ESA Operations, Engineering & Space Safety’s Post

📣 Calling students (and former ones) wishing to innovate in #space Join us for the 15th #InnovationCafé at #ESOC. This time, we take inspiration from Fresh Minds!  On 12 November, we invite students and (not necessarily) fresh graduates within our network who would like to bring innovation and fresh ideas to this world, perhaps with ESA’s help.  The event is focused on in-person interaction, but a hybrid attendance is possible as back-up.  • 15:30 - Guided tour of ESOC by Jana Mulacova • 16:15 - ESA Academy – educational activities and developing your ESA-worthy skills   • 16:45 - ESA Human Resources – Young ESA programmes (Young Graduate Trainee, Internships, PhD, Internal Research Fellow and Young Professional)   • 17:15 - ESA Business Incubation Centre in Hesse – Unlock Your Potential with the ESA BIC Hessen Programme (Start-up)   • 17:45 – Networking with snacks  🗣️ Fresh Minds’ Café   📅 Tuesday 12 November, starting at 15:30   📍 ESOC Press Centre, Darmstadt To secure your spot (or follow the event online), please register before 28 October. Our team will confirm your registration as seating is limited.   Register now: https://lnkd.in/e7Rqr5Vd  The Innovation Café serves as an inspirational platform for networking and idea-sharing among startups, #NewSpace companies, #Academia and others. Join our Very Important Networkers community and sign up never to miss another Innovation Café here: https://lnkd.in/ee3kdf8g 

#EarthCARE’s early success Exciting early results from #EarthCARE, launched in May 2024 with JAXA, are in. Its four advanced instruments are already working together, offering critical insights into how clouds and aerosols impact atmospheric heating and cooling. The data reveal complex interactions, such as how clouds reflect solar energy or trap infrared radiation - key to understanding Earth’s delicate energy balance and its impact on climate. Read full article: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRgP8RPZ A key aspect of EarthCARE’s success is the European Space Agency - ESA Flight Operation Segment (FOS), based at #ESOC. The FOS oversees satellite operations, maneuvering, and flight parameters, with critical support from the Kiruna ground station in Sweden for data transfers. Together, they ensure smooth satellite performance and data flow to deliver cutting-edge science!

Herzlichen Glückwunsch an die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V. (DGLR) für die Unterzeichnung der Zero Debris Charter, mit der sie ein starkes Zeichen für die Förderung von Weltraumsicherheit und Nachhaltigkeit setzt! Congratulations to German Society for Aerospace Lilienthal-Oberth e.V. for signing the Zero Debris Charter, thereby making a powerful commitment to promoting space safety and sustainability!

Ready to dive into the first 1% of ESA Euclid’s cosmic map? 🌌✨ ESA's Euclid mission unveiled the first glimpse of its grand cosmic atlas - a breathtaking mosaic of 208 gigapixels capturing millions of stars and galaxies across 132 square degrees of the Southern Sky. Revealed at the IAC 2024 in Milan, this is just the start of a six-year mission to chart over one-third of the sky and create the largest 3D map of the Universe! What’s exciting? This mosaic, covering just 1% of the final map, already includes 100 million celestial sources, with 14 million galaxies holding secrets to the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. From distant galaxies to galactic cirrus clouds, Euclid’s sensitive cameras are offering an unprecedented view of our cosmos. Watch the full video 👉 https://lnkd.in/dZB4PqGb Euclid’s mission relies on a complex ground segment managed at ESOC. Handling 100 GB of data transmitted daily from 1.5 million kilometers away, ESOC ensures that every bit of cosmic data is efficiently captured and delivered to science teams. With cutting-edge tech and upgraded ground stations, ESOC is the crucial link between Euclid and Earth! Want to learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eqbgefjN

Towards fully automated mission operations?     The prospect of operating missions without human operators is not feasible in the near future. However, mission operations can be significantly enhanced by applying artificial intelligence to streamline processes, reduce workload, and automate repetitive tasks.     At #IAC2024, ESOC experts Gabriele De Canio, PhD and Evridiki Ntagiou are presenting how the European Space Agency - ESA is cultivating the growth of the European space sector by leveraging applied #AI in #missionoperations.     Some items on the agenda:     🔹 How can we streamline anomaly investigations?  Currently, this process relies heavily on manual data gathering from diverse sources, such as telemetry, spacecraft user manuals, and historical records. But IA could help in data retrieval, visualisation, and the identification of potential root causes and recovery actions.     🔹 How can we facilitate decision-making?  Currently, the information critical for the successful completion of operational tasks is scattered across numerous diverse data sources, often resulting in multiple iterations of the user among different systems to locate, retrieve, correlate and analyse the needed data. AI can address the challenges of data fragmentation and complexity. AI can address the challenges of data fragmentation and complexity. Join the presentations to learn the latest updates of how the Operations AI Companion addresses this challenge.     🔹 How can we better assess and forecast satellite health?  Monitoring satellite telemetry behaviour and identifying deviations from nominal operations are critical yet time-consuming tasks for spacecraft flight control teams. ESOC has developed 4caster to predict the behaviour of hundreds of telemetry parameters simultaneously.     And many more topics ranging from the automation to mission post-launch operations processes to systems to manage, optimise and automate satellite constellations.     Learn more about ESA's Artificial Intelligence to #Automation Roadmap 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekPGAbhP

🎖️ Hera honoured on ESOC’s Wall of Fame  Last week, as per the tradition, Hera’s name, year of launch and launcher were inscribed on the wall overlooking the ESA’s Main Control Room, located at #ESOC. But this time, it hits differently…  89 names are displayed on the wall, some dating back to 1968 - Earth observation satellites, telecommunication satellites, astronomy missions, and, of course, interplanetary missions – all operated by ESOC mission control teams.  With Hera, a new type of mission is unveiled: #SpaceSafety missions!  Over the next two years, Hera will be flying to its destination to study its composition  and understand how to counter them.  ESA’s Space Safety programme has also proposed another mission to answering these #PlanetaryDefence questions: Ramses – the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety.  Curious about Ramses? Learn more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eFtrs2G6

#Hera LEOP completed - off to Dydimos we go!   It only took less than three days for the teams at #ESOC to complete the first phase of Hera's journey in space following its successful launch on Monday.   🧭 Hera powered on and tested its star trackers (used for navigation) and its reaction wheels (used to control Hera’s orientation in space). 📟 Mission control tested the communication antennas used to stay in touch with Earth via ESA’s #Estrack ground station network. ⚙️ Each thruster was tested briefly to ensure proper functionality ahead of Hera’s upcoming deep space manoeuvre.   “It has been an action-packed few days,” says Sylvain Lodiot, Hera Spacecraft Operations Manager. “We have fine-tuned some of the systems, but overall, Hera’s first days in space have gone very well. The hardware is performing well, and we have already uplinked a few software updates.”   What is next? 💠 In late October, Hera will perform its first deep space manoeuvre. 💠 In March 2025, the spacecraft will fly by Mars. 💠 In February 2026, a second deep space manoeuvre will occur. 💠 In October 2026, an ‘impulsive rendezvous’ will bring Hera into the vicinity of the Didymos asteroid system.   "Hera went through a tense and improbable launch, but together we have converted that into a very smooth and successful LEOP", Hera Flight Operations Director Ignacio Tanco noted.   Congratulations to all the teams for their impressive effort!   Read more about Hera's early operations 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2ujKugq

📣 Calling innovators in the Darmstadt area   On 11-12 October, the Climathon 2024 will take place in Darmstadt!   This innovation competition aims to raise awareness of existing environmental issues and lead to creative solutions. Hackathons with a climate focus will take place all over the world in October - one of them in Darmstadt, organised for the fourth time by the Centre for Satellite Navigation Hesse (cesah).   Register now to connect with great people, and secure the chance to win fantastic prizes! 🌱 https://lnkd.in/e6ES54vq

🎉 The #HeraMission party was a blast!  For the first time at #ESOC, we brought together a launch watch party, an exciting outreach event and a fantastic stage programme, packed with music, entertainment and fun!  Over 1200 people, ranging from the curious to space enthusiasts, ESOC friends and families as well as industrial partners and special guests came to celebrate the launch of Hera – ESA’s first planetary defence mission.  🔶 Hera project experts presented the mission in the context of ESA’s space safety programme and introduced the future #PlanetaryDefence missions.  🔶 ESA astronauts Thomas Reiter and Matthias Maurer held a stage talk about the link between missions in the ISS, future ones to the Moon and Hera, in terms of technology, environment and challenges.  🔶 ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher joined the stage following the successful launch and congratulated ESA colleagues for their hard work on this mission over the years. "With Hera, Europe is bringing what was once only a sci-fi concept of asteroid deflection, into a repeatable technique for planetary defence. I was thrilled to be at ESOC today to watch the launch live with colleagues who have been invested in this mission for years". Interested in the replay? Watch it here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dCMdX-CW