-The-Move terminal incorporating a low profile antenna, and satellite trials have been successfully carried out over a representative range of tracks and terrains, both on and off road.

The mechanical pressure regulators that are widely used on telecommunications platforms for Helium control suffer from significant drawbacks inherent to their design. An alternative method is an electronic bang-bang regulation.

The focus of Cuva.me is on the development of compact dual band UHF-VHF antennas for use in maritime emergency situations. There are three main segments in this project: study/preliminary design, modelling and fabrication/test/ validation. The main challenge lies in managing the trade-off between compactness and electrical performance in hostile environments.

The aim of the project is to develop and test a Phased Array Antenna Full Facet Prototype allowing the simultaneous reception of at least 4 Search And Rescue (SAR) signals relayed by the satellites in view.

The project shall implement functionality able to localize the source of an interferer by using just one satellite.

The study aims to identify the architecture and critical technologies required to fulfill the future demand in High Accuracy Antenna Pointing Systems to cope with highly demanding multimedia missions using very small beamwidth (up to 0.2 degrees).

Although the commercial satellite communication and broadcasting services have only recently expanded to the Ka-band, future applications, such as 3DTV, live video and video conferencing, require higher and higher data rates and therefore more bandwidth. The need for bandwidth can be satisfied by preparing the next generation satellites with the Q/V-band capability.

The aim of the project is the design, development, manufacturing and test of a Ka-Band high power isolator in WR51 waveguide technology capable to handle 350 Watt CW in both forward and failure modes.

The TESHEALTH project is dedicated to developing, implementing, qualifying and validating a telemedicine system promoting the use of satellite communications aimed at reducing the impacts of chronic diseases, improving life styles and empowering citizens to adopt a healthier behaviour.

SWAY4Edu aims to develop a satellite ICT solution to support three main activities in Africa, these being Rural Radios, Electoral eTraining and Space4Education. It is to be an open eTraining network for the Millennium Development Goals.

The project, which is part of ESA's Newcomers initiative of the ARTES 3-4 Programme, is aimed at developing, integrating and validating a set of mobile applications onboard of vehicles such as cars, coaches and trucks, using the S-Band delivery platform of Solaris on the Eutelsat W2A satellite.

The objective of the project is the development and validation of a system for the provisioning of an integrated maritime communications service.

The SFEDONA project aims to design, develop, validate and demonstrate a complete end-to-end fire detection and alerting application which makes use of state-of-the-art fire detection technologies based on terrestrial optical cameras and sensors, data fusion, satellite and wireless communications as well as modern IT technologies.

This is a pilot project to demonstrate the suitability of the Sat3Play platform, originally designed for the consumer and SoHo market, to provide reliable and secured financial services in remote and underserved areas in emerging countries in Africa.

The satellite video broadcasting sector, the focus of this study, is part of an audiovisual market characterised by an increasing rate of change. New competitors are emerging including players from the telecoms, IT, Internet and consumer electronics sectors, and consumers’ consumption patterns are changing fast.

The SATMODO project is aimed at the round-wood timber harvesting market, by facilitating "live" monitoring of harvest processes. To date, the availability of real-time or near real-time harvest process data has been limited, as the facility to send the data from remote harvest vehicles has been hampered by the lack of reliable data transmission technologies

The objective of this activity is to develop a Web-based propagation analysis tool to be used by industry designing satellite telecommunication systems for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint and using fixed or mobile user terminals, as well as by propagation experts.

This study will investigate and define telecommunication missions exploiting recently developed and proven telecommunication payload and platform technologies that in combination with a compact launch vehicle, such as VEGA, can bring commercial advantages to the operators.

The purpose of the activity is to identify the nature and the characteristics of missions of telecommunication satellites that could be launched by current and future evolution of Vega launcher offering a commercial competitive advantage

This activity is concerned with the development, manufacturing and testing of an optical interconnect breadboard for high throughput on-board processors.

The objective of the MultiMeDIA study was:
To define a typical mission requiring high density locally for TV conjointly with a mission's large coverage

Ku-Band is the most widely used frequency band in the increasing field of satellite communications. In every satellite transponder, the input multiplexer (IMUX) is a crucial component. Therefore there is a justified demand for the development of IMUXes beyond the present state of the art. The technology of choice is dielectric technology due to its small size, low losses and temperature compensation.