PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The present project is integrated in a more general payload architecture analysis aiming at offering flexible payload solutions to future operator request for proposal. The advantages of flexible payloads for operators are quite numerous. Let’s consider here, only few major points:
– For a given satellite: Optimization of the resource management; it means capability to adapt the satellite use to the real and moving traffic conditions in a given zone.
– To be in a position for the operator to catch the volatile or emergent markets
– More generally speaking, to be able to optimize the fleet management: having on backup satellite for several services optimizes redundancy for a given orbital position and coverage.
The role of a Digital Transparent Processor (DTP) in such a context is to offer the flexibility in terms of connectivity, channelization and frequency plan.
Following a FLIP study (CNES support) for the design of the product, the objective of the contract was to manufacture and test an Engineering Qualification Model (EQM) of a DTP responding to the customers demand. The goal is to have a product on the shelf, thus reducing the development delay for a flight model program.
In order to be able to respond to the maximum of requirements, the equipment is developed:
– To be scalable in term of mechanical aspect: the equipment can process up to a 20×20 matrix, but the mass and volume is adapted to the exact request of number of input and output accesses.
– To be used in different environment: the design is both compatible to the Thales Alenia Space (TAS) platform Spacebus 4000 or the Alphabus platform.
Challenges
Compared to previous qualified TAS product, thanks to the present contract, mass, power consumption & dissipation have been drastically reduced, and the processing capacity has been doubled. In the same time, the RF performance remains as high.
Plan
EQM activities were dedicated to qualification of the unit associated with a dedicated test bench developed:
- Manufacturing, tests and qualification sequences
- Final Review to validate the unit qualification
Current Status
All key reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR, FR) have been held successfully.
The EQM DTP 20×20 has been fully tested and qualified with expected performances and under multi-platform environmental conditions.
The project is completed.
