Projects

The objective of project DISCO is the development of a compact S-band diplexer with 30 MHz channels bandwidth and with 60% and 50% of volume/mass reduction in comparison to the state of the art. Engineering Models (EM) are planned to be designed, manufactured and tested experimentally. The target TRL is 6.

Project AO-RETINA is targeting advancement in optical ground stations (OGS) and in a free-space optical communication system. Unlike traditional OGS, beam tracking and data acquisition are both implemented using a single, long wavelength avalanche photodiode based receiver which enables high sensitivity operation up to 10 Gbps.
 

This ESA project is managed by TRAD with the collaboration of ONERA, OHB, AIRBUS and Thales Alenia Space. The goal of this project is to provide a new proton environment model and a new calculation tool in order to provide a better modelling of solar array degradation for the typical telecommunication satellite applications experiencing an EOR radiation environment.

The future will be driven by data and our world powered by making data accessible to all. This project introduces the first IoT and SATCOM Education kit to classrooms throughout Europe, engaging young minds through hands-on learning and real-world scenarios. The objective is to ensure that the next generation has the skills to work, innovate and thrive in the fourth industrial revolution.

Over 90% of international trade and millions of passengers worldwide rely on marine transportation. However, illegal fishing, smuggling, oil theft, and piracy pose a direct challenge to marine transportation. The Maritime Awareness Services system fuses multiple data-sources ranging from Earth Observation, SAR, Radio Frequency and AIS and applies ML models to support insurance compliance officers, marine security and search and rescue end users with enhanced dark vessel detection, identification and route predictions at an order of magnitude better than current alternative systems.

The satellite broadcast market is under pressure.OTT is taking market share from DTH. Density and ease of use is more and more a requirement However, there are opportunities for innovative products that support the high-level quality standards of the satellite broadcast market as well as the upcoming OTT market.

The INT-UQKD project, led by RHEA Systems Luxembourg S.A., aims to develop and validate an integrated satellite terrestrial end-to-end secure quantum key distribution (QKD) system for various security critical business applications. The project includes numerous demonstrations spanning globally across multiple continents.

The objective of the project is to develop and validate AI-based signal processing techniques for satellite telecommunications such as signal identification, spectrum monitoring, spectrum sharing, signal demodulation etc. using Off-the-Shelf AI accelerator(s). This includes the development of a laboratory testbed to validate and demonstrate the developments in both on-ground and on-board scenarios.

The aim of this ARTES ATLAS project is to develop and demonstrate the functionality and performance a frequency and modulation flexible telecommand receiver with a CAN Bus, on the Eutelsat Konnect satellite. 

Optimize the pointing and acquisition of the optical inter-satellite link in such a way that the ISL for ranging and data can be completed within a time frame of < 40 seconds. Maximize ranging accuracy and time and frequency transfer performance of the inter-satellite link.

Within this project a magnetic brake is designed, built and tested, which provides holding torque without mechanic contact and without constant energy consumption. The brake has no tribological layer and generates no debris. It is designed and tested in vacuum in a temperature span from -45°C to +100 °C. Locking / releasing the brake requires only a short current pulse.

Development of a competitive Miniature Release Actuator, having a preload capability of more than 1 kN, optimised for the use on small satellites.

CELEOS provides a cutting-edge channel emulator solution that boasts remarkable capabilities, all while maintaining an affordable price point. This is achieved through the strategic use of Software Defined Radio technology, which is readily accessible in the market.

The Digital Modem is a high-end SDR platform with 100 Gbit/s RF over IP interface running on a COTS server and FPGA acceleration hardware.

An application supported by the platform is a high-end DVB-S2X modem supporting user data rates up to 7 Gbit/s.

The objective of ESA NGSO-Sense projects is to develop a ground terminal prototype, as well as the measurement procedure, for detecting and identifying interference; and measuring Radio Frequency (RF) characteristics from a NGSO satellite network.

CASSIS aims at globally connecting ‘users on the move’ to the internet at high speed and low cost. The technology developed on this activity consists of a low-profile electronically steerable antenna for LEO, which aims ato provide SATCOMs on the move, at high frequency, bandwidth and throughput, for low-cost and production scalability in the automotive sector.

Beyond Gravity Sweden (BGS) C- and Ku-band converters and receivers have a proven commercial success for many years, but due to customer demands of smaller products, shorter lead times and lower cost, this activity targets the RF chain for the next generation of the BGS converter and receiver family. 

In an increasingly data-driven global society, Free Space Optical Communication, FSOC, is a key technology, overcoming the bandwidth bottleneck of radio technology. The market for a widespread exploitation of FSOC requires 24/7 operability of reliable optical channels. ALASCA project aims to prove the effectiveness of 24/7 optical feeder links with Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics to solve the Point-Ahead problem.

The objective of the activity is to design, develop and test methodologies and algorithms supporting trade-off analysis, performance evaluation, and operational concept of large non-geostationary constellations for commercial and secure communications. 

The methodologies and algorithms developed shall be applied and tested in a software simulation on a satellite constellation for commercial and secure services.

The performed activity is in response to an imminent market need for Agile Converters for Ka/IF and Q- and V-band, of which the proposed Agile synthesized LO and digital gain control (DCLO – Digital Control & LO) module is a key part. The DCLO is a generic function that is intended to be used in different applications, especially converters and receivers interfacing payload processors at different frequencies.

The NODES project regards the development of a ground network for space to ground data transfer using optical communication, to solve the data bottleneck resulting from the continuously increased need of downlink capacity of foremost Earth Observation satellites. The network is composed of a network management centre and optical ground stations to allow high volume data transfers efficiently.

The main objective of the proposed activity is to develop and validate a solution to fully automate the commissioning of services in SatCom on-the-move mechanical terminals, without human intervention, addressing optimal radiofrequency performance and power transmission required by the Network Operations Center and minimizing interferences. It also enables remote recovery in many cases, removing the need for installers to revisit the site.

Design and development of a high gain deployable antenna dedicated to small satellites (3 to 28 kg range). The overall architecture is simplified as much as possible to reduce any possible source of defective actuation/deployment.

Development of a flexible and scalable navigation and sensor platform based on COTS components for high-end space applications. Beyond Gravity exploits the heritage gained in the development of several generations of spaceborne high-reliability GNSS receivers to establish a COTS-based platform to integrate GNSS with other sensors. The first instantiation of the platform is a high-performance multi-frequency GNSS receiver.

System design exercise attempting to define a future SatCom system topology that exploits the benefits of space elements on multiple orbits, such as GEO, MEO, and LEO, with interoperability with HAPS, UAV, and terrestrial based networks.

This project aims to enable 5G satellites nodes by extending terrestrial 5G network functions, protocols and SDN/MEC/edge computing and storage and distributed control and management concepts to space. Mechanisms to address the secure instantiation, control and management of the network functions on 5G satellite nodes will be addressed in order to enable optimised connectivity, coverage and capacity allocations.

Realise a K/Ka-band self-tracking antenna breadboard using state-of-the-art retrodirective antenna techniques. The retrodirective antenna allows the transmitted signal to be automatically sent back in the same direction as the received one without prior knowledge of the target position. The tracking is carried out in real time using hybrid analogue/digital processing without power hungry DSP tracking hardware.

This technology phase study aims to design, develop, manufacture and test an Advanced sliP Ring for hIgh vOltage Mechanism (APRIOM). This new generation of slip ring will be able to operate at voltages up to 400V, without electrical breakdown, allowing a considerable power gain and efficiency for the next generation of High Power spacecraft.

SATis5 aims to build a large-scale real-time live end-to-end 5G integrated satellite terrestrial network proof-of-concept testbed. The demonstrator testbed implements, deploys and evaluates an integrated satellite-terrestrial 5G network, showcasing the benefits of the satellite integration with the terrestrial infrastructures as part of a comprehensive communication system.

Relevant satellite use cases for 5G to be demonstrated in SATis5 include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and massive machine type communications (mMTC). The SATis5 demonstrator covers live, over-the-air GEO and MEO satellite field demonstrations in addition to laboratory emulations and simulations in a federation of testbeds. The demonstrator is an open federation of resources that can integrate or incorporate additional resources and testbeds in the future providing a more diverse set of experiments and demonstrations.

Space based network infrastructure will very soon complement the terrestrial mobile networks that are currently being deployed based on 5G technologies standardised by 3GPP. This will allow satellite communications to become an integral part of the global telecommunications ecosystem strongly contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals for a better society and supporting sustainable growth for various industry sectors.

Through its activities, HELENA supports the satellite communication community to engage with 3GPP in order to develop contributions and advocate positions favourable to the SatCom sector within the 3GPP standardisation process such that they result in tangible industrial opportunities.

The project gathers organizations from the satellite communication community each holding key positions in 3GPP and ETSI as contributors, rapporteurs of study items or chairmanship of Working Group.

5G-COSMO project studied how to enable direct 5G satellite connectivity in smartphones. This feature is important for extending cellular network coverage significantly. Current and planned satellite systems together with smartphone capabilities were used as a starting point in analysis. Furthermore, technological gaps and challenges were identified based on which required technology roadmap was formed and over-the-air demonstration approaches identified.

SSC Space UK Ltd, with the support and cooperation of strategic partners from the rapidly developing “NewSpace” industry proposed to develop Global NewSpace Network Evolution (GNNetE) to offer an advanced technical solution capable of addressing the NewSpace industry constraints by delivering a more efficient, flexible, and economically viable ground segment and network operations solution.

To overcome data rate limitations of RF communication links, the TOmCAT consortium envisions optical free-space communication feeder links for next generation high throughput satellites. TOmCAT is a technology development project, facilitated by NSO and ESA, to enable such links to achieve Terabit/s Optical Feeder Links.

CTG completed a Definition Phase for a Multi-beam Ground Station concept in L and S Band for both high and low gain applications. The design creates multiple beams in large quantities and switches between them in an agile way for demanding non-GEO applications. A reduction in the ground infrastructure costs, and increased flexibility in the teleport sites selection are achieved.

Optical Ground Stations for optical and quantum communication are seeking for reliable, cost effective, commercial adaptive optics modules to reduce losses and improve key rate and data rates in applications including classical communication and QKD.
Officina Stellare with Dynamic Optics and ThinkQuantum are working to develop the prototype of such a modular, scalable adaptive optics module.

The safeguarding of high value assets always has been a topic in the space industry, but since hacktivism has become itself an industry and developing exploits can be done by script kiddies, the risk of being attacked is more eminent that ever. The cybersecure EGSE copes with these rising challenges by establishing a hardened EGSE platform based on the three industry standards ISO 27001, NIST 800-171 and IEC 62443-2-4;

Implementation on UniverSAS® (existing product) of some specific enhancements identified for Power SCOEs tailored for Telecom Satellites. UniverSAS® product was already successfully validated in over 50 Power and Launch SCOE systems.

A novel, frequency agnostic air interface for uncoordinated IoT communication over extremely low link margin satellite links having signal-to-noise-ratios down to below Ec/No = -40 dB, has been designed. Prototypes for an IoT terminal and an IoT gateway receiver were implemented, and the new air interface was demonstrated for two use cases.

The future of the Satcoms industries and its technologies, materials, and processes offers many opportunities for supply chains from a broad range of sectors. Other industries may have already resolved challenges and developed solutions from which the satcom sector can benefit.  This study identifies high potential technology transfer opportunities and develops a strategy to exploit a selected technology, whilst presenting several other viable concepts for further investigation post-project.

The SMART project targets the design, development, integration and operational verification of a holistic user and resource communication service manager platform. The SMART solution is envisioned as a web application tool, which enhances the Hellenic government satellite communications infrastructure (GreeCom) resilience, performance and security.