The main goal of this project is to select coating materials and technologies to increase the power conversion efficiency of III–V photovoltaic cells to be used in satellites. The final purpose is to demonstrate a performance increase at bare solar cell level of at least 0.5%, with respect to the competing current state of the art solutions.

The FOLC project is a technological phase in preparation to the development of a space-qualified optical communication chain, primarily intended for LEO satellite constellations feeder link but also applicable to GEO. The targeted capacity of the feeder link is 180Gbps data rate uplink and 120Gbps data rate downlink.

High-rate, flexible, command and monitoring payload computer for digital telecommunication payloads.

Due to customer requirements of smaller size, shorter lead times and more flexible frequency allocations, this work has targeted the Local Oscillator for the next generation of RUAG converter and receiver family. The goals in this project are lower recurring cost and shorter lead time than the current Local Oscillator.

The purpose of this activity is to identify new technologies and architectures of interest for payload output sections of geostationary telecommunication satellites, to retain the most promising solutions and propose associated roadmaps for their introduction by the industry of the participating countries on the commercial satellite market

The objective of this study is to implement and demonstrate, through live demonstration over a real GEO satellite, Multi-User Multiple Input Single Output (MU-MISO) digital signal processing techniques, namely precoding, in the Forward (FWD) link of a multi-beam satellite system operating in full frequency reuse (FFR). 
The study shall increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of precoding to 5.
 

The demand for high capacity satellites (broadcasting MSS, broadband) calls for higher capacity spacecraft. This translates into more power demanding payloads, with total DC power anticipated to exceed 30 kW during the coming decade. Regenerative fuel cell systems (RFCS) have been identified several years ago as a possible alternative to rechargeable batteries as a secondary source of power.

The On-board Signal Processing platform serves as a common core for a product family and is built around a highly integrated commercial SRAM-based FPGA. Each product within the family is customized by the development of mission- or market-specific signal processing firmware and RF front-ends. A primary application market is an advanced wideband modem within a communication terminal on-board a LEO satellite capable of inter-satellite data-link.

Following industry interest in modular cellular handsets, a small activity looked into the feasibility to develop a small satcom module which you instert into your modular handset.
A number of possible services were also investigated, such as LTE-M eMBMS broadcast services straight from satellite to the handset, or personal distress beacon as a module integrated in the handset.

The project brings new features on the MDM6100 Broadcast Satellite Modem, on the MCX7000 Multi-Carrier Satellite Gateway and on the USS0202 Universal Redundancy Switch as part of Newtec continuous effort for state of the art products for the Broadcast market. It results in improved bandwidth efficiency, better management and IP network and redundancy support.

The innovative filter technology developed in this program is ground breaking as it in demonstrate an elegant and simple way of implementing lossy filter topology. The SAW correction element method has not been applied earlier, and the resulting solution is patent pending. Through this program, Kongsberg Space Electronics has demonstrated critical technology and design solutions to improve performance and considerably reduce the size of filters at S-band.

ComDev Europe (ta Honeywell) have signed up to develop an AIS system to allow the payload’s firmware to be remotely updated. This approach is to be take an existing payload design and re- design/develop the required functions.

Next generation telecommunication satellites will be required to utilize Q-/V-band. Q-band TWTs are under development, but critical technology for Q-Band EPCs are not available yet to cover the related TWT voltage levels. In this activity technologies needed for Q-band EPCs were developed and demonstrated via samples and a high voltage module breadboard.

This study aims at better understanding and assessing the influence of States on the Satcom market. The final objective is to provide the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member States with possible options to improve the efficiency of the European public policy in this domain and help organize a better environment for the Satcom activity both in industrial and economical terms.

Demonstrates the benefits and address the challenges of the combination of Beam Hopping and Precoding techniques over broadband High Throughput Satellite systems.

Within the ARTES Megaconstellations project, RUAG Space developed and improved processes for the efficient manufacturing of high-volume projects.

Study to estimate the socio-economic impacts of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme in the period 2001-2012. The study follows a mixed-methods approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess various routes to impact and also to arrive at a final estimate of overall economic impact.
The study shows that ARTES has enabled major game-changing industrial developments in the past decade and that the economic impact attributable to ARTES is on the order of €19 billion, realised over the past decade. This represents a return of investment of 11 to 1.

The work performed in the frame of this activity covers the development and de-risking of technology to be used for Release Actuators.

The development of non-metallic propellant tanks, for gas and liquid media, reduces the costs and lead times related to manufacturing and delivery for all satellite configurations using metallic lined units. By using composite-polymer combinations, low pressure liquid tanks and high pressure gas tanks can be produced in a fraction of the current time and supplied from an open supply environment.

The P-DPS is part of Airbus All-electric propulsion system for telecommunication satellites for Electric Orbit Raising (EOR).
The EOR satellite design uses the benefit of replacing chemical propulsion reservoir with lower size gas reservoir.
The deployable system uses the robotic arm to position the propulsion vector in the optimum position and adjust to CoG movement in station.

This study assessed the feasibility of using nano-satellites for commercial telecommunications services. Nano-satellites have the inherent benefits that they are small, lightweight, and relatively low cost when compared to larger more traditional systems, due to the use of a standard form factor and COTS technology. The largest commercial application for space operations is in telecommunications; therefore it is only natural for research and interest to grow in using CubeSats for telecommunications.

Development of a type 3 COPV for Xe storage using an innovative cold forming process to produce liners without girth welds on the cylindrical section.

As space exploration becomes more common, the rise of objects in Earth’s orbit will lead to a significant increase in close conjunctions. Therefore, there is a need for a new tool to help Space Operators in predicting potential dangerous close encounters.

RUAG Space L-band antenna array elements have been a successful product the last ~15 years. Recently we have noticed that the power requirements on the L-band feed chain will be more stringent in the near future. It is mandatory to secure our role as a supplier in the future and therefore we need to continue the development of our antenna element.

The techno-economic evaluation of advanced techniques in design and manufacturing of RF hardware by using the potential of additive layer manufacturing for mass and lead time saving under consideration of RF performance. The conventional design and performance as a baseline for innovative (e.g. elliptical waveguide channels) and cost saving (monolithic approach saves assembly costs) RF products.

The objective of this activity was to design, manufacture and test an EM of a space-borne high efficiency power flexible (both dynamic and static) HPA stage in C-band. A Doherty arrangement was determined to be the most suitable architecture. Under CW operation a PAE improvement of 15% was achieved at 6dB OBO over a Class AB amplifier.

In this activity a novel high precision end-to-end manufacturing technique has been developed based on additive manufacturing techniques that allow precision mandrels to be produced and dissolved within a few hours. Targeted are RF passive hardware such as waveguide routing, feed components, Ka-band filters and diplexer which are needed in high volumes and Q / V / W-band passive components which require precision manufacturing.

30GHz Dielectric Channel Filter with small mass and footprint were developed and tested. This was performed by the correlation of full wave simulation to the test data from suitable designed hardware. A 10 pole filter with coaxial interface was developed and a 3-channel multiplexer was developed.The test campaign for both units was successfully completed.

A new antenna line has been developed, which will offer a good trade-off between mass and operating bandwidth. To achieve this goal, the most appropriated technology has been identified, using an antenna concept based on spline profile horns, which are light, easy to manufacture, presenting also good broadband performance.

L-band and Ku-band HPA modules using GaN Technology from UMS (GH50 and GH25) and novel thermal management solutions have been developed.
With a CW signal, at hot temperature (85°C) and in the useful frequency bandwidth of [1,518 – 1,559 GHz], the L-band HPA module delivers an output power of 48W with an associated PAE of 60%.
With a CW signal, at hot temperature (85°C) and in the useful frequency bandwidth of [11,5 – 12,5 GHz], the Ku-band HPA module delivers an output power of 48W with an associated PAE of 25%.

For the ICEYE precursor mission, FOTEC is developing an electric propulsion system. It is based on FEEP (field emission electric propulsion) ion thruster technology. A cluster of seven identical IFM nano thruster modules is manufactured - each capable of delivering up to 300 µN thrust. This redundant design ensures high reliability and versatility of the propulsion system.

The objective of the study has been is to evaluate the expected performances of on-board GNSS receivers in GTO and HEO trajectories. These types of orbits/trajectories will be encountered during orbit raising of future all-EP telecommunication satellites. The trajectories, often optimized for minimum flight time, present specific challenges to the use of on-board GNSS. These include a large variation in visibility patterns and RF power levels, a high dynamic range of GNSS signals and varying spacecraft attitude resulting in masking effects affecting antenna gain.

The project covers design and development of a DVB-RCS2 Testbed. The goal is to validate key functions of the DVB-RCS2 standard (EN301545). The Testbed is designed and implemented to provide manufacturers and researchers with a validated reference design of DVB-RCS2 sub-systems, with main focus on the satellite terminal functions. The hub functionality was emulated as required for the validation of the RCS2 terminal functions.

The arrival of new Ka band satellite services comes with dramatic reduction in bandwidth cost, multi-spotbeam capabilities and dynamic signal strength allocation, increased transport capacity and improved interactive possibilities. Ka band services enable an IP based paradigm for delivery and consumption of content, allowing for a more personalised, on-demand driven user experience.

This project will give the answer to the question how to deliver these new Ka band IP based content services to end users, taking into account the context of terrestrial network developments. Since Ka band services will become part of the IP world of service delivery, integration with next Generation Networks (like IMS) is essential in facilitating
the uptake of these services.

Carrier aggregation is an integral part of current terrestrial networks. Its ability to enhance the peak data rate, for efficiently utilizing the limited spectrum resources and satisfying the demand for data-hungry applications, has drawn a significant attention. Given the benefits of carrier aggregation in the terrestrial wireless environment, this project investigates adopting this concept in the satellite domain.

MicroSat compatible deployable reflector antenna for high data-throughput applications.

This project has studied the possibility of improvement of the classical regulated bus by considering the use of a classical regulated topology whose voltage is regulated to maximum power point of the solar array. The project has consisted of two phases: the first one considered whether the basic idea improves the classical regulated bus by using ad hoc developed models; the second one, after positive conclusions of the first, tested the actual behaviour of a low power mock-up of the proposed idea.

The objective of this activity is to study, design and optimise potentially suitable antenna architectural concepts for Ka-band systems that are able to provide single aperture multi-beam capability from geostationary orbit.