OOne important constraint in the sizing process of an ablative TPS for atmospheric entry vehicles is the temperature limit of the supporting heatshield structure and of the bonding material used to attach the TPS. This temperature limit is typically in the range of 150-180degC. For the CFRP the limiting factor is typically the resin. New resin materials (like cyanate ester or bismaleimide) have commercially become available in recent years and relevant CFRP materials been qualified towards higher temperature limits for other space applications (like solar arrays or antenna reflectors).

Both dark energy missions propose the use of the Teledyne Imaging Systems Hawaii-2RG detector and SIDECAR ASIC. These activities would lead to a European supply of NIR/SWIR detector technology for both these and future science missions. This programme aims at developing a prototype large area hybrid array comprising silicon read-out integrated circuit and HgCdTe photovoltaic sensing layer.

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.

Uncertainties on atmospheric densities and temperatures are major risk drivers for atmospheric entry and orbital maneuvers such as aerobraking or aerocapture. The EnVision mission scenario foresees orbit perigee lowering down to about 140km using aerobraking. Europe has gained a good expertise during the Venus Express mission, however there is no easily accessible model not to say engineering model to rely on for mission design at Venus.

Visualisation is the bridge between the quantitative information hidden in the data and the human intuition and understanding; it is a challenge of key importance in the present ?Big Data? era. In all three segments of the Space Safety Programme (S2P) large amounts of data are produced daily. Adequate visualisation can lead to more effective analysis of diverse aspects and increase knowledge about the unfolding of different phenomena. For example, the main current means of visualisation of Space Weather phenomena used by scientists and operators are 2D and in few cases 3D graphs.