A Single GaN chip front-end (SCFE) integrating high power amplification, low noise and robust receiving amplification and high-power switching functionalities has been designed and realised in Leonardo SpA GaN/Si 0.25um technology. The SCFE is aimed at operating in C-Band (5.405 GHz center frequency), for eventual use in ESA Sentinel satellites.
The realised chip is featured by an output...
This paper presents two novel X-band MMICs which constitute a complete FMCW radar front-end solution. The chips have been designed by the SIRC company and have been manufactured at the IHP research institute. The aim of the developed MMICs was to minimize the size as well as the power consumption of the end-devices. To verify the design not only the MMICs has been manufactured and individually...
For the next generation of THz radiometer instruments for deep-space mission exploration, space-borne weather and climate research, as well as for the upcoming class of heterodyne cryogenic receiver arrays for radio astronomy, new integrated solutions are necessary at both circuit and package level. Membrane integrated Schottky diode MMIC technology will continue to play an important role,...
We present the results achieved in the LASTKID (Full name: Large area staring kinetic inductance focal plane arrays operating at elevated temperature) project. The project concentrated on developing passive, (sub-)millimeter wave imaging technology based on kinetic inductance bolometers (KIBs). The space applications in this frequency range include radio astronomy, planetary science and remote...
DTU has undertaken the ESA project “DTU-ESA Coordinated Antenna Laboratory Performance Upgrade” with the objective of upgrading the performance of the DTU-ESA Spherical Near-Field Antenna Test Facility for high-accuracy testing of space-technology antennas. This upgrade included central instruments of the measurement system; one instrument is the theodolite used for mechanical alignment of the...
Recently, a novel X-band multi-filar helix downlink antenna has been developed at RUAG Space. The antenna has been brought to an EQM status within an ESA GSTP program, and flight models are currently manufactured and tested for the MetOp SG satellites, as well as for several US missions. The antenna achieves a peak gain of around 6.5 dBi at EOC and an XPD better than 18 dB, which is superior...
Presentation concerns SATREC software that was developed by SATIM within the ESA project “Development of an innovative software called SATREC for identification of objects on satellite SAR imagery by modelling and recognition of radar signatures”. SATREC allows stakeholders, even not necessarily familiar with SAR technology, to conduct highly advanced analysis and interpretation of radar...