Future spacecraft control centre unveiled by ESA

Future spacecraft control centre unveiled by ESA
by Robert Schreiber
Darmstadt, Germany (SPX) May 15, 2024

"ESA's new operations centre will be efficient, sustainable, adaptable and accessible," says Rolf Densing, ESA's Director of Operations and head of the ESOC site. "The new building will ensure Europe's continued ability to implement its most ambitious space missions and will serve as an inspirational window into the world of spacecraft operations for experts, the public and decision-makers."

"Flexibility is one of the most important features of the new building," says Simon Plum, head of Mission Operations at ESOC. "We have many more upcoming missions to operate, and this facility will ensure we are able to adapt to new requirements and technologies, as we continue to serve as Europe's Centre of Excellence for satellite operations."

The ESOC will support Europe's most complex space missions and ESA's Space Safety Programme. Teams at ESOC manage ESA's spacecraft to Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and the Sun, operate space observatories like Euclid and Gaia, and control ESA Earth Explorers and European Union Sentinel satellites.

Upcoming missions include Hera, which will rendezvous with a binary asteroid system, and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), requiring precise satellite operations. ESOC also manages ESA's global network of satellite tracking ground stations and other strategic services for Europe's space access.

The new operations building will support at least two launches or critical operations simultaneously. It will host a modern, energy-efficient, high-availability data centre for Mission Operations Information Technology.

The control centre will be a modern workplace promoting team collaboration while adapting to the evolving satellite operations domain.

The existing ESOC buildings have hosted achievements like the Huygens probe landing on Titan and the Philae probe on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The modernisation will enhance efficiency and environmental responsibility by replacing older buildings with a new facility.

The new building will combine ESOC's operational excellence with sustainable architecture powered by renewable energy sources, following a flexible design for optimal space use.

Redundant power supply pathways will ensure an operational up-time of over 99.9%. Secure areas and infrastructure will maintain high operational and IT security and support the adoption of future standards.

The new control centre will also be a hub for space engagement, offering access for visitors and dedicated spaces for industry, decision-makers, stakeholders, media, and the public, along with ESOC's planned visitor centre. It will provide training facilities for ESA's partners on satellite operations.