Nuevas Topologías Compactas de Filtros y Multiplexores en Guía de Onda para Aplicaciones Espaciales

Título del proyecto: Nuevas Topologías Compactas de Filtros y Multiplexores en Guía de Onda para Aplicaciones Espaciales
Entidad financiadora: CICYT (Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología)
Ref. TEC2007-67630-C03-01/TCM
Entidades participantes: Grupo de Aplicaciones de Microondas (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), Grupo de Electromagnetismo aplicado a las Telecomunicaciones (Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena)
Duración: 13/12/2007 – 12/12/2010
Investigador responsable: Dr. Vicente E. Boria Esbert (Coordinador)
Número de investigadores participantes: 18 (Subproyecto Grupo de Aplicaciones de Microondas), 26 (Proyecto)

Abstract: Space communication systems typically give support to very different services, such as broadcasting of multimedia contents (ARTEMIS), remote sensing applications (ENVISAT), environment and security (GMES) and localization and navigation systems (GALILEO and GPS). The increasing requirements of these satellite systems, e.g. connectivity and accessibility levels, as well as coverage, precision and reliability, are involving higher frequency carriers and number of channels, larger bandwidths and high power capability. This means new and great scientific, technological and industrial challenges related to the future implementation of next generation payloads of satellites. This coordinated project is mainly aimed at answering to such challenges. As a consequence of the needs reported by the most relevant national (Alcatel Alenia Space, RYMSA, EADS-CRISA and AURORA SAT) and European (TESAT-SPACECOM y COM DEV) companies of the space sector, who actively support the realization of this project, the complete technological development of new passive components and subsystems (essentially filters and multiplexing networks) of future communication payloads will be investigated. Therefore, the main aim of this project is the proposition of novel topologies (in waveguide and printed technologies) of such passive components and subsystems, which must accomplish with the particular requirements of the space sector, as well as the design, manufacturing and experimental verification of breadboards. The design of such new components will need of accurate simulation software (either commercial or developed in-house), of synthesis algorithms and automated design strategies, as well as of tools for performance evaluation, to be developed in the frame of this project. With the objective of transferring the new developed passive components and subsystems to the industrial partners, several breadboards and practical demonstrators will be manufactured and measured in the experimental facilities of the research teams. In this context, and together with the help and support of the European Space Agency (ESTEC/ESA), one of such experimental facilities will be updated with measurement capabilities of RF discharge effects (multipactor and corona) and non-linear effects (passive intermodulation) typically present in space systems. The high scientific and technological level of this project will also help to prepare highly qualified personnel and researchers for the competitive space sector.