Description
The objective of this activity is to design a dual beam ground terminal antenna that allows the simultaneous tracking of two satellites in MEO orbit. The concept shall be verified through the design, manufacture and test of a representative breadboard. Targeted improvements: Improve performance, and reduce size of ground antenna installation by 50%. Description: Recently the O3b network has been deployed in order to deliver broadband connectivity with low latency everywhere on Earth within 45 degrees of latitude north and south. This service offers high quality voice and video and the use of real-time applications. A constellation of 8 satellites in Ka-band MEO orbit is foreseen along with a global network of gateways to enable flexible, reliable and secure connections. Although O3B represents a near-term commercial system, other MEO constellations may arise in the future covering other frequency bands. To allow continuous connectivity for MEO constellations, two antennas are required per ground terminal to track simultaneously two satellites. Up to now, mainly dual reflector antennas have been considered due to their reliability, easy deployment, cost and maintenance. However, these antennas are relatively large in size (diameters in the range of 1 to 2 m). To improve on the size and the ease of installation, antennas that are able to produce two independent beams with a volume similar to one reflector are of interest. Such an antenna may be based on passive, hybrid or active solution. With only one antenna per ground terminal a decrease in cost and size of the installation may be achieved. The work logic for this activity shall be: - Consolidation of the requirements. - Trade off and preliminary analysis. - Detailed design of the complete antenna. - Detailed design of a representative breadboard. - Manufacturing and RF test of the breadboard antenna. - Development plan for a final product and assessment of the ability to extend the functionality to deal with different frequency bands for possible future systems. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes".
Tender Specifics