ESA Open Invitation to Tender AO10563
Open Date: 18/12/2020
Closing Date: 26/02/2021 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 20.18I.05
Prog. Ref.: Preparation Element;FoundConcept Block 1
Budget Ref.: E/0600-05 – Preparation Element;E/A104-01 – FoundConcept Block 1
Special Prov.: BE+DK+FR+DE+IT+NL+ES+SE+CH+GB+IE+AT+NO+FI+PT+GR+LU+CZ+RO+PL+EE+HU+CA+SI+LV
Tender Type: C
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Products: Satellites & Probes / Payloads / Instruments / Other Instruments / Gradiometers, Plasma detectors
Technology Domains: Mission Operation and Ground Data Systems / Mission Operations / Distributed and Decentralised Operations / System Design & Verification / Mission and System Specification / Specification Methods and Tools / System Design & Verification / System Analysis and Design / Design and Simulation / System Design & Verification / System Analysis and Design / Multidisciplinary Analysis / Optics / Optical System Engineering / Overall Optical System Definition, Design and Engineering
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of EO Programmes
Division: Future Missions & Instrument Division
Contract Officer: Tchoualack, Cendrine
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 23/12/2020
Update Reason: Loaded a new Clarification(English version)

In the frame of the Missions of Opportunity enabled by international cooperation, ESA and NASA have coordinated studies of gravity monitoring constellations optimised to observe mass changes and transport in the Earth system. In 2016 the report from the ESA-NASA Interagency Gravity Science Working Group defined the benefits of such a unique cooperative effort. The objective of the NGGM NextGeneration Gravity Mission (also known as MAGIC – for Mass-change and Geosciences International Constellation ) is the long-term monitoring of the temporal variations of Earths gravity field at high resolution in time (down to 3 days) and space (100 km). NGGM/MAGIC will observe Earth mass change and reinforce services by monitoring hydrology, cryosphere, oceanography, solid Earth and climatechange. This gravity mission evolution will provide continuity of science and services with respect to predecessor missions like GRACE, GOCE and GRACE Follow-On and will complement other ESA Earth Explorer programme and Copernicus missions. This activity corresponds with the Phase A system studies, whose main objective will be the determination of the programmatic, technical and technological feasibility of the mission within its boundary conditions. The activity will cover all elements of the mission architecture, namely the satellite (i.e. instrument and platform), the launcher, the flight operation concept and the ground segment, to the extent of detailed required at Phase A level in line with ESA standards and such to support the cooperation with NASA. The latter will be actively supported through specific Tasks in the system study. The activity will also cover the development approach and in particular the plan to reach TRL 5 for critical technologies at the end of Phase B1. To this end, the initiation of technology pre-development activities on critical technologies will also be part of the Phase A.