UKSAC23_0124 - Study to Investigate use of Non-Earth Imaging (NEI)

Tender description

***** THIS IS AN AWARD NOTICE, NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION ***** This procurement is being concluded as a Single Sourcing Action under Regulation 32 (2) (b) (ii) of the PCR Brief Description of Requirement Non-Earth Imaging, or NEI, presents itself as a potential new data source for these purposes. NEI utilises in-orbit optical sensors to capture images of a target. These images can then either be used alone or combined with other data sources in order to infer the properties of the target. On top of its ability to directly image targets, NEI has the benefit that the sensors can be designed and used for other purposes when not needed for NEI, such as Earth Observation, reducing the cost of operation. With the arrival of this new method, this study aims to investigate the use of NEI as a new data source in order to de-risk and support future UKSA ADR and Re-entry campaigns. This involves the identification of the parameters that could be delivered using NEI, as well as the procurement and analysis of test imagery using NEI for selected target satellites in order to characterise any challenges impeding its usage.