• H2020
• Policy & Research

A consortium of companies led by HPS Group has won a European Commission contract to develop a proto-flight model deployable antenna.

The 6m-diameter deployable antenna is to fill a gap in Europe’s space technology portfolio.

Under the contract, valued at €5m, the HPS-led consortium will design, test and prepare an antenna that will fly on whichever satellite prime contractor agrees to take it.

In addition to HPS, Oxford Space Systems of Britain and Sener of Spain have been working on antenna designs. Satellite prime contractors Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space have also been designing large antennas.

Large Space Structures (LSS) in Germany is also part of the HPS consortium.

HPS Chief Executive Ernst K Pfeiffer, in an interview at Space Tech Expo, said that under the European Commission rules the consortium will be able to donate the antenna to enable it to receive the all-important “space-qualified” designation.

The proto-flight model is scheduled to be completed in 2019 or early 2020, meaning it could be ready in time for a late-2020 flight.

Many contracts under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme are cost-sharing arrangements. The consortium members will contribute some €2m of their own resources in the programme in return for the commission contract of €5m.