Pre-commercial Public Purchase of an AI-based software prototype for data transmission on Earth observation satellites

The main objective of the activity is the development of a processing system on board the Earth Observation satellites of SAR technologies and/or high-resolution optical media, based on the data received by the payloads of said satellites.

The contract is made by the CDTI in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, through the General Directorate of Armament and Material (DGAM), under the agreement signed between the two entities on January 4, 2023, and published in the BOE on February 18, 2023, regarding the contracting of R&D services in the field of Earth observation by satellite. It is intended to hire innovative solutions, non-existent in the market, that can solve the public needs detected by the Ministry of Defense, through the DGAM.

This challenge is the so-called Technological Challenge No. 2 (RT#2), and is one of those that appear in ACT 09 of the Aerospace PERTE with the description: “Development of software that integrates artificial intelligence on board satellites to reduce the necessary bandwidth of data to be transmitted to ground.”

The value of R&D services should be the majority of the tender price. A technological leap from TRL 3-4 to TRL 6 is required, which is an advance in the current state of the art of technologies. TRL (Technology Readiness Level) means the level of technological maturity, following as a reference scale the levels according to ISO 16290:2013.

The contract will be executed in phases, with the possibility of multiple awardees in each phase:

• PHASE I: Design of the solution. Maximum of 4 months from the conclusion of the contract to the certification of Phase I.
• PHASE II: Development and testing of verification and validation of the prototype. Maximum 18 months once PHASE I has been certified until Phase II certification.