ESTRACK
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The European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) operates a number of ground-based space-tracking stations for the European Space Agency (ESA) known as the European Space Tracking (ESTRACK) network. The stations support various ESA spacecraft and facilitate communications between ground operators and scientific probes such as XMM-Newton and Smart-1.
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[edit] General information
ESTRACK consists of eight ESA owned stations and three stations run cooperatively with other organisations. The stations are:
[edit] ESA stations
- New Norcia Station (Australia)
- Perth Station (Australia)
- Redu Station (Belgium)
- Kourou Station (French Guayana)
- Cebreros Station (Spain)
- Maspalomas Station (Gran Canaria, Spain)
- VILSPA (Spain)
- Kiruna Station (Sweden)
[edit] Cooperative stations
[edit] Antennas
Each ESTRACK station is different, supporting multiple missions, some sharing the a few of the same missions. The ESTRACK network consists of at least:
- Two 35-metre diameter antennas
- Seven 15-metre antennas
- One 13-metre antenna
- One 12-metre antenna
- Six GPS-TDAF antennas
There are also at least eleven more smaller antennas with sizes of 9.3 to 2.5-metres. The antennas are remotely operated from the Ground Facilities Control Centre (GFCC) at ESOC.
