ESA Open Invitation to Tender AO9364
Open Date: 06/07/2018
Closing Date: 07/09/2018 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 18.129.05
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: Satellites & Probes / Payloads / Instruments / Optical Instruments / Imaging spectrometers / Satellites & Probes / Payloads / Instruments / Optical Instruments / Infrared spectroscopy / Launchers / Avionics / On-Board Computers / *See Software
Techology Domains: Optics / Optical System Engineering / Overall Optical System Definition, Design and Engineering / Optics / Optical Equipment and Instrument Technology / Spectrometers, Imaging Spectrometers, Radiometers
Establishment: ESTEC
Directorate: Directorate of Tech, Eng. & Quality
Department: Mechanical Engineering Department
Division: Mechatronics and Optics Division
Contract Officer: Almeida, Rudolfo
Industrial Policy Measure: C1 – Activities in open competition limited to the non-Larg…
Last Update Date: 06/07/2018
Update Reason: Tender issue

The significant improvements of mission-critical performances such as stray-light (de-clouding), co-registration, dynamic range fordetection and detector noise by introducing a “smart” slit in an optical spectrometer shall be investigated and analysed.Compact instrument designs for future Earth observation missions, based on requirements of Flex, CarbonSat,Sentinel-5, shall be elaborated, modelled and analysed.A bread-board shall be designed and built for a proof-of-concept demonstration of the key functions of a smartslitusing a commercially available micro-mirror-array.With “smart slit” is meant the hardware function to actively block or transmit each image sample (pixel) entering the spectrometer slit. It can be realised with an optical MEMS device having a micro-mirror/shutter array (1 x 400 micromirrors/shutters) placed at the slit. Each image sample in the slit can therefore be blocked or transmitted to the spectrometer. This new function enables a series of new possibilities for performance increase and potential new serviceswith a minimal mass/volume impact, such as:a) De-clouding (stray-light performance increase)b) Co-registration error detection for active correctionc) Scene brightness equalisation to increase dynamic range for detectiond) Anti-smearing (blocking light duringcharge transfer)e) Chopper for modulated detection (detection noise reduction)f) Object selectiong) PSF scattering measurement/calibration Optional functions to be considered are:h) Variable slit width; and i) Programmable Hadamard slit.Since this new intelligence is introduced at the spectrometer slit, the mass and volume impact is minimised.The activity will comprise a design and a breadboarding phase:(1) Compact instrument designs for future Earth observation missions, based on requirements of Flex, CarbonSat,Sentinel-5, shall be elaborated, modelled and analysed (Detailed optical design; Tolerance analysis; Stray-light analysis; End-to-end performance model; Performance verification and calibration plan);(2) A bread-board shall be designed and built for a proof-of-concept demonstration of the key functions of a smart slit using a commercially available micro-mirror-array.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 RD entities in ESA programmes”.

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