High dynamic range panchromatic detector pre-development

European Space Agency (ESA) - Directorate of EO Programmes

Published: Feb 27, 2025

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Source: ESA - European Space Agency

This tender has been awarded

The contracting authority has selected an awardee for this tender.

About This Opportunity

Award notice from European Space Agency (ESA) - Directorate of EO (International) — High dynamic range panchromatic. ICT & digital. Estimated value EUR 500K.

This is a services contract in the information and communication technology sector. Located in International, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums, with an estimated budget of EUR 500,000.

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 contract has already been awarded. The information is published for transparency and market intelligence purposes.

Description

In the frame of the call for Earth Explorer 12 mission ideas, the Global Assessment of Limnological, Estuarine and Neritic Ecosystems (GALENE) was proposed as candidate mission. The mission aims to improve knowledge of the dynamics and processes of aquatic ecosystems with a particular focus on the carbon cycle, biodiversity, and water quality. GALENE addresses a critical gap in the observation of coastal and inland waters with a spatial resolution optimised to meet user requirements. Following the evaluation, the AdvisoryCommittee for Earth Observation strongly commended GALENE for its high scientific interest, while further developments need to be undertaken to mature some technologies. Within the GALENE's payload, the panchromatic instrument PAN, designed for daytime and nighttime observations, stands out as a valuable addition to the upcoming satellite suite, potentially fulfilling a strong multi-user needbeyond the aquatic science community. The key challenges to enable such observations are related to the capability of the detector to measure both daytime and nighttime radiances. This requires high sensitivity and low noise detector, with an extremely large dynamic range covering more than 7 orders of magnitude. The observation concept requires a specific detector architecture providing verylow read-out noise, multiple gain and time-delay-integration capability. While existing panchromatic detectors can feature some of these technologies, none can provide all and reach the performance required for high sensitivity and very large dynamic range. The proposed pre-development aims at putting together all these existing features in a single chip, for which the preliminary requirements are derived from GALENE's observation concept.

The objective of the detector pre-development activity is therefore to design, manufacture and test a detector demonstrator. While not fully representative in size of the future imaging sensor, the test chip will specifically address the main functions to meet the required radiometric performances.

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from ESA - European Space Agency and was originally published on February 27, 2025. Last refreshed 6 days ago. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About European Space Agency (ESA) - Directorate of EO Programmes

European Space Agency (ESA) - Directorate of EO Programmes has issued 107 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 5 currently open and 82 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Information & Communication Technology and Environment & Climate. Tenders span 3 countries including Poland, Spain, and Italy. Notices are distributed via ESA - European Space Agency. Most recent publication: May 1, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

What is the estimated budget?

The estimated contract value is From €500,000. Bidders should ensure their proposals are consistent with this range and account for any local taxes and contract execution costs.

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.

Is this tender still open?

No — the contracting authority has selected an awardee for this notice. The record is kept for transparency and market intelligence.

Who is the contracting authority?

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

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.