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Despite different attempts performed in the past two decades, Europe is lacking a competitive product for a large reflector with the requested TRL level to embark on a commercial program. Need is identified to cover antenna applications from 4 up to 18 meter and for frequencies from UHF up to Ka band.. American companies are leaders in this domain and are commercially dominating the worldwide market.

The authentication of GNSS signals poses a challenging problem. Before exploiting a signal (e.g. its pseudo-noise sequence) it would be desirable for the receiver to have assurance quickly (ideally in less than 10-s) and reliably that the signal is actually coming from a navigation satellite and not from a spoofer (e.g. unknown pseudolite, delayed version of the same signal). Classical data-level authentication solutions work after signal demodulation (PN sequence de-spreading), require data-level cryptography (shared secrets) and key management.

High-sensitivity GNSS receivers architectures are of interest in harsh propagation conditions in order to be able to keep tracking GNSS signals even at very low C/No conditions (typically down to around 10-20 dBHz, depending on the signal being tracked). For this purpose, open-loop techniques can be used in the estimation of the code delay and the carrier phase and/or frequency, targeting a more robust estimation of those observables. In this process, advanced signal estimation techniques can be applied for the optimum exploitation of e.g. multi-correlation samples.

Frequency coverage for weather and science missions in mm-wave and submm-wave radiometers is increasing and it is now possible for Omnisys to commercially offer receivers up to 1-2 THz. For frequencies exceeding 300 GHz, integrated MMIC technology is preferred as it enables performance improvements and allows for more efficient system level implementations.

Many astronomical space missions observe at wavelengths which are absorbed by the atmosphere, as for example some infrared, ultraviolet or x-ray bands. Especially UV and x-ray optics have very stringent alignment tolerances due to the small wavelengths. Consequently, telescopes and instruments can only be tested at their operational wavelengths under vacuum conditions. Traditional methods for fixing optical elements and subassemblies (eg.

The supra-THz (>3 THz) bands have been recently proposed for low Earth orbit THz remote sounding missions such as LOCUS (Low-Cost Upper-atmosphere Sounder). In order to achieve coherent detection, heterodyne receivers at supra-THz frequencies are under development by integrating in a single waveguide cavity a Schottky based mixers fed by a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) as Local Oscillator (LO). Thanks to the QCL, enough LO power is available to drive the mixer.