Distributed Beamforming Telecom Payload Architectures - Expro Plus Tender, Netherlands - 95503515

Procurement Summary

Country : Netherlands

Summary : Distributed Beamforming Telecom Payload Architectures - Expro Plus

Deadline : 01 Mar 2024

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 95503515

Document Ref. No. : 1-11979

Competition : ICB

Financier : Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)

Purchaser Ownership : Public

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : EUROPEAN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE (ESTEC)
Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, Tel: +31-71 565 65 65
Netherlands

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Distributed Beamforming Telecom Payload Architectures - Expro Plus

Recent trends on payload architectures and novel satcom concepts show that architectures with distributed digital signal processing functions are advantageous from different points of view such as modularity, reduction of high power density issues easing the criticality of dissipating heat from high power density points, redundancy and reliability, minimisation of data throughput in the interfaces between antennas, and reduction of harness mass by avoiding long interconnection to a big central processor. This activity investigates distributed beamforming architectures to enable high-throughput satcom solutions. The activity enables disruptive beamforming techniques that can be used by both low and high-frequency very large array active antenna apertures. The number of elements and digital ports required on very large aperture antennas makes unfeasible to follow conventional payload architectures with centralized beamforming and digital signal processing strategies. This activity focusses on the study and trade-off of different distributed processing and beamforming topologies such as Hierarchical or Systolic. The Hierarchical method reduces the number of data streams at each level of the hierarchy, performing partial weighting and aggregation along the way, while in a systolic distribution the data is sent serially to a link of nodes. For the back-end processing, mesh-based topologies such as Torus and Spanning Trees are potential alternatives to centralized approaches. Data-stream handling and synchronisation also needs to be studied, including communication and signal distribution strategies to the main processor by means of, for example, photonics technologies. A new concept of payload architecture excluding the main processor could be even developed, where all the processing functions are carried out in the modules.The activity encompasses the following tasks:- Requirements consolidation- State of the art research and technology selection for digital beamforming, digital converter technology, and efficient beamforming architectures with emphasis on high modular payloads- Identification and definition of payload architectures focusing on high-modularity, distributed signal digital processing and low SWAP budgets- Breadboard development and verification targeting critical technologies integration and critical functions including digital distributed beamforming and efficient signal conversion- Development roadmap

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