ESA Open Invitation to Tender AO9767
Open Date: 02/04/2019
Closing Date: 28/05/2019 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 19.123.03
Prog. Ref.: Technology Developme
Budget Ref.: E/0901-01 – Technology Developme
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: Launchers / Avionics / GNC Units / IMU, IMU/GPS *See Software
Techology Domains: Optics / Optical Component Technology and Materials / Micro-Optics Components, MOEMS, Optical Fibres and Passive Integrated Optics
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of Tech, Eng. & Quality
Department: Mechanical Engineering Department
Division: Propulsion & Aerothermodynamics Division
Contract Officer: Magne-Lie, Karine
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 02/04/2019
Update Reason: Tender issue

Design a small drone vehicle able to autonomously depart from the surface of a rover, hover and return to its base on top of the rover. The drone shall be able to inspect the area environment around the rover and assist the rover to explore the Moon surface. This activity will provide for a preliminary design of a small drone vehicle that is able to autonomously depart from the surface of a rover, hover, and return to its base on top of the rover. Equipped with cameras (vision, multi spectral) and other instruments, the drone will be used to quickly explore the surroundings of the rover providing at larger distances observation and data and supplementing the observation data provided by some instruments of the rover. The drone will be equipped with a small propulsion system that will allow autonomy augment the action radius of the rover in tens of kilometres. Also, the drone will perform tasks of pre-inspection of the rover routes, inspection of deep craters where the rover cannot reach, inspection of the landing vehicle.