[Ground-station] ESA/AMSAT-DL initiative for geostationary amateur payloads + ORI invited to present and participate

[Michelle Thompson]

Greetings all!

Please read, weigh, and consider. Comment and critique welcome and
appreciated. If you would like to help us be a successful part of this
program, then sign up for one of the tasks outlined below and let's get to
work.

ORI has been invited to participate, and present at the symposium, in an
ESA/AMSAT-DL workshop on 19 September 2025. This workshop will focus on
work made possible through the ARES Future Preparation Program “Future
Amateur Geostationary Payload Definition” from the European Space Agency.
There’s a substantial article in the March 2025 issue of AMSAT-DL Journal
(ESA: Konzepte für zukünftige geostationare Amateurfunknutzlasten, which is
Concepts for Future Geostationary Amateur Radio Payloads).

ORI received proposal documents in email as well.
Here is the full outline of the objectives and scope of the work, edited by
Peter Gülzow of AMSAT-DL:

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background and Objective(s)
1.1.1 Background

ESA has been approached by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)
with the request to support the definition of a geostationary amateur
satellite radio payload. AMSAT-DL was contracted by ESA for the
“requirements consolidation and mission concepts for future geostationary
amateur payload” study.

Currently, the amateur satellite radio community benefits from a satellite
communications payload that is hosted on the Es’hail-2 satellite since
2018, known as QO-100. This payload is the world’s first amateur satellite
payload in geostationary orbit and has a footprint from Brazil to Indonesia
in S- and Ku-Bands. The payload was built by Mitsubishi in Japan with
design lead by the German satellite community and with support from the UK
amateur satellite community and others.

This geostationary amateur satellite payload gave an enormous boost to
amateur satellite activity in higher frequency bands. The payload has
attracted many young people to satellite communications. Various
experiments have been performed that have generated spin-off into
commercial applications.
While the current payload on Es’hail-2 is in good health since 2018 (15
years with designed lifetime) and is still very relevant, IARU and the
Executive are of the opinion that this payload deserves follow up.

Therefor ESA proposed – in collaboration with the international amateur
satellite community united in IARU – to investigate the feasibility of
designing, developing, hosting and operating an even more advanced amateur
satellite payload on another geostationary satellite. This payload could
then be built by a European prime and hosted on a European operator
platform.

Such a future payload would spur innovations in the field of satellite
communications and explore and characterise higher frequency bands such as
the 47 GHz, 77 GHz and 122 GHz bands, which are allocated to the amateur
satellite service on a primary basis. The above frequency bands are very
close to commercial FSS, MSS and intersatellite bands, therefore the
development of an amateur satellite payload would have its spin-off into
future commercial equipment developments.

Experiments with such a payload would include exploring future satellite
communication protocols, IoT technologies, the use of inter-satellite links
between LEO and GEO amateur payloads and experimenting with novel on-board
processing. Many of the above experiments will then be performed (“for
free”) by radio amateurs and have spin-off into the commercial satellite
industry, as proven by the experience with Es’hail-2.

The coverage of the payload should be such that in particular European and
Canadian radio amateurs will benefit, not precluding any international
collaboration with other radio amateurs. Such a geostationary satellite can
also play an important role in emergency communications in the event of
natural disasters.

ESA proposed that this activity could be implemented by a combination of
internal, industrial, and amateur efforts, all within the financial
envelope as indicated.The activity shall consolidate requirements from the
amateur and commercial satellite industry, trade-off several payload
options, address the future user segment, develop scenarios on how to
finance, procure and operate such a payload, and investigate hosting
opportunities on geostationary platforms.

The duration of the work shall not exceed 9 months from kick-off to the end
of the activity (delivery of Final Report or Hardware or Software).

1.1.2 Objective and Scope of the Activity

The general objective of the activity is to support the satellite amateur
community in the definition of a future geostationary payload for amateur
satellite use. In more detail the objectives are to:

• Collect lessons learned from the existing geostationary amateur payload,
ground- and user segment

• Collect requirements for a future mission supported by an amateur
geostationary payload, ground- and user segment

• Solicit novel concepts from the amateur community for payload, ground-
and user segment

• Provide a forum to the amateur community to participate in trade-off
discussions, including a one-day workshop in Europe

• Detail 3 to 4 justified mission options

ESA will further use these justified mission options for a follow-up
activity to design the payload.

2 WORK TO BE PERFORMED

2.1 Tasks
2.1.1 Task 1: Satellite amateur requirements – preparation

This task will prepare to engagement with the satellite amateur community.
This task shall:

o Identify those parties and stakeholders which need to be reached out to,
and
establish a system to keep track of their data and consultations

o Establish a planning for reaching out, event attendance and other actions

o Provide background and briefing material on this initiative which can be
used in communication with individuals, AMSAT and other amateur satellite
organisations.

o Prepare consultation material, and establish criteria for trading-off the
future responses and ideas on future satellite amateur mission(s)

o As a minimum the following stakeholders shall be consulted:

:black_small_square: all national, European and Canadian amateur satellite
organisations and
the communities they represent

:black_small_square: active individual amateurs satellite users and
designers

:black_small_square: the SDR community active in amateur satellite domain
(Gnuradio
Europe/U.S, FOSDEM, ...)

:black_small_square: Initiatives such as ORI, Phase4, ..) and assess their
relevance and possible
options for cooperation – and include them as stakeholders

o Establish a website or forum to disseminate the initiative, provide
guidance for input, collect suggestions, proposals and facilitate
discussions between various stakeholders.

• Output

o Website

o Database or Excel with all stakeholders

o Background and briefing material

o Planning

2.1.2 Task 2: Amateur satellite requirements solicitation and
consolidations

This task shall reach out to the stakeholders which have been identified in
task 1. This task shall:

o Solicit from above entities:

:black_small_square: Lessons learned

• Lessons learned from QO-100, its capabilities, its ground- and user
segment proposals, the operations and management

:black_small_square: Ideas and suggestions for a future amateur satellite
mission with a
geostationary payload, including its ground- and user segment, with a
request to address specifically:

• Technical aspects

o The overall satellite mission

o Frequency bands

o Beams and geographical coverage aspects

o Considerations on the analog and/or digital nature of the
payload

o Possible use of on-board SDRs/Linux/GPU-boxes

o Possible virtualisation mechanisms/containers in space

o Possible applications that a payload could support e.g.
messaging, IoT, M17, DVB-S2x or 5G-NTN/TN

o The required ground segment (beacons/operational
aspects/...)

o The user segment/user terminal, addressing affordability and
re-use of (modified) COTS equipment

o Possible non-telecom applications that might add technical
value or increase engagement from other communities (e.g. a
small earth observing camera)

o Technical risks (radiation/operator acceptance/...)

o Possible use of inter-satellite links to low earth orbit amateur
payloads in the future.

o Possible use of amateur Moon communications

o Cost and attractiveness of future user terminals.

o Considerations on payload hosting

• Operational aspects

o The degree of centralisation which might be required to
operate the payload (which might not be attractive to some
amateurs)

o The general trade-offs between being inclusive for all
amateurs and a more specialised amateur target audience.

• The attractiveness from an educational perspective

• The attractiveness for demonstrating new technology in-orbit

• Include considerations on the possible use of MEO orbit

• Possible timeline and planning

• Output

o Maintained discussion forum on the website

o Note describing lessons learned with QO-100

o Note describing requirements formulated by amateur community

o Note describing and analysing the initial payload proposals from the
amateur community, including synergies with other amateur initiatives

o Update stakeholder’s database

ESA support in this task will consist of:

- Providing additional contacts of individuals and industry active in the
amateur satellite world

- Initial publicity using ESA’s communication channels

- Technical support in assessing payload and ground segment options

2.1.3 Task 3: Initial mission concepts trade-off and workshop
Task 3 will consolidate all received responses, ideas and suggestions, into
3 to 4 different amateur satellite mission concepts. Clear trade-off
criteria shall be established.

The Task 3 shall then interact with the parties by presenting the
consolidated mission concepts with their justification and trade-offs and
offer a forum in the format of a workshop, such that the amateur community
can review and respond.

This task shall:

o Analyse the responses from all parties consulted and clarify outstanding
issues and questions with the respondents.

o Consolidate and justify the received feedback into 3 to 4 amateur
satellite mission
concepts, with each of them including:

:black_small_square: A description of the mission with regards to services
offered and overall architecture

:black_small_square: A description of the payload and antenna subsystem,
and their platform
accommodation requirements

:black_small_square: A description of the ground segment for operations and
control of the
payload, and the ground segment for the user traffic, if applicable

:black_small_square: A description of the user segment that

o Review the chosen mission concepts with ESA

o Prepare material to share with the amateur community, explaining the
trade-off and soliciting comments – allowing a prepared discussion at the
workshop

o Implement a flexible mechanism to support contributions and attendance of
key stakeholders (including industry and/or satellite operators)

o Organise a hybrid workshop in 2025 in ESTEC (or other place TBD) with the
following scope and objectives:

:black_small_square: Present the findings from the consolidation

:black_small_square: Provide an in-person forum for technical discussions

:black_small_square: Collect feedback from amateur community and industry
on proposed
payloads and user segment

o Update the proposed mission concepts and detail the payload requirements

o Propose specific payload aspects which need de-risking

o Propose an approach towards satellite operators

• Output

o Report on the workshop discussions and conclusions

o Report describing the consolidated satellite amateur missions.

ESA will support this task with technical support, meeting facilities
(TBC), contacts with the satellite operators and industry.
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