2024.11.22: Today, SpacePNT won a competitive contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for a project called “Robust Timing And Synchronization Techniques For Secure Communications”, aiming at developing a more robust timing subsystem targeting notably LEO satellite constellations providing secure communications, but also possibly MEO/GEO satellites.
Background: Governmental communications make use of secured waveforms, which implement modern techniques like frequency hopping or direct sequence spread spectrum, and require a high level of performance for modem and network synchronization. Current on-board synchronization technologies based on quartz oscillators do not provide the required timing accuracy and robustness for such critical missions. The use of local oscillators disciplined to GNSS can achieve such performance requirements, but it can be subject to attacks such as GNSS jamming, deteriorating their performance. There is thus a need for more robust, high performance time synchronization for secured communications.
As part of this ESA project, SpacePNT as prime contractor together with its subcontractor REDS at HEIG-VD, will further improve its proprietary spaceborne NaviLEOTMGNSS receiver technology to provide a robust timing and frequency solution on-board the satellites even in GNSS denied environment, and build and test a breadboard prototype encompassing all critical components of the equipment to demonstrate its performance.
