ESA Open Invitation to Tender AO10156
Open Date: 25/03/2020
Closing Date: 07/05/2020 13:00:00

Status: ISSUED
Reference Nr.: 20.118.02
Prog. Ref.: SSA P3 Space Weather
Budget Ref.: E/0716-01 – SSA P3 Space Weather
Special Prov.: CZ+NL+PL+GB
Tender Type: C
Price Range: 200-500 KEURO
Products: Ground Segment / Mission Operations / Other
Satellites & Probes / Payloads / Instruments / Other Instruments / Gradiometers, Plasma detectors / Technology Domains: Spacecraft Environments and Effects / Space Weather / Space Weather Monitoring Technology / System Design & Verification / System Analysis and Design / Multidisciplinary Analysis / Space System Control / Control Systems Engineering / AOCS/GNC Architecture
Establishment: ESOC
Directorate: Directorate of Operations
Department: Space Safety Programme Office
Contract Officer: Thro, Caroline
Industrial Policy Measure: N/A – Not apply
Last Update Date: 25/03/2020
Update Reason: Tender issue

Recent years have seen rapid technology developments in the small satellite sector. This study will investigate the possibilities, benefits and limitations of using nanosatellites for operational space weather monitoring. The objective of the activity is to identify mission concepts that can be implemented within ESAs Distributed Space Weather Sensor System (D3S). The activity will particularly address the aspects of data quality, availability, timeliness and continuity, which are important for operational space weather applications. How these requirements could be fulfilled with nanosatellite missions is one of the key questions to be answered by this activity. The activity shall include a review of latest technology developments for nanosatellites and space weather instruments. Of special interest are developments that concern improvements in the use of nanosatellites for operational purposes, e.g. related to AOCS to improve the mission lifetime and communication to fulfil the low latency requirements. The review should also include a collection of lessons-learned by previous missions. Use of cubesat technology and standardized mission elements will be addressed.Suitable instrumentation for nano- or microsatellites delivering the measurements stated in the D3S observational requirements willbe identified for demonstration mission(s) that could be initiated in Space Safety Programme Period 1. This activity is expected toproduce mission architecture concepts that are affordable, sustainable and ideally scalable.