European Space Operations Centre
| European Space Operations Centre | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to ESOC in Darmstadt |
|
| Abbreviation | ESOC |
| Formation | 8 Sep 1967 |
| Type | IGO |
| Purpose/focus | Spacecraft ground control |
| Headquarters | ESA, Paris, France |
| Location | Darmstadt, Germany |
| Coordinates | 49°52′16″N 8°37′22″E / 49.87111°N 8.62278°ECoordinates: 49°52′16″N 8°37′22″E / 49.87111°N 8.62278°E |
| Official languages | en, fr |
| Head of Establishment | Thomas Reiter |
| Parent organization | European Space Agency |
| Staff | >750 |
| Website | ESOC home page |
| Remarks | ESOC is one of five major establishments owned and operated by the European Space Agency |
The European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) serves as the main mission control centre for the European Space Agency (ESA) and is located in Darmstadt, Germany. ESOC's primary function is the operation of unmanned spacecraft on behalf of ESA and the launch and early orbit phases (LEOP) of ESA and third-party missions.[1] The Centre is also responsible for a range of operations-related activities within ESA and in cooperation with ESA's industry and international partners, including ground systems engineering, software development, flight dynamics and navigation, development of mission control tools and techniques and space debris studies.[2]
ESOC's current major activities comprise operating planetary and solar missions (Mars Express, Venus Express, Rosetta and Cluster II), astronomy & fundamental physics missions (Herschel, Planck, Integral and XMM Newton) and Earth observation missions (CryoSat2 and GOCE).
ESOC is responsible for developing, operating and maintaining ESA's European Tracking (ESTRACK) Network of ground stations. Teams at the Centre are also involved in research and development related to advanced mission control concepts and Space Situational Awareness, and standardisation activities related to frequency management; mission operations; tracking, telemetry and telecommanding; and space debris.[3]
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Missions [edit]
ESOC's current major missions comprise[4] planetary and solar missions (Mars Express, Venus Express, Rosetta and Cluster II), astronomy & fundamental physics missions (Herschel, Planck, Integral and XMM Newton) and Earth observation missions (CryoSat2 and GOCE).
In addition, the ground segment and mission control teams for the following missions are in preparation[5] and training:
ESTRACK [edit]
ESOC hosts the control centre for the Agency's European Tracking (ESTRACK) station network. The core network comprises 10 stations in seven countries: Kourou (French Guiana), Maspalomas, Villafranca and Cebreros (Spain), Redu (Belgium), Santa Maria (Portugal), Kiruna (Sweden), Perth and New Norcia (Australia) and Malargüe (Argentina). Operators are on duty at ESOC 24 hours/day, year round, to conduct tracking passes,[6] uploading telecommands and downloading telemetry and data.
Activities [edit]
In addition to 'pure' mission operations, a number of other activities take place at the Centre, most of which are directly related to ESA's broader space operations activities.
- Flight dynamics: A team is responsible for all orbital calculations and orbit determinations.[7]
- Mission analysis: Selection and calculation of possible orbits and launch windows[8]
- Software development: Mission control systems and spacecraft management tools[9]
- ESA Navigation Facility: Calculating and predicting GPS and Galileo satellite orbits[10]
- Ground station engineering: Developing deep-space tracking technology[11]
- Space debris: Coordinating ESA's debris research, provision of conjunction warning services and cooperating with agencies worldwide[12]
- Frequency management: Helping manage radio spectrum used by all satellite operators[13]
History [edit]
The European Space Operations Centre was formally inaugurated in Darmstadt, Germany, on 8 September 1967 by the then-Minister of Research of the Federal Republic of Germany, Gerhard Stoltenberg. Its role was to provide satellite control for the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), which is today known as its successor organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA).[14]
The 90-person ESOC facility was, as it is today, located on the west side of Darmstadt; it employed the staff and resources previously allocated to the European Space Data Centre (ESDAC), which had been established in 1963 to conduct orbit calculations.[15] These were augmented by mission control staff transferred from ESTEC to operate satellites and manage the ESTRACK tracking station network.[16][17]
Within just eight months, ESOC, as part of ESRO, was already operating its first mission, ESRO-2B, a scientific research satellite and the first of many operated from ESOC for ESRO, and later ESA.[18]
By July 2012, ESOC had operated over 56 missions[19] spanning science, Earth observation, orbiting observatories, meteorology and space physics.
Location and expansion [edit]
ESOC is located[20] on the west side of the city of Darmstadt, some 500m from the main train station, at Robert-Bosch-Straße 5. In 2011, ESA announced[21] the first phase of the ESOC II modernisation and expansion project valued at €60 million. The new construction will be located across Robert-Bosch-Straße, opposite the current centre.
Employees [edit]
At ESOC, ESA employs approximately 800, comprising some 250 permanent staff and about 550 contractors. Staff from ESOC are routinely dispatched to work at other ESA establishments, ESTRACK stations, the ATV Control Centre (Toulouse), the Columbus Control Centre (Oberpfaffenhofen) and at partner facilities in several countries.[22]
See also [edit]
External links [edit]
- European Space Operations Centre - Official website
- ESA Operations website
- ESA webpage on ESTRACK, including links to all stations
References [edit]
- ^ ESA Spacecraft Operations - About us & frequently asked questions
- ^ ESA’s Ground Systems Engineering Team
- ^ What are the core activities related to Operations?
- ^ ESA Space Operations
- ^ ESA Space Operations
- ^ ESTRACK Control Centre
- ^ ESOC Flight Dynamics
- ^ ESOC Flight Dynamics
- ^ Mission operations and control system software
- ^ ESA Navigation Facility
- ^ Ground Station Engineering
- ^ ESA Space Debris Office
- ^ Frequency management
- ^ ESA pays tribute to ESOC's 40th anniversary
- ^ ESA pays tribute to ESOC's 40th anniversary
- ^ History of the European Space Agency 1958 – 1987
- ^ EUROPE INTO SPACE:THE AUGER YEARS, page 35
- ^ ESA pays tribute to ESOC's 40th anniversary
- ^ ESA mission history
- ^ Google map
- ^ ESA operations centre to be expanded
- ^ About us & frequently asked questions (FAQ)
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