PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The project objectives are focused in developing a novel ground station concept combining gateway and TT&C services based on an advanced electronic scanning multibeam antenna product (eScan) able to track simultaneously several Ka-Band satellites of LEO and MEO satellite megaconstellations.
The product solves and incoming satellite mega-constellations system inefficiency/problem- the need for a large number of different motorised- based reflectors farm to track many non-GEO satellites from a certain teleport site- in a very innovative way.
Challenges
The main challenges of the project are technical and arise from the combination of the high demanding requirements in terms of:
- High Bandwidth
- Large Scanning range
- High Gain
- Large number of beams
They impose several design decisions in order to maintain the product complexity at a manageable level while providing high performances based on the state of the art of several key technologies.
System Architecture
The architecture of the product is based on the following building blocks:
- Tx and Rx Active Array Antennas; separate antennas for TX and RX are envisaged, because the 20/30 GHz bands are too distant to allow a single antenna.
- Clock and ref. signals distribution
- Digital Processing
- M&C subsystem, and the auxiliary subsystems; electrical, structural, etc.·
And the following external interfaces:
- Space to ground interface in what concern to Ka-band gateway and TTC.
- TTC and user segment MODEMs interface
- Control Centre interface which for contact plan reception and health and service monitoring information reporting
Plan
The overall development logic of the project considers the following phases:
- Definition Phase. The required trade-offs and analysis are performed in order to define the preliminary product concept, technical solutions and product requirements.
- Key Elements Breadboading devoted to the eScan antenna full prototype design and critical technologies breadboarding
- Basic Module Prototype, basic building block for the construction of the antenna based on its repetition.
- Large Scale Prototype Integration and Validation. It is a representative model of the product with the relevant functionalities able to be validated in a relevant environment.
- Product Phase. During this phase, the final industrial version of the product is developed.
Current Status
Project is at the beginning of the Definition Phase. On-going activities include the initial analysis and trade-offs to be reviewed in the Mid Term Analysis Review (DP-AR) milestone.
Initial efforts have been put on:
- Identification of ways to reduce the antenna complexity while maintaining a high level of performance,
- Basic structures to be used as antenna building blocks.
- Identification of technology partners.
