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.

The ENHANCE (Enabling Harbor to Harbor Autonomous Situational Awareness in Sea Ice Conditions) project is aimed to study How to improve the autonomous navigation and situational awareness in the maritime domain by utilising ML and AI concepts. For this end, we utilise both traditional RGB cameras as well as IR cameras to obtain as diverse as possible data set of sea-ice conditions to train a ML model that can identify an ice tracks and objects, such as buoys, that can help in navigation.

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.

A novel anti-reflection process was demonstrated which improves the quantum efficiency (QE) of a CMOS image sensor, with particular benefits at the ultraviolet (UV) and near infrared (NIR) ends of the electromagnetic spectrum. Also, the dark current and photoresponse non-uniformity (PRNU) were reduced to about 33% and 55%, respectively, of the values for a conventional control sensor. Spatial resolution seemed to be reduced in the NIR, as indicated by MTF measurements, but further investigations are required.

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.

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Smallsat DTN is an OPS-SAT experiment awarded funding trough ESA’s OSIP, OPS-SAT campaign. The aim of the project is to investigate the benefits of CFDP and Bundle Protocol for satellite operations and their possible applications in the optical communications links, of the future ESA mission of OPS-SAT 2. The Flight Campaign of the project completed in a three-day span, successfully demonstrating the implementation of a LEO DTN network, spacecraft remote control and configuration over Bundle Protocol and CFDP imagery data distribution over multiple passes from the ground segment.

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