Ultra-precise and reliable atomic clocks are an essential pillar in satellite navigation, driving overall system performance and positioning accuracy. From the drawing board to being operational in space, a full technology innovation cycle can take up to a decade, so to keep Galileo at the forefront of global satnav ESA is continually undertaking research and development for the evolution of both Galileo and EGNOS via the EU programme Horizon Europe.

Last month, ESA kicked off a new project to design, develop and qualify a new technology for atomic clocks. On behalf of the European Commission and after a formal selection process under open competition, ESA signed a contract for an amount of €12 million with a consortium formed by the Italian company Leonardo S.p.A as prime contractor and Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM) as subcontractor. As part of the R&D workplan for Galileo, ESA will also assess other clock technologies, the procurement of which is still ongoing.

“The pulsed optically pumped rubidium atomic clock under development combines the robustness of rubidium vapour cell atomic clocks, largely used in satellite navigation constellations like Galileo, with state-of-the-art optical and digital technologies,” explains Manuela Rapisarda, GNSS Evolutions Payload Principal Engineer at ESA.

Under this contract, the consortium will design, manufacture, test and qualify an engineering qualification model, after which an experimental flight model is expected to fly on a Galileo Second Generation satellite for early in-orbit verification. After initial tests, the new clock will still be monitored to study its reliability and long-term lifetime. Experimental clocks will fly in addition to the operational clocks that are used in the provision of Galileo services.