GT17-883GS ALL-DIGITAL GROUND STATION

European Space Agency (ESA)

Published: Jun 10, 2026

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

About This Opportunity

This is a services contract in the information and communication technology sector. Located in International, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums.

Published through ESA - European Space Agency, a multilateral development bank that follows standardized international procurement guidelines. Projects funded by multilateral institutions are generally open to international bidders from eligible member countries for services in the information and communication technology sector. Service contracts are typically evaluated on both technical quality and price, and may require bidders to demonstrate relevant experience and qualified personnel. This is an advance notice — the formal tender is expected to be published shortly. Interested parties can use this time to prepare documentation and identify potential partners.

Description

The signal processing approach of satellite ground station back-ends is undergoing a major conceptual changeworldwide: instead of processing the signal in the back-end in the classical way with a dedicated up-/ downlinkchain, there is the more flexible approachof sampling the signal directly before transmission / after reception. Thisstep also includes the up- and down-conversion. Thereafter the data is transferred via the network using theDigital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability (DIFI) protocol and processed on a Software Defined Radio (SDR)platform (instead of a classical modem). Commercialisation of this concept is on-going on both sides: the classicalmodem/back-end providers and the providers of commercial satellite ground station services. For the latter one,the high flexibility, the easy scalability and the interoperability are only some of the key advantages. For all sidesadvantageous isthe high degree of modularity, that can be achieved with an all-digital ground station. This allows,to program dedicated modules for dedicated satellite missions, which can then be plugged into any ground station,without changing hardware components, just simply by a software update. The use of the open DIFI standardinstead of other proprietary protocols also helps avoid vendor lock-in by allowing systems from different vendorsto communicate with each other. The open DIFI standard can also be a door-opener for new andexisting vendorsto offer COTS components with the option to include custom developments according to customer requests.Furthermore, the signal digitisation right at the beginning allows for much more flexibility in terms of processing.For example, the processing could even be split between a COTS SDR and a custom developed SDR part (e.g.for a dedicated mission need(s)). This allows to take profit of low-cost COTS developments, while still maintainingall the dedicated custom developed functionalities in a separate SDRsystem. Moreover, the given flexibility of anall-digital ground station is much larger than only this and this activity will assess additional possibilities which anall-digital ground station could provide. Additionally, it will also show in which areas there are still limitations toovercome.This activity is complementary to the TDE activity, T712-703GS - Ground Station Backend Architecture with High-Rate Sampling and Software Defined Radio, for a very limited all digital ground station.

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from ESA - European Space Agency and was originally published on June 10, 2026. Last refreshed 3 days ago. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About European Space Agency (ESA)

European Space Agency (ESA) has issued 555 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 204 currently open and 138 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Information & Communication Technology, Transport & Logistics, and Environment & Climate. Tenders span 9 countries including Denmark, Czech Republic, and Austria. Notices are distributed via ESA - European Space Agency. Most recent publication: June 10, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

What type of contract is this?

This is a Services contract in the Information & Communication Technology sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in International. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit ESA - European Space Agency to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions provided by the contracting authority.

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by European Space Agency (ESA) in International. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.