 ESOC is the European Space Operations Centre based in Darmstadt, Germany. In fact, this is the place where it all began for VEGA. We signed our first contract with ESOC in 1978, a contract that we still hold today.
Working at ESOC means working at Europe’s primary space operations centre, potentially on a wide range of satellite projects, at the forefront of space science and technology, with a high level of technical responsibility and in a multinational, multicultural environment.
Today, VEGA has over 50 employees from 11 different countries based at ESOC. We support a wide range of satellite missions encompassing communications, earth observation, and science and technology projects. We are dedicated to the space industry and have a strong culture of teaming. Not just with other VEGA staff and our offices in Germany, but also with our colleagues in ESOC and other contractors with whom we work and socialise on a day to day basis.
ESOC projects supported by VEGA
At ESOC, VEGA supports projects from a variety of different programme lines.
EO missions currently include the very large and complex ENVISAT mission. However the trend is now to reduce missions to a more manageable size, such as the upcoming GOCE, ADM-AEOLUS and TERRASAR missions. These missions are vital to ESA (European Space Agency), as they have a large number of commercial users, who will pay for the products generated.
The science missions can be described as those missions having a defined orbit, such as CLUSTER-2, XMM, ULYSSES and INTEGRAL. For the future we will be supporting the Herschel-Planck mission as well as GAIA and DARWIN.
This category covers missions with a prescribed destination; such as MARS EXPRESS, VENUS EXPRESS, HUYGENS, ROSETTA and BEPI-COLUMBO.
In order to proceed with the development of future missions, ESA is investing in research and development activity, which essentially entails launching a small platform with a unique platform/payload combination. For example, SMART-1 for Ion Engine and AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control Systems) research, SMART-2 to test the LISA (Laser Interferometry Space Antenna) payload and SMART-3 to test Formation Flying. Where possible they may support additional payload elements of a mini-mission, as for lunar observations in the case of SMART-1.
- LEOP (Launch & Early Orbit Phase )
ESOC has an unrivalled history of launch preparations and missions supported through the expansive & unique ESTRACK (European Space Tracking Station) network of Ground Stations. ESOC sells an LEOP service to commercial customers, such that the customers do not have to invest in a one-off LEOP network. MSG-1, MSG-2 and METOP are some recent examples.
VEGA staff at ESOC
Our people at ESOC come from a wide range of cultural and geographic backgrounds. All staff are degree-level qualified, having studied an engineering, science or telecommunications discipline, and have several years experience in the Space Industry.
VEGA is contracted to provide engineering staff to ESOC to cover a range of posts, including:
- Payload
- Platform
- AOCS
- Data Management Systems
- Power & Thermal
- Propulsion
- Communications
- Flight Control System development
- Ground Segment Interface development
- Remote Ground Station Operations
- Spacecraft Database
- Network of Centres
- On-Board Software Maintenance
- Ground Segment and Satellite Simulator development
- FCT (Flight Control Team) Training/Simulations Officer
- Integration & Testing
Individual staff members are integrated into a multinational Flight Control Team, which comprises contractors and permanent ESA staff. On most Projects, the ESA staff provide the management and the contractors with engineering support. Within the FCT, engineering staff are assigned tasks, either with prime or secondary responsibility. For all of the satellite sub-systems, an attempt is made to provide an overlap between staff of areas of expertise, which is essential in the case of small teams.
Over the last few years, movement between one project and another has been on the increase over the last few years, as well as the possibility to work on one or more projects at the same time. As the tendency is now for smaller-scale missions with a more rapid development cycle, the times of the large teams with a specialist for each sub-system are fast disappearing. More often than not, we are asked to provide engineers capable of covering multiple and sometimes unrelated subsystems.
VEGA involvement in satellite missions
Past: OTS, ECS, MARECS, OLYMPUS, METEOSAT, GEOS, EXOSAT, GIOTTO, HIPPARCOS, ERS-1, EURECA, ISO and CRYOSAT.
Flying: XMM, ERS-2, CLUSTER-2, ULYSSES, ENVISAT, HUYGENS, SMART-1, INTEGRAL, MARS EXPRESS, VENUS EXPRESS and MSG-2.
In preparation: GOCE, ADM-AEOLUS, TERRASAR-L, SMART-2 (LISA PATHFINDER), HERSCHEL-PLANCK, ROSETTA and METOP.
|
