ADVANCED PAYLOAD ARCHITECTURE FOR GNSS – EXPRO PLUS
17, July 2016

ESA Open Invitation To Tender AO8754
Open Date: 15/07/2016
Closing Date: 09/09/2016 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 16.1ET.13
Prog. Ref.: TRP
Budget Ref.: E/0901-01 – TRP
Special Prov.: BE+DK+FR+DE+IT+NL+ES+SE+CH+GB+IE+AT+NO+FI+PT+GR+LU+CZ+RO+PL+EE+HU
Tender Type: C
Price Range: 200-500 KEURO
Products: Satellites & Probes / System Engineering Software / System Modelling & Simulation / Dedicated simulation tools (on-board computer emulators, front-end equipment simulation, …)
Technology Domains: RF Systems, Payloads and Technologies / RF Payloads / Navigation Payloads
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of Technical & Quality Management
Department: Electrical Engineering Department
Division: RF Payload Systems Division
Contract Officer: Erkelens-Sickinger, Franziska
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 15/07/2016
Update Reason: Tender issue

The activity scope is to trade-off GNSS payload architectures and technologies that would enable the main streams of GNSS payload Long Term Evolution (2020/2025):1) Signal Generation Flexibility/Re-configurability, 2) Power Control Flexibility, 3) EIRP Increase, 4)Performance improvements. A)Analyse the Galileo Signal Generation Subsystem, its requirements, performance and limitations (, e.g. technological, functional, etc.) in terms of signal generation flexibility/re-configurability. The following main aspects/trade-offs shall be addressed (as a minimum) and enabling technologies/predevelopments to be identified:-Storage and Generation of Navigation Data-Error Correction Coding, Interleaving-Formatting of the Navigation Data Message-Generation of PRN Spreading Codes-Signal flexibility in terms of signal bandwidth, centre frequency, chip and sub-carrier rates, interplex and power sharing etc.-Possibility to embed in one unit Digital Signal Modulation and analogue Up-Conversion-Possibility to implement Direct RF generation with use of high-speed DAC, Direct Digital Synthesisers (DDS),Software Defined Radio (SDR), etc.-Payload distortions self-compensation capabilities B)Analyse the Galileo payload high power section architecture (incl. high power amplifiers, output filters/multiplexer, navigation antenna, isolators, combiners etc…), its requirements, performance and limitations, (e.g. technological, functional, etc…) in terms of RF power allocation flexibility and EIRP increase. The following main aspects/trade-offs shall be addressed (as a minimum) and enabling technologies/ predevelopments to be identified:-Trade-off between TWTA and SSPA (e.g. GaN) amplifiers in terms of efficiency, max RF power, linearity, mass and power dissipation;-Trade-off different antenna technologies (single feed per beam, array fed reflector, direct radiating arrays etc.) in terms of gain, coverage, power handling capabilities, performance and accommodation capabilities;-Analyse at unit and architectural level power handling issues and trade-off enabling technologies (e.g. wave-guide) and architectures in terms of performance, complexity, accommodation capabilities :i) distributed amplification with spatial combination ii)distributed amplification with active antennas etc…- Analysis of flexible amplifies and its use to enable flexible power generation.

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