ESA Open Invitation To Tender AO8291
Open Date: 24/02/2016
Closing Date: 06/04/2016

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 15.129.06
Prog. Ref.: TRP
Budget Ref.: E/0901-01 – TRP
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
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of Technical & Quality Manag
Department: Mechanical Engineering Department
Division: Mechatronics and Optics Division
Contract Officer: Strzelecki, Patryk Michal
Last Update Date: 24/02/2016
Update Reason: Tender issue

Gratings are frequently used in optical instruments, e.g. spectrometers. A development activity under TRP contract was launched in 2012 to prove the feasibility of cost-effective techniques for production of gratings on non-rotationally symmetric substrates. As part of this activity, a preliminary design of a spectrometer based on a free-form surface has indicated that free-form gratings enable spectrometers giving high throughput and using less optical elements, resulting in a simpler and more compact design, but very performing. The previous activity has identified two production methods. A sample of a free-form grating based on one of the two methods has been manufactured and laboratory tested. Further development is deemed necessary to fully validate the manufacturing technology and to ensure that gratings on free-form surfaces can reliably be produced. Furthermore, an improvement of the control of the shape of the grooves shall be achieved in order to optimize the grating efficiency and to minimize the straylight. Concerning the spectrometer design based on the free-form grating, it is necessary to perform a review of the concept obtained in the previous activity and to carry out a design optimization. Furthermore, any critical optical elements identified in the design (in particular very low-roughness aspherical mirrors) shall be manufactured and tested. Finally, the overall performance of the spectrometer shall be analysed and reported. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to EMITS news „Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and R&D entities in ESA programmes”.

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