Bremen/Mainz, January 30, 2025. Europe's third largest scientific radio telescope, the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), is located near Cagliari in Sardinia. With a main mirror diameter of 64 meters, the telescope can receive radio frequency radiation from deep space and is part of the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) network. The telescope was designed and built for the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) by MT Mechatronics GmbH, the predecessor of today's OHB Digital Connect GmbH. It was commissioned in 2012.
A unique feature of the telescope is that it can also be used for communication with spacecraft. On behalf of the Italian space agency Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), the telescope was equipped with X-band receivers and an additional control center in 2017 to receive telemetry data from interplanetary missions. Since then, it has been known as the Sardinia Deep Space Antenna (SDSA) and can be integrated into the ESA and NASA deep space networks when required. The telescope was first used as a deep-space antenna during the final phase of the Cassini mission, in which the probe dived into Saturn's atmosphere and burned up.
With several missions to the Moon and even further destinations planned for the coming years, the need for large communication antennas is increasing. To meet this need, the SDSA will be progressively upgraded. In the next phase, the telescope will be equipped with special receivers for X-, K- and Ka-band signals on behalf of ASI, which will expand the range of usable frequency bands and allow larger amounts of data to be received. In addition, new high-performance signal amplifiers will be installed and the telescope's beam wave guide and monitoring and control system will be upgraded.
The prime contractor for the upgrade is the Italian-French space company Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%). As a subcontractor, OHB Digital Connect is responsible for the design and installation of the entire signal reception chain and the telescope control system. Antech (Italy; design of the optical components), Callisto (France; high-power amplifier) and Cospal (Italy; mirrors) are involved in the project as suppliers.
The duration of the project is 2.5 years.
Disclaimer
The assignment is part of the initiatives of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), specifically the Earth, Moon and Mars (EMM) project, led by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), in partnership with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the National Research Council (CNR) and supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research.
As part of the EMM project, which involves study, design and prototyping activities aimed at creating scientific instruments for an Italian lunar base, ASI carries out, among other things, the strengthening of the research infrastructure, SDSA/SRT, which ensures communication between Earth and space.
In addition to the PNRR funds, ASI has made available additional resources from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, with the aim of completing the development of the Sardinia Deep Space Antenna, to make it an international standard station, improving and extending its current capabilities to increase availability, continuity and security and offer the high performance essential for research.
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