→ GSTP ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - ESA

→ GSTP ANNUAL REPORT 2011

GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS 

F EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE. GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY 

ROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY 

OSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE. GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING 

CTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION 

NHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE. GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & 

ATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN 

ECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE. GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES 

UPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON 

EPENDENCE. GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE 

OMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE. GENERAL 

UPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF 

UROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE. GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY 




















OMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGICAL NON-DEPENDENCE 

ENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE 


ENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS 









































UPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN NON-DEPENDENCE

• The best way to predict the future is The best way to predict the future is to invent it 

The best way to predict the future is to invent it to invent it 

“Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the clouds and 

beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in 

which he lives” 

Socrates 469 BC - 399 BC 

→ GSTP 

AnnuAl rePorT 

2011

2 | GSTP Annual Report 2011

A GSTP Production 

A. Tobías 

U. Becker 

J. Amador Monteverde 

E. Adamou 

GSTP Planning and Implementation Section 

GSTP and Product Development Division 

Systems, Software and Technology Department 

Directorate of Technical and Quality Management 

ESA - ESTEC 

Keplerlaan 1 - P.O. Box 299 

2200 AG Noordwijk 

The Netherlands 

Contents 

→ Year in review ............................................................................................................. 4 

→ Summary of Achievements & Challenges 

GSTP activities closed in 2011 ............................................................................................................... 8 

GSTP activities initiated in 2011............................................................................................................ 10 

GSTP market-oriented activities: A.O. closed and initiated in 2011 ........................................ 12 

Performance enhancements for trace gas monitoring (ANITA II) ........................................... 14 

Development of core technological elements in preparation for future Optical 

Atomic Frequency Standards (OAFS) and clocks (OAC’s) in space ........................................... 15 

Nodding Mechanism on the ISS .......................................................................................................... 16 

→ Annexes 

Annex 1: List of GSTP Documents to the Industrial Policy Committee (IPC) ..................... 20 

Annex 2: 2011 GSTP Budget Distribution by Themes ................................................................... 21 

Annex 3: Complete list of GSTP activities initiated in 2011 ....................................................... 22 

Annex 4: Complete list of GSTP activities closed in 2011 .......................................................... 25 

GSTP Annual Report 2011 | 3

4 | GSTP Annual Report 2011 

→ YeAr in review 

From invention to innovation 

Often used interchangeably, invention and innovation are not the same. While an invention 

is a new and promising idea, innovation is a mature idea whose early promise has been 

fulfilled – found valuable and put to work. 

ESA’s challenge is to turn inventions into innovations, and do it in a systematic way. To 

successfully accomplish this, ESA relies on its tools, the Technology Programmes, which serve 

both to help define ESA´s future technology needs and eventually fulfil them. 

The ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) relies on technological innovation 

to accomplish ESA´s main goals: enabling novel space missions and applications of the 

future, boosting Europe’s industrial competitiveness, fostering innovation, and increasing 

and preserving our non-dependence in space technology. 

The GSTP converts promising engineering concepts into a broad spectrum of mature 

products – everything from individual components, to subsystems, up to complete satellites 

– right up to the brink of spaceflight or beyond. 

Its objective is to bridge the gap between having a technology proven in fundamental terms 

and making it ready for ESA and National Programmes, the open market and, eventually, 

space itself. The GSTP allows such transitions by developing technology concepts into 

engineering models or ‘breadboards’, which involves testing their performances in all 

conceivable scenarios. 

The GSTP Programme, as its name suggests, supports general technology, covering all ESA 

Themes 1 except for Telecommunications, which has its own ARTES Programme. 

The GSTP is an optional programme, open for ESA Member States (including Canada as an 

Associate Member State) which choose whether to participate or not, and up to which level. 

1 

Earth Observation, Space Science, Robotic Exploration, Human Spaceflight, Space 

Transportation, Navigation, Security and Generic Technologies and Techniques

The past year 2011 has seen a continuation of the GSTP 

efforts to achieve the previously described objectives. 

This GSTP Annual Report 2011 presents a brief description 

of this work, together with some examples of the 

corresponding achievements. 

These efforts and achievements are illustrated 

throughout this report under the form of successful 

technology developments, as well as innovative projects 

progressing under the Programme’s support. 

In particular, a set of general technology activities closed 

and initiated during the year 2011 are presented showing 

the progress in some areas like fuel cells, the 

development of new devices in support to astronauts 

and the support of the GSTP to Earth Observation data 

management. 

Furthermore, within the frame of the GSTP Programme, 

the objective of the permanently open Announcement of 

Opportunity (AO) for market-oriented activities is to 

support the competitiveness of European industries, 

enhancing their position to face the worldwide space 

market in the near term. 

Nine AO activities were initiated and seven were closed 

in 2011, including pixel detectors, the use of GNSS-R 

signals for Earth Observation, and augmented reality for 

astronaut operations, among others. 

The GSTP In-Orbit Demonstration facilitates to fly either 

dedicated demonstration satellites –Such as the PROBA 

or EXPERT re-entry vehicle, or non-mission critical guest 

payloads in flight opportunities. Additionally, it is worth 

mentioning the Nodding Mechanism, which was 

developed and launched in 2011 as part of the Space 

Station Precursor Technology Initiative. The Nodding 

Mechanism allows astronauts to take exceptionally 

sharp pictures of the Earth at night from the ISS Cupola. 

The development of the Space-Based Automatic 

Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) payload was 

also initiated in 2011 and will allow to vastly expand the 

scope and improve service efficiency of the current 

ground-based air traffic surveillance ADS-B systems. 

Promoting the Programme is a task to accomplish 

and a key to succeed on finding new opportunities for 

Europe. The Technology Events, coordinated by GSTP, 

are regularly held in participating States as one of the 

Programme tools to strengthen relations with 

Industry and make it aware of the current ESA 

opportunities on technology. 

Particularly three Technology Events took place in 

2011: one in Norway in March, one in Sweden in April, 

and one in Finland in November. ESA’s participation 

included representatives of TRP, CTP, GSTP and ECI. 

These events were organized by the corresponded 

National Delegations, and included both 

presentations and face-to-face meetings. 

Overall, the GSTP efforts in supporting technology in 

2011 were remarkable, representing 81 new activities 

(worth around 57 M€), 57 activities closed (worth 

around 28 M€), and around 260 other activities 

running during the year (worth ~208 M€). All the 

activities were to develop breakthrough technology 

and to support innovative projects and in-orbit 

demonstrators like ADS-B, and other underdevelopment 

missions like PROBA 3 and PROBA V. 

All this has been achieved with the participation of 18 

ESA Member States, Canada as Associate Member 

State and an annual budget of ~80 M€. 



→ SummArY 

of AChievemenTS 

& ChAllenGeS 


→ GSTP ACTiviTieS CloSeD in 2011 

In 2011, 57 activities were completed, achieving the technology developments 

originally targeted. Some examples of the last achievements are presented hereafter. 

With the participation of Norway and Greece 2008 - 2011 

> Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Stack 

> FCV Engineering Model undergoing vibration testing 

> Picture of the cathode of a typical cell in the active part of 

the stack 

With the participation of Denmark 2008-2011 

> 10 W and 50 W planar transformers mounted on the test rig. 


high Temperature fuel Cells 

The reversible fuel cell system shows great potential for replacing batteries in 

some space related energy storage systems like exploration missions. For 

application on Mars, the reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) with carbon 

monoxide (CO), CO and oxygen (O ), as the energy carrying elements, is one of the 

2 2 

most promising technologies. CO is easily available on the planet as a component 

2 

in the atmosphere and can be easily split into the required reactants CO and O by 2 

means of solid oxide electrolysis in the SOFC. 

The objective of this activity was to manufacture a Breadboard Demonstrator of a 

High Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) after modification of terrestrial fuel 

cell units, to solve the construction material incompatibility with reactants like 

pure carbon monoxide (CO). 

During this activity continuous operation on CO for 1000 hours without significant 

degradation and no change in the stack performance was achieved, and the 

highest power obtained was 182 W on 35 cells. High operation temperature (> 

900oC) was required to avoid deposition of carbon, to get high power density and 

better tolerance for H S poisoning. For this high operation temperature, ceramic 

2 

interconnects were used. Traditional Sr or Ca doped lanthanum chromite with up 

to 20 % doping could operate with up to 90 % CO as long as the production 

quality was maintained. Finally, traditional Ni/ Yttrium Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) 

were used as anode materials. The new ceramic anode materials required 

improved current collection before they could be used in an application. 

Even if the activity’s focus was on applications for Mars, such system may be very 

relevant for buffering of renewable energy here on earth, by using biofuel as 

reactant in combination with air as oxidant. As a result of this activity, the high 

temperature SOFC technology is ready to be tested in a reversible closed loop 

system including both fuel cell mode and electrolysis. 

Study, Development and verification of a Planar 

Transformer 

The goal of this activity was the production of a family of cost- and weightcompetitive 

planar transformers according to ESA standards of design and 

manufacture. This was one of the first attempts in Europe to qualify such a product 

for power applications. 

Miniaturisation can be achieved by using lower profile cores than conventional 

wound transformers. Planar transformers tend to have higher surface-to-volume 

giving a higher power density. Planar transformers have very interesting electrical 

characteristics for many DC/DC converters: compactness, repetitiveness, accurate 

control of technical parameters and low leakage inductance. 

Three transformers in different size (10 W, 50 W and 100 W, two of which are 

presented), with different winding technologies and for different converter 

topologies, were designed, built and tested. The planned standard tests were 

extended with experiments and additional pre-qualification tests to ensure a 

successful qualification. 

The results has been successful since the prototypes have proven a very good 

overall performance. The design process has been established and all necessary 

materials and tools have been identified. The second phase with the objective to 

qualify the process for producing planar transformers for power range of 10 W to 

500 W (whereas the current maximum power is 100 W) started in 2012 also 

funded by GSTP and is foreseen to be finished during 2013.

memS rate Sensor Phase 2 

The developments in the area of MEMS rate sensors have reached the stage where 

they are of interest for use in space. The goal of this activity (Phase 1,2 &3) is to 

develop a very low mass, low power and low recurrent cost 3-axis rate 

measurement sensor for space use based on terrestrial MEMS technology, provided 

that the envisaged methods of performance enhancement and radiation hardening 

of the electronics can be demonstrated to work. 

During Phase 1, which was completed in 2007, a MEMS detector to support this 

concept was successfully designed, prototyped and tested, and an Electronic 

Breadboard of the critical elements, primarily the analogue/front-end/timing 

circuits, was developed. 

Phase 2 has successfully completed the following activities: 

• Design of 3-axis MEMS gyro using the concepts demonstrated in Phase 1. 

• Design, build and test of a flight prototype within 12 months of unit level 

PDR. This was successfully integrated onto Cryosat-2, providing valuable inorbit 

experience and test data. 

The final unit level activity within Phase 2 of the MRS development was the build 

and test of an Engineering Qualification Model (EQM). A major activity was 

performed at detector level to update the Phase 1 prototype design, build and test 

a batch of Flight Model prototype detectors. This was successfully completed with 

Phase 2 detector being incorporated into the first build of the EQM. 

Phase 2 will be followed by Phase 3 funded by TRP and EOEP. The MEMS Rate 

Sensor has been selected to be part of Sentinel 3-A and B. 

Adaptive Digital Beam forming Techniques for GnSS 

receivers (ADiBeAm) 

The ADIBEAM project aimed at providing high accuracy ground stations, in order 

to meet the navigation accuracy and integrity demanded by Galileo and its future 

evolution. 

During this activity emphasis was given to the design of an antenna array based 

on a planar rectangular deployment of micro-strip elements. The proposed array 

configuration was a 2-dimensional array of 6x6 elements, as this was considered 

a feasible and ready to-use solution for practical implantation thanks to the 

reproducibility of antenna conditions, ease of calibration and manufacturing. 

An online (and real-time) calibration mechanism was introduced aiming to 

compensate the spurious differences between the radiating elements and receiver 

channels from their nominal parameters. The proposed mechanism allows for the 

simultaneous operation of the GNSS receiver and the calibration. 

Robust digital beamforming techniques were proposed, able to cope with the 

residual perturbations and the particular difficulties associated with the signal 

scenario in ground stations. 

Different deterministic and adaptive beamforming solutions were assessed and 

additional improvements in the state of the art of beamforming algorithms applied 

on GNSS were proposed. On the one hand a deterministic approach based on an 

iterative procedure (DET) was presented. The proposed beamformer provided a 

high flexibility in terms of array gain vs. sidelobe attenuation trade-offs and the 

possibility of tailoring the beam pattern to specific scenarios. On the other hand an 

adaptive beamformer based on the Iterative Adaptive Approach (IAA) approach 

was proposed. Differently from other adaptive beamformers presented in the 

literature, a robust beamformer able of efficiently managing coherent signals was 

proposed. IAA was able of cancelling multipath components with deep attenuation 

levels. 

With the participation of Belgium 2007 - 2011 

> Inside view of MEMS rate sensor 

> Experimental MEMS rate Gyro aboard Cryosat- 2 

With the participation of Spain and Germany 2009 - 2011 

> ADIBEAM GNSS ground tracking station Beam Former 


→ GSTP ACTiviTieS iniTiATeD in 2011 

During 2011 81 activities were initiated under the frame of the GSTP. 

Highlights are presented. 

With the participation of Switzerland, France and Norway 

> Next Generation Radiation Monitor device 

With the participation of of Belgium, United Kingdom, Austria, Czech 

Republic, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and France 

With the participation of Germany, France, Luxemburg and Czech Republic 

> 8 channel ADS-B receiver which is the baseline for the IOD space design. 


next Generation radiation monitor (nGrm) 

Spacecrafts are exposed to a complex radiation environment which is 

highly variable and at times very strong. Some space system failures and 

disturbances in recent years have been concluded to be due to radiationinduced 

malfunction of critical electronic parts. 

The aim of the activity is to make the necessary developments to create 

a general-purpose standard low-mass device suitable for most space 

radiation environments and with capabilities beyond those presently 

available. 

The NGRM instrument will provide measurements of the energy spectra 

and temporal variations of energetic protons and electrons encountered 

in space, with some additional sensitivity to ions. It is a follow-on and 

improvement to the previous ESA Standard Radiation Environment 

Monitor (SREM) project.. 

Decision Support and real Time earth observation 

Data management (DreAm) 

This technology development project will address the architecture and 

interfaces of the Payload Data Ground Segment needed to streamline 

the feasibility analysis, planning, ordering and access to ESA and third 

party missions Earth Observation (EO) products for two European 

institutions: the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the 

European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC) . 

The project aims to support all the issues which arise when a decision 

process on the side of the user, needs to exploit information based on 

EO data from multiple missions including high resolution commercial 

optical ones. The project will as well identify and collect desirable 

requirements over sensor, missions and data provision such as additional 

radar data for EMSA and in particular optical high resolution data for 

EUSC. Finally the project will demonstrate possible interfaces and 

components within the multi mission ground segment infrastructure in 

support to end-to-end scenarios. 

Space based ADS-B Payload Development for Air 

Traffic Surveillance 

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) are signals 

broadcasted by an aircraft on a regular basis at low L-band frequencies 

with a power of up to several hundred Watts. The signal includes flight 

related information such as position, speed, flight number and direction. 

Compared to a radar, the ADS-B offers more precision and additional 

services, such as weather and traffic information. This information is also 

available in areas not covered by radar, for example over oceanic 

airspace. 

The goal is to develop a space-based ADS-B receiving system and to 

demonstrate its functionality under representative space environmental 

conditions in orbit, compliant to requirements defined for spacecraft 

units and experimental payloads. 

The ADS-B IOD payload will consist of two main subsystems: a 

dedicated antenna and a receiver unit.

non-Conventional Carbon nanotube Skeleton reinforced 

Composites follow on (nACo2) 

NACO2 aims at manufacturing and characterising unambiguously the most 

promising materials identified within NACO (2007-2010). The main objective of 

NACO2 is to scale-up the material developments and thereby increase the 

technology maturity for Carbon Nanotube (CNT) skeleton based ceramic and 

polymer composites. 

As a first step the manufacturing routes for the CNT-skeletons alone will be 

stabilised to provide to the composite developers raw material with well-defined 

and reproducible characteristics. In a second step the composite manufacturing 

processes will be further developed on sample level and in parallel the 

dimensions of the CNT-skeletons will be scaled-up to 0.lm x lm with thickness 

ranging from few tens of micrometres up to few centimetres. In a third step, the 

CNT reinforced composite manufacturing will be stabilised on scaled-up 

dimensions, suitable for manufacturing technological demonstrators. 

Feasibility for processing large CNT buckypapers has been demonstrated while 

the different composite developers have verified compatibility of their processes 

with the CNT skeletons. 

Advanced integration and Test Services 

A number of different Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) systems 

exist in industry (e.g. Columbus CGS system) and have been in operation 

for many years supporting ESA and National space programs. Some of them 

are reaching their end of life and need to be replaced with better performing 

systems using state of the art technology, enabling an augmented portfolio of 

functionality. 

The goal of this activity is to provide a new ground software product line with 

reusable services and building blocks, applicable for all new projects, reducing 

the cost and risk for system development and production, which will improve the 

system competences and will enable seamless transfer of mission information. 

During this activity software building blocks will be designed and developed in 

an open, collaborative environment using open source tools. The Agile process 

principle will be applied, which aims at reducing costly overheads. The procedure 

will be iterative and incremental, producing running software right from the 

beginning of the project. 

Design and Development of a reconfigurable Telemetry 

Transmitter for earth observation Satellites 

Recent years have witnessed the ever increasing demand for high data links rate 

for Earth Exploration missions driven by the adoption of high resolution sensors, 

like the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) or multi-spectral imagers. 

The main objective of this activity is to design and develop a flexible telemetry 

transmitter targeting Earth Observation missions and potentially Data Relay Satellite 

(DRS) applications implementing the ESA Serial Concatenated Convolutional 

Codes (SCCC) Standard . 

The major outcome will be a high rate TElemetry TRAnsmitter (TETRA) for the 

26 GHz band built around a frequency-independent digital baseband unit capable 

of serving a number of missions. The telemetry transmitter will be qualified to 

Engineering Qualified Model level, performing a complete test campaign. TETRA 

will enable data transmission from satellite to ground in Ka-Band and alternatively 

in X-Band. 

The digital core will have a high degree of flexibility in terms of supported alternative 

standard air interfaces and available data rates, enabling the transmission 

of information data rates between a minimum and at least 2Gbps per chain, i.e. 

single transmitter. Such flexibility will allow the digital core to meet the needs 

of several target missions. 

With the participation of Germany , Greece, Portugal and Austria 

> Doctor blade casting of CNT buckypaper, L) general view, R) 

SEM image of a cross section showing casting direction 

With the participation of Germany, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and 

Netherlands 

> AITS Demonstrator Controlling Flight Representative Launcher 

Hardware 

> Design of the Telemetry Transmitter 

With the participation of Germany 


→ GSTP mArkeT-orienTeD ACTiviTieS 

The Permanently Open Announcement of Opportunity supports the competitiveness of 

the European Industry, enhancing its position to face the worldwide space market in the 

near term. 

With the participation of Austria 2010 - 2011 

> Multi Chanel Protection Module board 

With the participation of Spain. 2009 - 2011 

> NEREO-ORFU: RF front-end and FPGA processor 

With the participation of Belgium. 2007 - 2011 

> ESA astronaut Frank de Winne testing the Wearable Augmented 

Reality (WEAR) 


Ao activities closed in 2011 

Generic Power Special Check out equipment (SCoe) 

Protection 

The Power SCOE tests and simulates the critical elements for the power system of 

a spacecraft. In order to protect the spacecraft from possible damage due to 

excessive voltages, currents or temperatures, the Power SCOE incorporates an 

independent protection facility which is implemented in a dedicated board called 

Multi Chanel Protection Module. 

This Multi-Channel Protection was “re-launched” to cope with future demanding 

requirements: Higher voltages, higher currents, more sections, more flexibility, 

smaller size and lower cost. At the same time new features were added such as 

smart diagnostic capabilities for documentation and quick analysis of events. Aside 

from the power protection functions the board integrates a vast amount of I/Ofunctions 

making it also a versatile data acquisition platform. 

The work carried out during this activity has succeeded in overcoming a long list of 

difficulties. The concept was successfully implemented in Galileo and Bepi Colombo 

SCOEs. 

nereo- next Generation equipment based on Global 

navigation Satellites System–reflections (GnSS-r) for eo 

NEREO stands for “Next generation Equipment based on GNSS-R for Earth 

Observation.” It represents a new generation of GNSS-R instruments developed for 

water surface height measurement, sea-state monitoring and soil moisture 

estimation. In order to increase significantly the number of reflections that can be 

used for processing, a main objective of this project has been to upgrade the design 

of the instrument so that it is capable of tracking not only GPS but also Galileo 

satellites. 

The instrument is basically composed of two subsystems, the Oceanpal Radio 

Frequency Unit (ORFU) and the Oceanpal Data Management Unit (ODMU). The ORFU 

made up the RF front-end and the host board, which deals with RF signal 

acquisition, sampling and initial processing. The ODMU is the processing unit of the 

instrument, where GNSS-R processing generates level 0 waveforms. The Field 

Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based solution provides scalability and versatility, 

together with the standalone capabilities of the different subsystems. 

werable Augmented reality (weAr) 

The purpose of this activity was the development of a wearable(mobile) system 

using the innovative virtualisation technology known as Augmented Reality (AR), 

targeting space and ground operations. 

WEAR is a wearable computer system that incorporates a head-mounted display 

over one eye to superimpose 3D graphics and data onto its wearer’s field of view. 

It supports crew members providing them with increased interaction capabilities, 

on-board item recognition and associated visual and aural information display and 

manipulation features. 

The Space configuration of the system was demonstrated in orbit late in 2009. The 

experiment was a success, providing very valuable feedback on the different 

technologies demonstrated through this project: Voice Recognition, Head Mounted 

Displays, Non-invasive Tracking Systems, Augmented Reality, Note Taking (audio and 

video) among others.

Ao activities initiated in 2011 

Development of a portable, integrated Point-of-Care 

Diagnostics Platform for multiplexed Assays 

Point-of-Care (POC) medical diagnostics have demonstrated significant utility 

in a variety of settings. Most relevant to ESA‘s immediate needs is the health 

monitoring of astronauts in space. 

The goal of this project is to demonstrate the technologies necessary for a 

Point-of-Care diagnostics platform for performing hematologic, clinical chemistry 

and immunological tests on whole blood. The resulting prototype will 

consist of a microfluidic disc, an instrument, reagents that perform a representative 

immunoassay and it will carry out the steps for a bead-based 

immunoassay with detection in a rotating flow channel. 

Three broad technologies must be integrated through this project to demonstrate 

a representative assay: bead-based immunoassays, centrifugal microfluidics, 

sensor technology and associated optics system. These must 

be brought together under unified instrument control. The default detection 

system will consist of a laser as an illumination source, an optical system 

consisting of custom and commercial-of-the-self components for delivering 

radiation to the disc and fluorescence from the disc and the silicon photomultiplier 

assembly with integrated filters. 

SArAS- fast Satellite Acquisition System 

Usually satellite positions can be calculated through the use of orbital propagators. 

These positions are then set in the initial pointing of dish antennas 

as an aid for fast acquisition. However, those techniques are generally 

designed for stable or final orbits, with decreasing precision in some critical 

scenarios where too much inherent uncertainty makes the estimation system 

less reliable. 

The main goal of this Announcement of Opportunity is to develop an acquisition 

aid system for large TTC antennas that can work at lower Signal to Noise 

Ratios (SNR) than current ones. SARAS project uses phased array antennas 

and digital signal processing in order to electronically get an estimate of the 

Telemetry signal’s direction of arrival with super-resolution algorithms. Such 

an estimate can be obtained in a relatively short time with acceptable accuracy 

even at low input SNR. 

This project will enable fast acquisition of satellites/launchers in Launch and 

Early Orbit Phase. It will allow to speed up the acquisition in operational 

stages of satellites in nominal orbits and to obtain the position of closely 

spaced satellites 

Advanced Particle filters 

The objective of this activity is the development of a family of advanced particle 

filters for chemical and electric propulsion, qualified for operation. The 

filters are developed for absolute ratings in the 2-20 μm range, and for the 

most commonly used gaseous and liquid propellants such as Xenon, Nitrogen, 

Hydrazine, MON/NTO, and High Performance Green Propellant (HPGP). 

The key technology behind the filter disk is MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical 

System). The MEMS technology enables manufacturing of well-defined miniature 

structures with extreme precision and repeatability. For the filter application, 

MEMS technology is ideally suited to manufacture millions of small 

channels, passages, holes, etc. in the micron scale with tight tolerances. 

Adding to the fact that manufacturing is highly automated and parallel (batch 

processing), the filters can be manufactured at reasonable cost. 

The activity is in its first phase during which gaseous particle filters should 

be built. The second phase of the activity will be dealing with particle filters 

for liquid propellants 

Gaseous particle filters are frequently used for pressurant gases on the high 

pressure side of liquid propulsion systems. The pressurants are normally helium 

or nitrogen. Other common applications are found in electric propulsion 

systems and cold gas systems using xenon, nitrogen and other inter gases 

as propellants. 

> Project concept of comsumable disk with reagent 

> Sketch of the SARAS system 

With the participation of Ireland 

With the participation of Spain 

With the participation of Sweden 

> Bread board model of a MEMS-based stacked-disk filter 


→ PerformAnCe enhAnCemenTS for TrACe 

GAS moniTorinG: AniTA2 

The atmosphere of manned spacecraft needs to be continuously 

monitored for harmful trace gases, for crew safety and health. In 

case of accidental release of harmful gaseous contaminants (large 

or small amounts), extreme off-gassing of materials or malfunctions 

in the air revitalization system, fast response by the astronauts 

is mandatory. The longer the mission duration, the more 

compulsory is the monitoring implementation. 

AniTA (Analysing interferometer for Ambient Air) was an 

optical based FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared ) monitoring system 

funded by GSTP with the participation of DE and NO, which 

was originally designed for a 10 days experiment on the Shuttle. 

ANITA was actually operated on ISS from September 2007 to 

August 2008. 

In 2009 with the participation of DE and NO, AniTA2 initial 

study-Phase 0 started, with the objective to critically review the 

complete ANITA system, draw the lessons learnt and initiate development 

of the second generation instrument. 

With the aim of improving the robustness and stability of ANITA, 

critical issues were identified and, modifications to hardware design 

and calibration models were proposed. A new design of the 

modulator drive for ANITA 2, able to cope with micro-vibrations 

was designed, developed and tested at breadboard level. 

I n a d d i t i o n t o i m p r o v i n g t h e r o b u s t n e s s a n d t h e s t a b i l i t yo f t h e 

instrument, the configuration of ANITA was critically reviewed and 

an updated configuration has been proposed. 

> Modulator Drive 

> ANITA 2 modulator drive 


> ANITA 2 overall instrument concept 

The gas cell is set as an optical bench and the overall optical design 

is modified. A separate fan system is used for air exchange in the gas 

cell. 

This updated configuration allows a 50% reduction of volume (1 

Middeck Locker for ANITA2 vs. 2 Middeck Lockers for ANITA) and 

mass of the ANITA instrument, as well as reduced power 

consumption without loss of performance. 

A methodology to increase the robustness of the ANITA calibration 

models was identified and validated on some of the gases contained 

in the ANITA2 target gases. In addition, transfer of calibration 

models from one instrument to another has been addressed. 

AniTA2 Development 

The initial study-Phase 0 was completed in 2011. A new development 

phase, Phase A, will be issued in the coming months. During 

this phase models and techniques for handling spectral line shape 

changes and variations will be optimized. A breadboard of the complete 

instrument will be produced and tested in terms of function 

and performance. Phase A will be followed by Phase B/C/D and 

Phase E. 

> Breadboard 

for ANITA2 

including blower for 

excitation with microvibrations 

> In addition to the 

modulator drive, a 

dedicated front-end-electronics 

(including basic 

control algorithms) was 

developed and manufactured 

in order to obtain 

a fully functional FTIR 

instrument at breadboard 

level.

→ Core TeChnoloGiCAl elemenTS for 

oPTiCAl ATomiC CloCkS 

ESA is enhancing its support to scientific and technological developments 

in key aspects of Optical Frequency Metrology and Optical 

Atomic Frequency Standards. This is with a view to applying these 

developments to meet future requirements of Space Missions, where 

the required levels of stability and accuracy exceed the theoretical 

limits of the highest performance microwave atomic clocks. Atomic 

Clocks in the optical domain have today already experimentally surpassed 

microwave clock performance both in fractional frequency 

instability and inaccuracy. 

The overall goal of the activity is the developmental support for the 

preparation of sub-system elements of an Optical Atomic Frequency 

Standard (OAFS), flight demonstrator, meeting a predefined specification 

and flight envelope in Space in the coming decade. 

The activity was formulated to be conducted in 3 phases. Phase 1 

was initiated in 2011 with two parallel contracts with the participation 

of DE, UK, IE, FR, AT and CH. 

Each contractor proposed a different implementation approach leading 

to a different frequency standard. The possibilities that are being 

considered are broadly divided into: 

(a) A laser cooled neutral atom (“Lattice Clocks”) 

(b) A single laser cooled trapped ion (“Ion Clocks”) 

Lattice Clocks offer the prospect of high frequency stability, as a 

consequence of their superior Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), over Ion 

Clocks at short timescales (1 second) whilst the single trapped ion, 

being essentially isolated from the surrounding environment represents, 

in principle and in practice, the most accurate optical frequency 

standard. The architecture and operation of a single ion 

lattice Clocks Approach 

> Neutral Strontium Lattice development 

> Compact Sr + Trap 

standard is the least complex of (a) and (b) above and, consequently, 

offers the prospect of the development of a more compact optical 

atomic frequency standard for space operation. 

It also offers the possibility to be even further simplified, and even 

scaled down from its current system dimensions, with the implementation 

of micro integration technology which has been developed 

in the micro-electronics industry. 

There are several sub-system elements that, in total, comprise a 

complete OAFS or clock technology and the exact description of 

these elements depends entirely on the clock (system) chosen. The 

key sub-systems of an Optical Atomic Clock include three principal 

elements: 

1. A Physics Package (PP) which will provide the trapped Ion/ 

Atom source (and isotope) and will thus define the interrogation 

wavelength 

After 

and 

the 

spectral 

successful 

conditions. 

flight qualification 

2. Cooling 

of 

& 

PLs 

auxiliary 

and manufacturing 

lasers, which will 

of the 

be developed with clear 

goals for the 

vehicle 

achievement 

subsystems, 

of an 

2010 

appropriate 

was 

spectral performance 

with optimization 

mainly 

for 

devoted 

the space 

to the 

environment. 

vehicle 

3. Ultra narrow 

integration 

linewidth, 

and equipment 

frequency stabilized Local Oscillator. 

In terms 

testing. 

of the probe laser development/Optical Local Oscillator 

(OLO), the principal challenges to be addressed are the achievement 

of ultra-narrow laser linewidth

→ noDDinG meChAniSm on The iSS 

A picture of our planet at night illuminates certain issues 

more than sunlight can. In fact, it is in the dark that our otherwise 

invisible impact suddenly becomes apparent: artificial 

light. A worldwide, high-resolution map of manmade light is 

a completely original concept, and would allow its effect on 

the environment to be examined in detail. 

Putting together this map from aboard the ISS is no small 

feat, however. The size of a football field, it travels at 7 km/s 

while continuously oscillating back and forth. In light of 

these extraordinary circumstances it followed that dedicated 

technology needed to be developed to obtain photographs 

without smear. 

With the support of GSTP and the participation of NL and 

DE, the Nodding Mechanism was developed to meet this 

need. Developed especially with ESA astronaut André Kuipers’ 

PromISS mission in mind, the Nodding Mechanism is 

an electro-mechanical system that lets the astronaut take 

exceptionally sharp pictures of the Earth at night from inside 

the ISS Cupola. A Nikon 3DS camera is mounted facing 

the down-looking window, and rotates to counteract the ISS’ 

orbital motion, allowing for a much longer integration time. 

Before the Nodding Mechanism, even the very best night 

pictures taken from the ISS could only boast resolutions of 

30-50m/pixel. Although still aesthetically pleasing, they are 

not of a high enough quality for scientific use due to the 

poor signal-to-noise ratio. This is because they are achieved 

by keeping integration times low (1/60s) while maximizing 

detector gain. To compare, the Nodding Mechanism is now 

being used to observe manmade structures (e.g. cities, roads, 

sea establishments), vegetation and volcanic activity, which 

it does at an unprecedented resolution of about 15m/pixel. 

In total, the Nodding Mechanism took less than 6 months 

to develop and was launched for the ISS on December 21st 

2011. It has two operating modes: automatic and manual. 

Automatic mode is designed to create super-resolution 

maps of the Earth’s night-time surface, while manual mode 

gives the astronaut the power to “point and shoot” at single 

targets seen from the Cupola’s nadir window. 


The Netherlands from the ISS 

They can do this because, aside from the three main pointing 

axes, the Nodding Mechanism was developed with an additional 

fourth axis to enable the camera to be directed at off-track sites. 

Among the targets captured are Amsterdam, London, Melbourne 

and Naples – Naples taken with an impressive shot of the Vesuvius 

Volcano. The European User Community Earth Observation 

of Nighttime Lighting is already delighted with the first Nodding 

Mechanism results, and is now looking forward to seeing an enhanced 

version capable of delivering even more valuable scientific 

returns. 

> The Nodding Mechanism installed on a mock-up of the European Cupola observatory

Europe seen by André Kuipers onboard 

the ISS 


→ AnnexeS 


→ Annex 1: liST of DoCumenTS To The 

inDuSTriAl PoliCY CommiTTee (iPC) 

→ iPC 263 – Paris, 26-27 January 2011 

• ESA/IPC(2011)100 -General Support Technology Programme-Period 5 Element 1- Status Report- Information Note I 

• ESA/IPC(2011)4 - Update of GSTP-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

→ iPC 264 – Paris, 22-23 march 2011 

• ESA/IPC(2011)43 - General Support Technology Programme-Period 3- Status Report- Information Note 

• ESA/IPC(2011)54 - Update of GSTP-5 Element-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 



• ESA/IPC(2011)4,add.1 - Update of GSTP-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

→ iPC 265 – vienna, 11-12 may 2011 

• ESA/IPC(2011)102 - General Support Technology Programme-Period 5 Element 2- Status Report- Information Note 

• ESA/IPC(2011)71 - General Support Technology Programme-Period 5 Element 3- Status Report- Information Note 

• ESA/IPC(2011)53 - GSTP-5 Element-3 Work Plan Update/Procurement Plan 

• ESA/IPC(2011)52, add.1 - Update of GSTP-5 Element-2 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 


• ESA/IPC(2011)4, add.2 - Update of GSTP-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

→ iPC 266– Paris, 29-30 June 2011 

• ESA/IPC(2011)76 - Cost Plans of on-going General Support Technology Programmes (GSTP) in preparation of draft budgets for 2012 


→ iPC 267 – Paris, 29-30 September 2011 

• ESA/IPC(2011)100 rev.1 - General Support Technology Programme-Period 5 Element 1- Status Report- Information Note 

• ESA/IPC(2011)5.add.3 - Update of GSTP-5 Element-1 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

• ESA/IPC(2011)4.add.3 - Update of GSTP-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 


→ iPC 268– Paris, 24-25 november 2011 

• ESA/IPC(2011)22 - General Support Technology Programme-Period -4 - Status Report 

• ESA/IPC(2011)71,rev.1 - General Support Technology Programme-Period -5 Element-3- Status Report 

• ESA/IPC(2011)102,rev.1 - General Support Technology Programme-Period -5 Element-2- Status Report 

• ESA/IPC(2011)4,add.4 - Update of GSTP-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

• ESA/IPC(2011)54,add.1 - Update of GSTP-5 Element-4 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

• ESA/IPC(2011)52,add.2 - Update of GSTP-5 Element-2 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

• ESA/IPC(2011)5.add.4 - Update of GSTP-5 Element-1 Work Plan/Procurement Plan 

→ Annex 2: 

2011 GSTP BuDGeT DiSTriBuTion BY 

ThemeS 

Generic 

Technologies 

44% 

Pilot Projects 

2% 

Space 

Transportation & 

Re-entry 

Technologies 

19% 

Earth Observation 

23% 

Science & Robotic 

Exploration 

4% 

Human 

Spaceflight 

8% 


→ Annex 3: ComPleTe liST of GSTP ACTiviTieS 

iniTiATeD in 2011 

ProG. referenCe ACTiviTY TiTle 

• AO06-05MT Development and Qualification of LHP2 based Heat Transport System (HTS) for LCT 

• AO06-10GS SARAS - Fast Satellite Acquisition System 

• AO06-11EE X-Band Downlink Antennas 

• AO06-12MP Advanced Particle Filters 

• AO06-13GS K-Band Ground Station LNA Development foe EO Missions 

• AO06-14GI SCOS-2000 Migration 

• AO06-15SE Earth Observation Based 2D Structural Parameters for 3D Virtual Landscape Reconstructions 

• AO06-16SW Generic Spacecraft Interfaces 

• AO06-18MM Development of a Portable, Integrated Point-of-Care Diagnostic Platform for Multiplexed Assays 

• G101-13MM New Radiometer for Optical Calibration 

• G213-17HF Prisma - Harvd Off-Line Experiment 

• G312-11MP Throttable Injector Technology Development - Phase 1A 

• G401-01MZ Cryosat Technology Development for Electrodynamic Heat Shield 

• G401-02MZ Shaker Test for Electrodynamic Heatshield (EDH) Cryosat Technology 

• G410-04MM High Speed Tunable Laser Interrogator for Spacecraft Health Monitoring 

• G511-008ET Integrated Tile Demonstrator 

• G511-024GR Decision Support and Real Time EO Data Management (DREAM) 

• G511-025GR EO Image Librarian (EOLIB) 

• G511-030GR Rapid Response Support Server “RARE” 

• G511-036ED Leon with Fast Fourier Transform Co-processor 

• G512-003EC Precise Gravitational Modelling of Planetary Moons and NEO Asteroids - COSMIC Vision TDP 

• G513-001MM Micro Laser Beam Scanner 

• G513-006MM Biochemical Analyser Technology (BIOCAT) 

• G513-012MM Enhanced Virtual Reality Stimulator 

• G513-024SW Authoring Environment for Interactive 3D Procedures 

• G513-046MC Melissa Genetic Characterisation Phase 3 

• G514-007MP ESPSS: European Space Propulsion System Simulation 

• G514-013MM Fibre Bragg Grating Experiment 

• G514-015QE Qualification of a New White Antistatic Coating for Thermal Protections of Launchers 



• G514-016MP Cryogenic Valve Sealing 

• G514-017MP Development and Commission of Mobile Propellant Analysis Capability 

• G517-002MM Piezo New Sources Materials, Piezoceramics Motor Qualification 

• G517-010MM Ground Control Station For Autonomy 

• G517-011SW Automatic Testing Improvement 

• G517-013SW On Board Operating System Upgrade for Leon 

• G517-014SW Qualification of xLuna Operating System 

• G517-024QM Joining of Composites Materials 

• G517-031QM Validation Testing of Glare 1 to Space Qualification Levels 

• G517-041SY Development and Validation of a Generic System of Systems Concurrent Engineering Model 

• G517-048ED High Reliability COTS based Computer Step 2 (Prototyping and Validation) 

• G517-050QC Establishment of a Commercial GaN Epitaxial Production Facility in Europe 

• G517-065MC Automated Layup of Thermoplastic Composites for Space Applications 

• G517-083GI Integrated Development and validation Environment for Operations Automation (IDEA) 

• G517-088MM Development of Core Technological Elements in Preparation for Future Optical Atomic Frequency 

• G517-092EC Astro-Aps Productionisation 

• G517-094EP Towards Performance Guaranteed Substrates 

• G517-099STb National Technology Transfer Initiative (NTTI) Austria 

• G517-107MM Development of Quality Evaluation Methods for Calomel Optical Elements 

• G517-112ST REDU Incubation Centre 

Standards (OAFS) and Clocks (OACs) in Space (Phase1) (2 parallel contracts) 

• G517-113EC Reaction Wheel Industrialisation 

• G522-001SW Requirement and I/F Definition for Future OBCP Building Block (2 parallel contracts) 

• G522-002SW On-Board Software Reference Architecture Consolidation (2 parallel contracts) 

• G522-006SW Advanced Integration and Test Services 

• G523-005ET Design and Development of a Reconfigurable Telemetry Transmitter for Earth Observation Satellites 

• G523-006EE Next Generation Radiation Monitor (NGRM) 

• G525-002EP Qualification and Life Testing of a SAFT LI Ion Battery based on a new Small Capacity Cell 

• G527-001MC Highly Efficient Stand Alone LHP based Radiator System 

• G528-001MS Development and Qualification of a European Pin Puller 

• G531-008EE FMP Breadboard Digital Processor Unit 

• G533-002EE EUV Solar Imager for Operations (ESIO) 

• G533-007EE Particle Trajectory Analyser Phase A/B 2010 GSTP5 E3 Batch 2 2010 GSTP5 E3 Batch 2 



• G533-010EE Next Generation Space Environment Information System 

• G533-016EC Orbit Propagation Algorithm for the Space Situation Awareness 

• G542-001SY Space-based ADS-B Payload Development for Air Traffic Surveillance 

• G601-01MP Multi-physics Valve Model 

• G601-69EC Second Generation APS improvements for flexible Low Cost and Mass Sensors (LCMS2) 

• G601-84MT Life-Test of Two-Phase Ammonia Mechanical Pump Driven Loop Critical Components 

• G606-15GS All European Masers 

• G608-27QC Adhesive Sealed sensor Reliability and Test 

• G608-31QT Non-Conventional Carbon Nanotube Skeleton Reinforced Composites Follow-on (NACO2) 

• G609-61MM Adaptive deformable mirrors for Space Instruments 

• G609-66MM Bimorph Adaptive Large Optical Mirror Demonstrator 

• G609-74MM Validation and Qualification of an Europeanized KARMA 4 Series Solar Array Drive 

• G609-75SY ColAIS Ops and Maintenance (FFI) 

• G609-76MP Lifetime Improvement of RIT Type Mini Ion Engines 

• G703-07ST Belgium TTP Platform 2011-WO7 

• G511-023GR Automatic, Semantic Image Information Mining from Time Series of HR/VHR Images (ASIM) Project 

• G104-47GD Near Real Time GEO Annotated Images (NGI) 

• G514-012SN Advanced Self-blocking Electro-Mechanical System Development and Ground-to-Flight Qualification 

• G544-005IN Space Station Precursor Technology Initiative: Nodding Mechanism 

• G517-113TF Development and enhancement of the key generic components of the SGEO Platform 


• olutions

→ Annex 4: ComPleTe liST of GSTP 

ACTiviTieS CloSeD in 2011 


• A19.MMM-001 Development of Optically Blind Detectors: BOLD 

• AO06-08EP Generic Power SCOE Protection 

• AO61-01MM High-Brightness Pump Laser Technology 

• AO63-01SW WEarable Augmented Reality (WEAR) 

• AO66-10EP Design and development of commercial low power system and related flexible PCV 

• AO67-01ST Spacecraft Training Center 

• AO67-03ST Germanium Pixel Detector 

• AO81-03ET NEREO- Next generation equipment based on GNSS-R for Earth Observation 

• FF05-07MP Development of a Miniaturised Xenon Flow Control System for Mini-Ion Engines 

• G103-05ET Adaptive digital beamforming techniques for GNSS receivers (ADIBEAM) 

• G103-38ED CCSDS Image Compression ASIC 

• G213-16HF Multi-Purpose Vision-based Navigation Sensor Architecture Definition 

• G304-04MC Performance enhancements for trace gas monitoring (ANITA II) 

• G308-11MM Development of single-walled sapphire cartridge 

• G401-03MC Surface Protected Flexible Insulation (SPFI) 

• G402-05MM Electric Actuators for Fluid Control in Launch Vehicles 

• G408-12AO LTAS-KIT: TM avionics sub-system kit for TM transmission via satellite links for launch vehicle 

applications (phase C/D) 

• G517-045EC Extension/Deployment of the European Mathematical NLP Solver 

• G532-003GR SSA Radar and Optical Sensor Data Fusion for Orbit Determination of GTO and GEO Objects 

• G601-04MC Thermal model reduction tool 

• G601-09EM Data exchange methods for Space Environment Effects tools 

• G601-48MC Advancement of multi-functional support structure technologies 

• G601-73MP Experimental Evaluation of MEMS-Based Micropropulsion for Future Missions 

• G601-75MP Development of a Low Thrust Bipropellant Thruster based on Green Propellant (Phase 1) 

• G601-82MM Development of Advanced Bellows for Chemical Propulsion Components 

• G601-83MP Latch Valve Development 

• G602-08MP Modular and Multi-Application Plasma Diagnostic Package (MMPDP) 

• G603-46EC GNC Development Environment (GNCDE) 

• G603-46ED Advanced Flexible I/O System 

• G604-11EP Study, Development & Verification of a Planar Transformer 



• G604-25EP Improved Ge wafer technology for Multi-junction solar cells 

• G607-14EM Taxonomy of system FDIR principles and development process 

• G607-16ED Advanced Robust Processing Architecture (ARPA) Modular Architecture for Robust Computing ``MARC`` 

• G608-03QM High conductivity carbon fibre reinforced polymers 

• G608-13ES ASICs for space fabricated with DARE library 

• G608-24QC Space Qualification of High Q Micromachined Planar Filter Component (SQUAMFIC) 

• G609-034EP Engineering/Qualification Model (EQM) qualification of Generic Mechanism Controller (GMC) electronics 

• G609-21MM Advanced Slip-Ring Solutions 

• G609-37EE Terahertz Camera for Remote Detection of Material Defects and Biological and Chemical Substances 

• G609-38MM Stepper Motor for Space Actuator Applications 

• G609-46MC Exchange of TMG Thermal Models via STEP-TAS 

• G609-49MM Large Format SWIR Focal Plane Array 

• G609-54MP Ceramic Chambers for High Power Electric Propulsion 

• G609-56EE Basic active Array Antenna Module for Meolut applications 

• G609-65MP Experimental Investigation of Key Technologies for a Turbine based Combined Airbreather-Rocket Engine: PHASE I 

• G609-69EE Simulator for EMC Analysis at System Level 

• G609-70QI Exploitation of the Data Collected during the ATV Re-entry Observation Campaign 

• G609-72SY Enabling Technologies for Space Situation Awareness (SSA) 

• G703-01PT Support to space technology transfer - Finland 

• G703-07ST Belgium TTP Platform 

• G408-10MP EXPERT Advanced in-Flight Test Measurement Techniques for Plasma Characterization 

• NP10-08EP Qualification of RTV-S690 silicone adhesive for the solar cell cover-glassing 

• NP10-10MP Spark Plug Development for Next Generation Liquid Propulsion 

• NP20-03EP High Temperature Fuel Cells 

• NP20-05EP Digital Control for power management 

• NP30-06SY Mission and Payload accommodation Analysis for European Space-Based Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance 

System 

• T603-10ES, 

B33.ESC-200 MEMS rate sensor development Phase 2 


GENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS 

































ENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE 


ENERAL SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME: ENABLING ACTIVITIES OF ESA & NATIONAL PROGRAMMES - SUPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS 









































UPPORTING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - FOSTERING INNOVATION - ENHANCING EUROPEAN NON-DEPENDENCE

GSTP Participating States 

Austria 

Belgium 

Czech Republic 

Denmark 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Ireland 

Italy 

Luxembourg 

Netherlands 

Norway 

Portugal 

Spain 

Sweden 

Switzerland 

United Kingdom 

Canada 

Copyright 2012 © European Space Agency

→ GSTP ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - ESA

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