ESA Open Invitation to Tender: 1-11086
Open Date: 16/12/2021 14:46 CEST
Closing Date: 03/02/2022 13:00 CEST

Ariel is the M4 mission in the Scientific Programme. It was adopted in November 2020 by the Science Programme Committee and is proceeding into the implementation phase, with the Spacecraft Prime contract to be kicked off by the end of 2021. Ariel will investigatethe atmospheres of many hundreds of diverse planets orbiting different types of stars to address fundamental scientific questions.Ariel is designed as a dedicated survey mission for transit and eclipse spectroscopy. Ariel observations require a specifically designed, stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage extending from the visible to the infra-red (500 nm to 7.8 m). The detector technology selected to cover this wave range makes use of HgCdTe CMOS detectors. These detectors are optimised for astronomical observations, providing high Quantum Efficiency with low noise. As the cut-off wavelength of these detectors increase, these performance characteristic require operations in a colder environment. While the Ariel FGS instrument (500 nm to 1.95 m) can operate by making use of the passive cooling capabilities of the Ariel PLM (with the V-groove radiators), the AIRSinstrument (1.95 m to 7.8 m) requires further cooling down to 42 K with an active cryo-cooler. A Joule-Thomson (JT) cooler is therefore integrated in the system design and makes use of Neon as its working fluid (boiling point of 27.05 K at 1 atm). This cooler is developed by RAL (UK), under the responsibility of the UK Space Agency, within the AMC, as specified in the MLA, and builds on their experience from the Planck Helium JT cooler. This Ne JT Cooler is controlled by a warm electronic box, the CCE (Cooler Control Electronics), which is the subject of this procurement. While the cooler remains under the AMC’s responsibility through UKSA and RAL(UK), the Agency, through the Ariel Project, has agreed to provide support to UKSA for the procurement of the CCE. Through this activity, the Contractor will be requested to provide the CCE, including development models as well as the Flight Model and spares. The due dates for these models range from 2022 to 2024, to secure the Ariel launch date. As well as providing the CCE unit, the contractwill cover the position sensor board, which interfaces to the CCE unit on the compressor. The contract will cover the full design and development of this CCE in line with the Ariel requirements.

Estabilishment: ESTEC
ECOS Required: Yes
Classified: No
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Authorised Contact Person: Helena Birgitta Gunilla Byberg
Initiating Service: SCI-PA
IP Measure: N/A
Prog. Reference: E/0436-01 – ARIEL Development
Tender Type: Open Competition
Open To Tenderers From: AT+BE+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EE+EL+ES+FI+FR+GB+HU+IE+IT+LU+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE
Technology Keywords: 21-B-II-Cryo-Coolers
Products Keywords: 2-B-1-r-Other / 2-O-4-h-Other