ESA Open Invitation To Tender AO8608
Open Date: 26/04/2016
Closing Date: 07/06/2016 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 16.1EE.01
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 / RF / Microwave Communication (Platform and Payloads) / Antennas / Omnidirectional, Helix, Horn, Parabolic, Phased Arrays / Platform vs Payload
Technology Domains: Electromagnetic Technologies and Techniques / Antennas / Reflector and Lens Antennas
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of Technical & Quality Manag
Department: Electrical Engineering Department
Division: Electromagnetics and Space Environment D
Contract Officer: Ferreol, Audrey
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 26/04/2016
Update Reason: Tender issue

Several past developments related to reflector and feed systems have led to very efficient multiple beam antenna designs for broadband satellite missions based on a single-feed-per-beam configuration which provide high gain, low side lobe level and excellent carrier over interferers (C/I) ratio. This configuration is the current operational state-of-the art. Its main drawback is that it requires 3 to 4 main reflector apertures thus leaving no or little space for additional missions on board of the satellite. Alternatives based on over-sized reflector designs or multiple-feed-per-beam feed systems are available and provide a full multiple beam coverage with only two apertures, but they lead to compromised RF performance. In view of the recent developments on polarizing surfaces and polarization selective surfaces for applications in circular polarization, it is considered relevant to investigate these technologies in association with a single-feed-per-beam antenna configuration to combine the focal arrays operating in orthogonal polarisations on a same main reflector aperture using a polarization selective sub-reflector. This could possibly lead to an antenna farm with RF performance similar to the single-feed-per-beam state-of-the-art while using only two main reflector apertures. The main challenge is that such a solution would require a polarizing surface or polarization selective surface providing different properties over the transmit and receive frequency bands. This is due to the use of orthogonal polarizations in these two bands for a given beam. Some preliminary developments seem to indicate that the required property is feasible. This activity shall investigate further these promising concepts, provide some high-level trade-offs to select the best solution and perform detailed analyses of the selected antenna configuration to demonstrate its compliance with stringent broadband mission requirements. A demonstrator of the polarizing or polarization selective surface shall be manufactured and tested. Performance at antenna level shall be extrapolated from the demonstrator measured results.

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