UHF IOT ANTENNA FOR MEDIUM EARTH ORBIT SMALLSATS (ARTES AT 5E.034) - EXPRO+

Objective: The objective of this activity is to design, develop and test an engineering model of a UHF antenna suitable for operating from MEO-based smallsats.Targeted Improvements: 10-dB gain increase compared to current state-of-the-art UHF antennas.Description: UHF antennas have been already developed for Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) smallsats/nanosats. Moving from LEO to Medium-Earth-Orbit (MEO) enables a reduction of the number of required satellites in the constellation to provide global coverage. However, for operation from MEO, larger antenna sizes are required in order to be able to close the RF link, which makes it more challenging to stow the antenna in the same volume.In this activity, a UHF antenna, stowable in smallsat for IoT applications shall be designed, including the stowage and deployment system, and a full engineering model shall be manufactured and tested, including RF range testing.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_Enterprises/Opportunities_for_SMEs/Procurement_policy_on_fair_access_for_SMEs_-_the_C1-C4_Clauses