Flexible and reconfigurable TT C Transponder with Payload Data Transmission
Programme
GSTP
Programme Reference
GT17-111ES
Prime Contractor
Antwerp Space N.V.
Start Date
End Date
Status
Closed
Country
Belgium
Objectives
The objectives of this activity are to specify, design and breadboard a flexible and technologically advanced Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TTC) Transponder configurable for the evolving and future needs of several applications including Earth Observation, Near-Earth and Deep Space Science Missions, and Navigation. The versatility (full at digital level) of the product concept will also extend to the integration of Mission Data transmission functionality, allowing for a significant reduction of costs, mass and volume for the overall communications sub-system. The overall increase in modules integration will also mean lower assembly integration and tuning time, thus reducing the product time-to-market.
Description
Satellites in all application domains include a communication subsystem with similar core functions, specific features, and different operating frequencies. ;;Central to this subsystem is the Transponder equipment. ;Its current implementations already include flexibility in terms, e.g. of modulation and coding schemes. ;However missions placing specific requirements must still bear the cost of adaptations. ;Moreover the accommodation (power, mass) of such equipment is a burden for smaller missions. ;A product benefiting from present-day design concepts and implementation technologies will more easily satisfy their technical budgets.
In Earth Observation (EO) missions, and in direct relation to the WRC-15 allocation to the Earth Exploration Satellite Service of a new X-band uplink frequency band, the integration of the X-band Payload Data Transmission (PDT) function with the TTC will enable an expansion to a market of X-band-only EO satellites benefitting from compact single-unit (X-X) equipment. In Deep Space Science missions, the corresponding equipment (X-X-Ka), targets a significant cost reduction w.r.t the existing product. The developed breadboard architecture will also be able to support navigation-application requirements, to the extent that such requirements will be made available.
This activity aims at decreasing, across the board for all domains, the Transponder?s cost and technical budgets by the application of ubiquitous technologies. ;This refers mainly to state-of-the art concepts in the two major parts of the Transponder, i.e, its radio front-ends and Digital Signal Processing Unit.
The activity will be divided into two contractual phases.
- Phase 1- 500 KEUR ? duration: 9 months - The first Phase will collect user requirements pertaining to the domains mentioned, and translate them into technical requirements weighted by a priority or flexibility level. ;In addition, during this phase the contractor will review and trade-off state-of-art technologies and come up with an architectural design. ;The trades will involve criteria such as performance, power consumption, cost and time-to-market. ;;The outcome of this phase will deliver an architecture in terms of core and domain-specific building blocks, a roadmap, costing assessments and will choose a baseline for the activity?s second phase. ;;This could be, for instance, the Near-Earth Science TTC/PDT combined unit, whose architecture and HW would be able to be-reconfigured to support all other application missions.
- Phase 2 ? 1.5 MEUR ? duration 15 months - The second phase includes breadboarding of the unit. In order to increase confidence in the innovative concepts and component technology mentioned, this phase will deliver an Elegant BreadBoard (EBB) of the selected baseline. ;;This will assess, on the basis of an architectural implementation and using, where critical, representative components, the performance of the solution proposed. Obvious targets of this evaluation are the analog-to-digital conversion components, and the signal-processing resources for the SDR concept. Simulation or partial breadboarding for functions not part of the baseline will be performed as needed.
Based on the equipment modelling and the bread-board measurement results, the phase will conclude with the definition of the implementation baseline for next phase: equipment specification, equipment design amp; development plan, equipment test plan, selected architecture, retained technologies, main risk areas.
Application Domain
Generic Technologies
Technology Domain
6 - RF Subsystems, Payloads and Technologies
Competence Domain
3-Avionic Systems
Initial TRL
TRL 2
Target TRL
TRL 4
Achieved TRL
TRL N/A
Public Document
Executive Summary