ESA Open Invitation To Tender AO8903
Open Date: 26/04/2017
Closing Date: 26/09/2017 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 17.156.01
Prog. Ref.: EE-8/FLEX
Budget Ref.: E/0039-E5 – EE-8/FLEX
Special Prov.: AT+BE+CH+CZ+DE+DK+EE+ES+FI+FR+GB+GR+IE+IT+LU+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE+SI+CA
Tender Type: C
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Products: Satellites & Probes / Other
Techology Domains: Others
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of EO Programmes
Department: Earth Observation Projects Department
Division: Earth Explorer Missions Programme
Contract Officer: Papaioannou, Maria
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 26/04/2017
Update Reason: Tender issue

The Fluorescence Explorer, FLEX, has been selected for the implementation of the Earth Explorer 8 (EE8). The EE8 is the 4th Fast-Track (formerly known as Opportunity) Earth Explorer mission.The FLEX mission will quantify photosynthetic activity and plant stress by mapping vegetation fluorescence. It will advance our understanding of the functioning of the photosynthetic machinery and the actual health and performance of terrestrial vegetation. The monthly global maps will have an on-ground spatial resolution of 300×300m2 with a swath width of 150 km.The FLEX space segment consists of a single satellite carrying the Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer (FLORIS) pushbroom instrument. This high-resolution imaging spectrometer will acquire data in the 500 780 nm spectral range, witha sampling of 0.1 nm in the oxygen bands (759769 nm and 686697 nm) and 0.52.0 nm in the red edge, chlorophyll absorption and Photochemical Reflectance Index bands. The FLEX Satellite will fly in the same orbit as Sentinel-3, which is a near-polar, Sun-synchronous circular orbit at 814.5 km altitude. FLEX will be preceding Sentinel-3 by a maximum of 15 seconds. The Local Time of the Descending Node is 10:00. The FLEX mission development strategy includes 2 steps:-first, a procurement action in open competition covering the technologically challenging FLORIS; this procurement was released in early 2016 and a contract was awarded by the Agency toLeonardo S.p.A. in October/November 2016;-second, a procurement action, subject of this procurement, in open competition, covering the FLEX Satellite and Prime contractor activities, including the Platform. This second contract, subject to successful negotiation, will eventually subsume the FLORIS Instrument contract, by contract novation. In addition to the development of the FLEX Satellite consisting of a platform, an Instrument and some mission specific items, the FLEX Satellite procurement will, among other things,also include:-all the associated ground support infrastructure necessary to design, develop, and verify the Satellite;-the definition and timely delivery of operations manuals, operations procedures and associated command and monitoring database;-operationspreparation, launch campaign implementation, in-orbit commissioning and calibration to successful In-orbit Commissioning Review.The funding for the activity will be provided from the Earth Observation Envelope Programme – slices 4 and 5 (EOEP-4 and EOEP-5). Therefore the present Invitation to Tender is addressed to economic operators from Industry and Organizations (including those deemed toact as subcontractors) whose registered office is established in such Member and Associated States which, by the time of the Contract award decision, will be a participating State in the EOEP-4 and EOEP-5. To date, these are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada.

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