Creating and sharing knowledge for telecommunications

Project: SI I&DT Copromoção Nr. 024534 - INFANTE Satélite para aplicações marítimas e comunicações a partir de constelações

Acronym: INFANTE
Main Objective:
Reinforce research, technological development and innovation

Synthesis: INFANTE is an R&D project that proposes the development and the in-orbit demonstration of a small satellite, as the first component of a constellation for maritime surveillance, Earth observation and communications between satellites and ground stations.

The project’s Space segment includes a low-cost and modular micro-satellite, equipped with a communications system based on software-defined radio (functions include networking, ranging, and aerial and nautical surveillance); a propulsion system for changing or maintaining orbit; mechanisms that open and orient the solar panels, and a cargo bay with sensors for technology validation and scientific experiments such as SAR and multi-spectral camera.

Furthermore, the Ground segment includes a system to support the fast-track assembly, integration and testing of small satellites, to support very frequent launch activities; and a “data hub” to aggregate, process and disseminate data, in support to sustainable institutional and business services.

INFANTE is led by TEKEVER and puts together renowned Portuguese companies in the field of Space Research such as Active Space Technologies, GMV, HPS, Omnidea and SpinWorks, amongst others; internationally recognized R&D centres such as CEIIA, FCT-UNL, FEUP, INL, IPN, ISEP, ISQ, ISR Lisboa, IT Aveiro and UBI; national partners like Deimos Engenharia and Optimal; end-users such as IPMA or INIAV and international organizations like the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This project will take advantage of the opportunities created by the New Space emergence and the promising expertise developed over the last 20 years in Portugal.

Thus, laying a foundation where Portugal asserts itself as a first-line country in access to Space and opening doors for a new set of players that are focused in reducing the barriers in investment and so, creating new lines of business that reduce the institutional dependency of this country’s sector.

Eligible Costs: 8 243 734,94 € (Total) / 226 970,43 € (IT)

Funding (FEDER - COMPETE 2020): 5 768 911,08 € (Total) / 170 227,82 € (IT)

Funding (FEDER - LISBOA 2020): 370 890,39 € (Total)
Reference: POCI/LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-024534
Funding: P2020
Approval Date: 26-09-2017
Start Date: 01-11-2017
End Date: 31-10-2021
Team: Nuno Miguel Gonçalves Borges de Carvalho, Joao Nuno Pimentel da Silva Matos, Arnaldo da Silva Rodrigues de Oliveira
Groups: Radio Systems – Av
Partners: TEKEVER ASDS, LDA (PROJECT LEADER), ACTIVE AEROGELS, LDA, ACTIVE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES - ACTIVIDADES AEROESPACIAIS, S.A., CEIIA - CENTRO DE ENGENHARIA E DESENVOLVIMENTO (ASSOCIAÇÃO), CRITICAL SOFTWARE S.A., GMVIS SKYSOFT, S.A., HPS HIGH PERFORMANCE STRUCTURES GESTÃO E ENGENHARIA, LDA, INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE, INSTITUTO DE TELECOMUNICAÇÕES, INSTITUTO PEDRO NUNES-ASSOCIAÇÃO PARA A INOVAÇÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO EM CIENCIA E TECNOLOGIA, INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO DE TOMAR, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO, LABORATÓRIO IBÉRICO INTERNACIONAL DE NANOTECNOLOGIA (LIN), OMNIDEA LDA, SONDAR.I - AMOSTRAGENS E TECNOLOGIAS DO AR, LDA, SPIN.WORKS S.A., TEKEVER III COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, LDA, TEKEVER SPACE - SISTEMAS ESPACIAIS, LDA, UNIVERSIDADE DA BEIRA INTERIOR, UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO, UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Local Coordinator: Nuno Miguel Gonçalves Borges de Carvalho
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Associated Publications