The EU-SIPhoDiAS project deals with the development of critical photonic building blocks needed for highperformance and low size, weight, and power (SWaP) photonics-enabled Very High Throughput Satellites (VHTS). In this presentation, we report on the design and fabrication activities during the first year of the project concerning the targeted family of digital and microwave photonic components. This effort aims to demonstrate components of enhanced reliability at technology readiness level (TRL) 7. Specifically, with respect to microwave photonic links, we report: (i) the design of Ka and Q-bands analogue photodetectors that will be assembled in compact packages, allowing for very high bandwidth per unit area and (ii) on the design of compact V-band GaAs electro-optic modulator arrays, which use a folded-path optical configuration to manage all fiber interfaces packaged opposite direct in-line RF feeds for ease of board layouts and mass/size benefits. With respect to digital links, we report on the development of 100 Gb/s (4 x 25 Gb/s) digital optical transceiver sub-assemblies developed using flip-chip mounting of electronic and opto-parts on a high-reliability borosilicate substrate. The transceiver chipset developed specifically for this project refers to fullycustom 25 Gb/s radiation hard (RH) VCSEL driver and TIA ICs designed in IHP's 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS Rad-Hard process.

Flexibility and in-flight reconfigurability offered by digital processing have become key features in today's telecom satellite payloads. In recent years, Thales Alenia Space have developed several generations of on-board digital transparent processors (DTP) by introducing the most advanced and disruptive technologies. After several payloads based on 5th generation processors, Thales Alenia Space Space Inspire solution uses a 6th generation processors offering another step in flexibility through Digital Beam Forming. The mechanical architecture of such advanced digital processors is based on input/output routing channel modules and switch modules interconnected thanks to optical links. The end-to-end architecture of the optical links was optimized based on the return of experience of the 5th generation of DTP. Increasing processing capacity led to selection of links at datarates above 20 Gbps for the latest DTP generation. The optical interconnect solution is scalable to an overall throughput in excess of 65 Terabit/s with more than 1800's of optical links.In the frame of the development of DTP6G, Thales Alenia Space have led an evaluation process of optical transceivers, compatible with GEO to LEO environments and with a 15-year mission reliability .. Future processor developments are already under preparation with ever increasing processing power and datarates based on the next generations of transceiver which are starting to appear. The paper will present the evaluation process of the transceivers for Thales Alenia Space's latest processor generation, the update in the optical link architecture, as well as a first projection towards the targeted needs for the next generations of optical links.