Programme Element: ARTES 1
Reference nr.: 12.1TF.07
Planned Tender Issue: quarter 3, 2013
Photonic technologies for telecommunication satellites are gaining significance with
recent progress in technological innovations. Solutions are nowadays becoming
available for qualification like high-speed fibre optic links, fibre optic active cables,
optical frequency generation unit (FGU), clock distribution and fibre optic
temperature sensor. These technologies have the potential for bringing a disruptive
impact on the satellite communication market. This should allow satellite volume and
weight reduction, simplified assembly and test, EMC noise immunity with an
anticipated benefit on cost reduction. The benefits of photonics based equipments at technological and equipment level were analysed and confirmed in a recent comprehensive study in the ARTES-1 ?Next Generation telecommunication payload based on Photonic Technologies?. The approach to introduce the corresponding equipments on the market shall now be defined. The purpose of this activity is thus (1) to analyse in details the cost and the benefits of a payload embarking selected photonic equipments, and (2) to define a roadmap for the development and the commercial introduction of European solutions at equipment, payload and satellite level. The introduction of photonic-based equipments may lead to new paradigms in conceiving satellite payloads. The corresponding complexity of satellite architecture could be also significantly reduced leading to cost savings. The activity shall include as a minimum (1) The review of the functions that could be impacted by the introduction of photonic technologies in communication payloads, (2) The analysis of the impacts at payload architecture, budget and performance levels that the introduction of different photonics based equipments may lead to ? including at overall satellite level-, (3) The identification of a roadmap with priorities for equipments to be introduced - including the economic effort to complete the space qualification of all equipments using photonics and identified as attractive -, (4) The identification of the market potential for the identified equipments (for further RO analysis) and competitiveness analysis identifying the benefits of the proposed roadmap, (5) The mapping of the proposed roadmap on a possible set of industrial suppliers from ESA member or cooperating states, (6) A synthesis of the anticipated return on investment for the proposed roadmap should it be implemented.
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