Description
Priority 2
Objective: Demonstrate terminal interference reduction techniques using reflector antennas in conjunction with auxiliary elements.
Targeted Improvements: The exploitation of the Ka shared band for uncoordinated ground stations of FSS systems is currently not possible due to the high risk of interference from an FS transmitter. Any technique able to ensure a proper mitigation of interference between the FS and FSS would allow doubling the user link bandwidth available to FSS operators, thus potentially double the satellite capacity. The target of this activity is therefore to enable the use of the Ka "shared" band to uncoordinated ground stations thanks to low cost antenna solutions.
Description: The most efficient way for achieving system capacity approaching the terabit/s is to use all the available band in Ka for user links, moving the feeder links to Q/V band. In Europe CEPT is trying to allow FSS services for uncoordinated ground stations to coexist with terrestrial fixed systems in the band 17.7-17.9 GHz referred to as 'Kashared band'. The use of such a band may be necessary for increasing the capacity of future systems. This opportunity is currently being seriously considered by commercial satellite operators. In 2014 a TRP activity 'Antennas and Signal Processing Techniques for Interference Mitigation' was initiated to look at antenna techniques to minimize the interference power among the two services by adaptively nulling the interferer. Two configurations are being investigated: one based on side lobe suppression through a parabolic reflector and a number of secondary elements and another one based on an Array Fed Reflector with adaptive beam forming implemented digitally. The performance of AFR solution will be demonstrated by a partial prototype.
The purpose of the proposed activity is to demonstrate the solution based on the reflector antenna with small auxiliary elements. Such a solution is expected to provide less degrees of freedom for suppressing interference from FS transmitters, but with the benefit of a very limited complexity - and thereforelower cost - compared to the AFR solution.
The demonstrator will be a prototype able to reproduce functionally the final antenna product. However the hardware used will be a prototype not necessarily representative of the final engineered product. The project shallfollow the following work logic:
- Review of the outcomes of the TRP activity.
- Design of digital signal processing.
- Designofthe RF front end (ODU).
- Design of the Antenna.
- Development.
- Test.
Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
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".