ESA Open Invitation to Tender: 1-10853
Open Date: 07/07/2021 14:51 CEST
Closing Date: 31/08/2021 13:00 CEST

ESA has been developing satellite laser ranging to cooperative targets (retro-reflectors) within its space safety programme (S2P) over the last years, resulting in the deployment of the IZN-1 robotic optical ground station reference implementation in May-2021 on Tenerife, Spain. This station was developed from the beginning with the objective to result in a fully robotic system, which provides space safety related data products without human intervention. In addition it was intended to operate together with other laser ranging stations and complementary sensors. Being a reference implementation, it also serves as a test-bed for components and a prototype for commercialisation, allowing to validate new features before the release of commercial products. Up to now the reference station has the capability to provide data products for active laser ranging of cooperative targets (satellites that host retro-reflectors). In this activity the laser ranging station shall be upgraded for ranging to non-cooperative objects and integrated in an online platform for orchestrating multiple sensors. Therefore the activity is split into two parts: a.Part AThe objective of part A of this activity is to upgrade ESA’s IZN-1 optical ground station from laser ranging of cooperative targets to daylight laser ranging of non-cooperative targets (space debris). In addition the station shall be upgraded to serve as an active sensor node in a network, purely relying on machine to machine interfaces: from request to data product delivery. Part A will be realised via work packages for the mandatory subcontractor DIGOS, who is the developer of the base satellite laser ranging station. Approximately 25% of theoverall budget is earmarked for the mandatory subcontractor. b.Part BThe objective of part B of this activity is to develop, deploy and test an online sensor network platform for near real-time requesting, scheduling, analysing, displaying and providing spacesafety related data products for the end user. ESA’s IZN-1 station shall be integrated into this sensor network along with several other active sensors and be used to validate the over online active sensor platform.As an outlook, Part B shall also analyse how thisactive sensor network can be upgraded (hardware and software) to become a network for laser momentum transfer, based on previous studies from the Agency.

Directorate: Directorate of Operations
Estabilishment: ESOC
ECOS Required: No
Classified: No
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Authorised Contact Person: Marta Rodriguez Perulero
Initiating Service: OPS-S
IP Measure: N/A
Prog. Reference: E/0717-03 – S2P P1 Space Debris
Tender Type: Open Competition
Open To Tenderers From: AT+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EL+ES+FI+GB+HU+NO+PL+PT+RO
Technology Keywords: 9-C-I-Mission Control System, Automation, Mission Planning, Simulators and Station M&C and Data Centre Architecture and Technologies
Products Keywords: 4-A-2-e-Engineering Support (GS S/W dev. and maintenance,…)