ESA Open Invitation To Tender AO8196
Open Date: 06/02/2015
Closing Date: 30/06/2015

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 15.156.02
Prog. Ref.: Sentinel 2 MFF
Budget Ref.: E/E002-01 – Sentinel 2 MFF
Special Prov.: A+B+BG+HR+CY+CZ+DK+EE+FIN+F+D+GR+H+IRL+I+LV+LT+LUX+MT+NL+PL+POR+RO+SK+SI+E+S+GB+IS
Tender Type: C
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of EO Programmes
Department: Earth Observation Projects Department
Division: GMES Space Comp Space Segment Programme
Contract Officer: Jeusset, Benjamin
Last Update Date: 06/02/2015
Update Reason: Tender issue

Sentinel-2C & -2D Intended ITT (Abstract) Following the entry into force of the Copernicus Agreement between the European Union represented by the European Commission and ESA, the Agency intends to publish the Invitation To Tender for the procurement of the Copernicus Sentinel-2C and 2D satellites. The Copernicus Sentinel-2C and -2D Satellites are a follow-on to the current series of two Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellites, called Sentinel-2A & -2B. Copernicus is the new name for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme, previously known as GMES. Copernicus is a programme fully funded by the European Union in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to which the Commission has entrusted the tasks relating to the Implementation of the elements of the Copernicus Space Component. ESA is developing a new family of satellites, called Sentinels specifically for the operational needs of the Copernicus programme. Since the early seventies, regular acquisition of the Earths land surfaces is being performed via the US Landsat 1 to 8 series of satellites. European competence was established in 1986 with the first launch of the French series of SPOT satellites. In continuation of these precursor missions as part of COPERNICUS, Europe is establishing a fully operational and systematic earth observation service of which Sentinel-2 constitutes the very wide swath, high resolution, and multi-spectral optical land observation mission. The Sentinel-2 space system is based on concurrent operations on a unique Sun synchronous orbit of two similar satellites. Each satellite embarks a multispectral imager providing a very wide 290Km swath at a spatial resolution of 10m. Instrument imagery is provided through 13 different spectral channels covering Visible, Near Infrared and Short Wave InfraRed wavelengths. Three channels are dedicated to atmospheric corrections. Regarding the satellite to ground interfaces, the satellites are operated using a S-band transponder and the mission data is collected through a X-band subsystem or using optical inter orbit communications with the European Data Relay Satellites to increase data recovery and to improve data latency. The first Sentinel-2 satellite launch is scheduled to take place in the second quarter of 2015, followed by the launch of the second satellite one year later. The satellites were qualified for compatibility with the VEGA launcher (operated by Arianespace) and with the Rockot launcher (operated by Eurockot). Following the second satellite launch, the nominal twin satellite constellation will be deployed and operated to deliver systematic data, enabling the delivery of high quality Land and coastal products and services to many communities of Users. To maintain such LAND operational observations beyond the horizon 2020, it is necessary to develop two further Sentinel-2 satellite models having comparable performance in order to replace a Sentinel-2 satellite encountering unrecoverable failure, or to replace the satellite after its decommissioning end of life. This procurement action covers the procurement of two additional Sentinel-2 satellite models, named respectively Sentinel-2C and Sentinel-2D. This procurement requires the Sentinel-2C FAR to be held not later than December 2020, and the Sentinel-2D FAR to be held not later than July 2021. The technical requirements for the C and D units will be specified in the ITT via a set of detailed documents; they would be equivalent to the technical requirements made applicable to the A and B units both in terms of performance and operations capability maximising the re-use of qualified space components developed by ESA and its Participating States in the context of the GMES Space Component programme. The Sentinels C and D main improvements from the corresponding technical requirements for the A and B units are limited to the following: – The bidders will be required to comply with the latest applicable ESA requirements on debris mitigation and casualty risk (resulting from satellite re-entry at end-of-life); – The bidders will be requested to quote – as part of the baseline offer – the embarkation of a GNSS receiver that will be able to exploit (in addition to the current and future GPS signals) also the signals from the Galileo constellation, the flagship navigation programme of the European Union. The Sentinel -2 C and D will be identical satellites. The Sentinel-2 C and D spacecraft are scheduled to be launched at the end of service of the corresponding A unit (for the C model) and B unit (for the D model), nominally in the 2021-2023 timeframe. The development of the C model shall be finalised by the end of the year 2020 at the latest (July 2021 for the D model). The ITTs will cover the production phase until successful Flight Acceptance Review (FAR) of each Satellite. The ITT will be open to all Union Member States and the States participating in the Copernicus Programme. The Sentinel-2C/-2D ITT is expected to be issued in late January 2015, with an overall bidding period expected in the order of four (4) months. Some of the main ITT conditions are here below anticipated: – In order to make maximum use of prior public sector financial and infrastructure investment (particularly in the GMES/COPERNICUS programme) the bidders will be required to minimise the project risk by proposing a qualified spacecraft design based as much as feasible on qualified equipment. Inclusion in the design of non-recurrent units shall be properly justified and accompanied by a dedicated risk-reduction programme. In the exceptional case that the prime bidders offer does not (satisfactorily) cover an activity to be performed at subcontractor level, the latter shall be procured by the Prime Contractor at a later stage during the execution of the contract through a self-standing Invitation to Tender to which the ESA Best Practices procedures. For the selection of subcontractors by Prime Contractors in the frame of ESAs major procurementsor parts thereof will apply. – In order to minimise risks, the bidders will be requested to include as part of their offer a complete spacecraft accompanied by a fully defined industrial consortium and a documented heritage for every proposed equipment. – In order to promote the widest industrial participation thresholds for the various industrial groups/roles will be set in the ITT. 

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