ESA Open Invitation to Tender AO10436
Open Date: 27/01/2021
Closing Date: 11/03/2021 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 20.112.16
Prog. Ref.: GSTP Element 1 Dev
Budget Ref.: E/0904-611 – GSTP Element 1 Dev
Special Prov.: IT
Tender Type: C
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Products: Ground Segment / Ground Station / RF equipment / Transmitter and Receiver assemblies, Frequency converters, …
Technology Domains: RF Systems, Payloads and Technologies / RF Technologies and Equipment / RF Equipment / RF Systems, Payloads and Technologies / RF Technologies and Equipment / RF Devices / Ground Station Systems and Networks / Ground Station System / Microwave and Optical Active/Passive Systems / Ground Station Systems and Networks / Ground Station System / TT&C, Radar and Optical Signal & Data Processing
Establishment: ESOC
Directorate: Directorate of Operations
Department: Ground Systems Eng. & Innovation Dept.
Division: Ground Station Engineering Division
Contract Officer: Hurtz, Anne Maria
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 27/01/2021
Update Reason: Tender issue

Objectives:To develop a Ka Band (34.2 – 34.7 Ghz) Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA) suitable for Science Research Service and therefore capable of at least 500W of rated power. Description:The development of a SSPA able to support this uplink as opposite to a vacuum tube based amplifier would provide a much higher reliability to the mission. Power Amplifier (PA) technology at Ka Band frequencies is essentially dominated by vacuum tube technologies whenever power above 100 Watts is required. A previous TRP activity, driven essentially by missions like Bepi Colombo and Juno (during the cruise), dug into the status of the technology and concluded with the manufacturing of an air-cooled 100W GaAs prototype. Future missions such as Juice will require higher EIRP levels. For distances at around 6AU a PA suitable of transmitting at least 500W is needed. There is no European manufacture currently offering a SSPAwith such power capability in Ka Band. The new development shall result in the manufacturing of a prototype amplifier. A trade-offbetween air cooling and water cooling shall be investigated. Water cooling is favoured since more efficient (primarily at high altitude), less noisy and enables overall size reduction compared to aircooled amplifiers. Moreover water cooling generally allows better temperature stabilization and therefore frequency stability (Allan Deviation). The new amplifier shall adopt modularity concept, the biggest advantage towards Klystron based amplifiers. Modularity will enable soft degradation conversely the klystron is instead a single point of failure. The amplifier shall have an N + 1 configuration where N modules are enough to achieve the required outputpower. State of the art of GaAs vs GaN technologies shall also be explored at the time of the development.