wiki143 - User contributions [en]

European Space Operations Centre

2025-10-28T15:59:20Z

131.176.243.8: The new building is in use since about a decade ago

{{short description|Main mission control centre for the European Space Agency}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{infobox organization
| name = European Space Operations Centre
| image = Views in the Main Control Room (12052189474).jpg
| image_border =
| size = 250px
| caption = ESOC Main Control Room in Darmstadt, Germany
| abbreviation = ESOC
| motto =
| formation = 8 September 1967
| extinction =
| type = [[Intergovernmental organization|IGO]]
| status =
| purpose = Spacecraft ground control
| headquarters = Paris, France
| location = [[Darmstadt]], Germany
| coords = {{coord|49|52|16|N|8|37|22|E|display=inline,title|region:DE_type:landmark}}
| region_served =
| membership =
| leader_title = Head of Establishment
| leader_name = Rolf Densing
| main_organ =
| parent_organization = [[European Space Agency]]
| affiliations =
| num_staff = >800
| num_volunteers =
| budget =
| website = {{URL|http://www.esa.int/esoc}}
| remarks = ESOC is one of nine establishments operated by ESA<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/Establishments_and_facilities| title = Establishments and facilities / Welcome to ESA / About Us / ESA}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Signal received from Rosetta (12055070794).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Signal received at ESOC from [[Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta]] (January 2014), the first comet landing mission]]

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 uncrewed spacecraft on behalf of ESA and the launch and early orbit phases (LEOP) of ESA and third-party missions.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/About_Operations| title = ESA Spacecraft Operations – About us & frequently asked questions}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/Building_infrastructure_on_Earth_to_support_satellites_in_space| title = ESA's Ground Systems Engineering Team}}</ref>

ESOC's current major activities comprise operating planetary and solar missions, such as [[Mars Express]] and the [[Trace Gas Orbiter]], astronomy & fundamental physics missions, such as [[Gaia (spacecraft)|Gaia]] and [[XMM-Newton|XMM Newton]], and Earth observation missions such as [[CryoSat-2|CryoSat2]] and [[Swarm (spacecraft)|Swarm]].

ESOC is responsible for developing, operating and maintaining ESA's [[ESTRACK|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]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/Where_missions_come_alive| title = Where missions come alive}}</ref>

==Missions==

ESOC's current missions comprise the following:<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations| title = ESA Space Operations}}</ref>

Planetary and solar missions
* [[BepiColombo]]
* [[Mars Express]]
* [[Solar Orbiter]]
* [[ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter]]
* [[Cluster II (spacecraft)|Cluster II]]
* [[Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer|JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE)]]
* [[Hera (space mission)|Hera]]

Astronomy and fundamental physics missions
* [[Gaia (spacecraft)|Gaia]]
* [[INTEGRAL]]
* [[XMM-Newton]]
* [[Euclid (spacecraft)|Euclid]]

Earth observation missions
* [[CryoSat-2]]
* [[Swarm (spacecraft)|Swarm]]
* [[Sentinel-1A]]
* [[Sentinel-1C]]
* [[Sentinel-2A]]
* [[Sentinel-2B]]
* [[Sentinel-2C]]
* [[Sentinel-5 Precursor]]
* [[Soil_Moisture_and_Ocean_Salinity|SMOS]]
* [[EarthCARE]]

In addition, the [[ground segment]] and [[mission control]] teams for several missions are in preparation<ref name="autogenerated1"/> and training, including:

* [[ExoMars]]
* [[Biomass (satellite)|Biomass]]
* [[FLEX_(satellite)|FLEX]]
* [[PLATO (spacecraft)|PLATO]]
* future satellites of the [[Sentinel (satellite)|Sentinel]] programme

==ESTRACK==

ESOC hosts the control centre for the Agency's European Tracking [[ESTRACK]] station network. The core network comprises seven stations in seven countries: [[Kourou]] (French Guiana), [[Cebreros]] (Spain), [[Redu]] (Belgium), [[Santa Maria (Portugal)|Santa Maria]] (Portugal), [[Kiruna]] (Sweden), [[Malargüe]] (Argentina) and [[New Norcia]] (Australia). Operators are on duty at ESOC 24 hours/day, year round, to conduct tracking passes,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Estrack/Network_Operations_Centre| title = ESTRACK Network Operations Centre}}</ref> uploading telecommands and downloading telemetry and data.

==Activities==

[[File:European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt-space telescope.jpg|thumbnail|right|XMM-Newton model at ESOC]]

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 (spacecraft)|Flight dynamics]]: A team is responsible for all orbital calculations and orbit determinations.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/Flight_Dynamics| title = ESOC Flight Dynamics}}</ref>
* [[Mission analysis]]: Selection and calculation of possible orbits and launch windows<ref name="autogenerated2"/>
* Software development: Mission control systems and spacecraft management tools<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/European_software_excellence| title = Mission operations and control system software}}</ref>
* [[ESA Navigation Support Office]]: Calculating and predicting GPS and Galileo satellite orbits<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/ESA_Navigation_Support_Office| title = ESA Navigation Facility}}</ref>
* Ground station engineering: Developing deep-space tracking technology<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/Ground_Station_Engineering| title = Ground Station Engineering}}</ref>
* [[Space debris]]: Coordinating ESA's debris research, provision of conjunction warning services and cooperating with agencies worldwide<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Space_Debris| title = ESA Space Debris Office}}</ref>
* Frequency management: Helping manage radio spectrum used by all satellite operators<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/Coordinating_radio_waves_that_carry_space_data| title = Frequency management}}</ref>

==History==
The European Space Operations Centre was formally inaugurated in [[Darmstadt]], Germany, on 8 September 1967 by the then-[[Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany)|Minister of Research]] of the Federal Republic of Germany, [[Gerhard Stoltenberg]]. Its role was to provide satellite control for the [[ESRO|European Space Research Organisation]] (ESRO), which is today known as its successor organisation, the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA).<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web| url = https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/ESA_pays_tribute_to_ESOC_s_40th_anniversary2| title = ESA pays tribute to ESOC's 40th anniversary}}</ref>

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.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> These were augmented by mission control staff transferred from [[ESTEC]] to operate satellites and manage the [[ESTRACK]] tracking station network.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/esapub/sp/sp1235/sp1235v2web.pdf| title = History of the European Space Agency 1958 – 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/publications/HSR/HSR_08.PDF| title = EUROPE INTO SPACE:THE AUGER YEARS, page 35}}</ref>

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.<ref name="autogenerated3"/>

By July 2012, ESOC had operated over 56 missions<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEMEFCW4QWD_0.html| title = ESA mission history}}</ref> spanning science, Earth observation, orbiting observatories, meteorology and space physics.

In 2024 ESA announced a new satellite control center at ESOC. Designed to support multiple launch operations at once and with power redundancy that will provide 99% uptime, the control center will be designed with the future in mind.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The spacecraft control centre of the future |url=https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/The_spacecraft_control_centre_of_the_future |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=www.esa.int |language=en}}</ref>

==Location and expansion==
[[Image:European Space Operations Centre.jpg|thumb|European Space Operations Centre]]

ESOC is located on the west side of the city of [[Darmstadt]],<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.google.com/maps?q=ESOC,+Robert-Bosch-Stra%C3%9Fe,+Darmstadt,+Deutschland&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.871199,8.623302&spn=0.008809,0.026157&sll=49.870604,8.624182&sspn=0.00881,0.026157&oq=ESOC,+d&hq=ESOC,&hnear=Robert-Bosch-Stra%C3%9Fe,+64293+Darmstadt,+Hessen,+Germany&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A| title = Google map}}</ref> some {{convert|500|m|abbr=on}} from the [[Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof|main train station]], at Robert-Bosch-Straße 5. In 2011, ESA announced the first phase of the ESOC II modernisation and expansion project valued at €60 million.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEMC2A4SNIG_0.html| title = ESA operations centre to be expanded}}</ref> The new construction is located across Robert-Bosch-Straße, opposite the current centre.

==Employees==
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.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEMVKB8ZMRE_0.html| title = About us & frequently asked questions (FAQ)}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[ATV Control Centre]] ([[Toulouse]], France)
* [[Columbus Control Centre]] ([[Oberpfaffenhofen]], Germany)
* [[ESA Centre for Earth Observation]] (ESRIN)
* [[European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications]] (ECSAT)
* [[European Space Astronomy Centre]] (ESAC)
* [[European Space Research and Technology Centre]] (ESTEC)
* [[European Union Satellite Centre]] (EU SatCen)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|ESOC}}
* [http://www.esa.int/esoc European Space Operations Centre website]
* [http://www.esa.int/Operations ESA Operations website]
* [http://www.esa.int/estrack ESTRACK station website]
* [http://www.esa.int/ssa Space Situational Awareness website]
* [http://www.esa.int/spacedebris ESA Space Debris website]

{{European Space Agency}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1967 establishments in West Germany]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1967]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Darmstadt]]
[[Category:European Space Agency facilities]]
[[Category:International organisations based in Germany]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Hesse]]
[[Category:Space technology research institutes]]

RINEX

2025-06-24T13:16:57Z

131.176.243.8: Add description of the role of the International GNSS Service, who maintains the format and the working group who performs the activities.

{{Infobox file format
| name = Receiver Independent Exchange Format
| icon =
| logo =
| screenshot =
| released = {{Start date and age|1989}}
| latest_release_version = 4.02
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2024|10|01}}
| extension = .rnx
| mime =
| type code =
| uniform type =
| magic =
| owner = [[International GNSS Service]] (IGS) / [[Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services]] (RTCM)
| genre = [[ASCII]]
| container for =
| contained by =
| extended from =
| extended to =
| standard =
| free = Yes
| website = https://igs.org/formats-and-standards/
}}
{{short description|Interchange format for raw satellite navigation system data}}
In the field of [[geodesy]], '''Receiver Independent Exchange Format''' ('''RINEX''') is a [[data exchange|data interchange]] format for raw [[global navigation satellite system|satellite navigation system]] data. This allows the user to post-process the received data to produce a more accurate result — usually with other data unknown to the original receiver, such as better models of the atmospheric conditions at time of measurement.

The final output of a navigation receiver is usually its position, speed or other related physical quantities. However, the calculation of these quantities are based on a series of measurements from one or more satellite constellations. Although receivers calculate positions in real time, in many cases it is interesting to store intermediate measures for later use. RINEX is the standard format that allows the management and disposal of the measures generated by a receiver, as well as their off-line processing by a multitude of applications, whatever the manufacturer of both the receiver and the computer application.

The RINEX format is designed to evolve over time, adapting to new types of measurements and new satellite navigation systems. The first RINEX version was developed by W. Gurtner in 1989<ref name="Teunissen2017">{{cite book |last1=Teunissen |first1=Peter |last2=Montenbruck |first2=Oliver |title=Springer Handbook of Global Navigation Satellite Systems |date=2017 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9783319429281 |page=1209 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93goDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22RINEX%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA1209 |accessdate=30 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and published by W. Gurtner and G. Mader in the CSTG GPS Bulletin of September/October 1990. Since 1993 the RINEX 2 is available, which has been revised and adopted several times. RINEX enables storage of measurements of [[pseudorange]], [[Global Positioning System#Carrier phase tracking (surveying)|carrier-phase]], [[Doppler radar|Doppler]] and signal-to-noise from [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] (including [[GPS signals#Modernization and additional GPS signals|GPS modernization signals]] e.g. L5 and L2C),<ref name="Bossler2010">{{cite book |last1=Bossler |first1=John D. |last2=Campbell |first2=James B. |last3=McMaster |first3=Robert B. |last4=Rizos |first4=Chris |title=Manual of Geospatial Science and Technology |date=2010 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9781420087345 |page=231 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdZ3uDekqwwC&dq=%22RINEX%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA231 |accessdate=30 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref> [[GLONASS]], [[Galileo (satellite navigation)|Galileo]], [[Beidou navigation satellite system|Beidou]], along with data from [[European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service|EGNOS]] and [[Wide Area Augmentation System|WAAS]] [[satellite based augmentation system]]s (SBAS), [[QZSS]], simultaneously. RINEX version 3.02 was submitted in April 2013 and contain new observation codes<ref name="Rinex302">{{cite web |title=RINEX The Receiver Independent Exchange Format Version 3.02, page 38 |url=https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/rinex302.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=International GNSS Service (IGS) |accessdate=30 May 2019 |date=18 October 2014 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016143803/https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/rinex302.pdf }}</ref> from [[GPS modernization|GPS]] or [[Galileo (satellite navigation)|Galileo]] systems.

The RINEX format is maintained by the International GNSS Service ([https://igs.org/ IGS]) thanks to its dedicated [https://igs.org/wg/rinex/ RINEX Committee] currently chaired by Dr. Francesco Gini, from the [https://www.esa.int/ European Space Agency]. The latest RINEX formats can be accessed via the IGS's [https://igs.org/wg/rinex/#documents-formats RINEX Documents and Formats page].

Although not part of the RINEX format, the ''Hatanaka compression scheme '' is commonly used to reduce the size of RINEX files, resulting in an ASCII-based CompactRINEX or CRINEX<ref name="El-Rabbany2006">{{cite book |last1=El-Rabbany |first1=Ahmed |title=Introduction to GPS: The Global Positioning System |date=2006 |publisher=Artech House |isbn=9781596930162 |page=107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0sftAAAAMAAJ&q=%22compact+rinex%22+-wikipedia |accessdate=30 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref> format.<ref name="Rinex2021">{{cite web|title=RINEX The Receiver Independent Exchange Format Version 4.02, page 55|url=https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/rinex_4.02.pdf#page=56|publisher=International GNSS Service|accessdate=2024-10-15}}</ref> It uses higher-order time differences to reduce the number of characters needed to store time data.<ref name="Hatanaka2008">{{cite journal|last1=Hatanaka|first1=Yuki|title=A Compression Format and Tools for GNSS Observation Data| journal = Bulletin of the [[Geographical Survey Institute]] | volume = 55 | pages = 21–30| year = 2008|url=https://www.gsi.go.jp/common/000045517.pdf|accessdate=2020-09-25}}</ref>

== Ionospheric data ==
Ionospheric data in RINEX facilitates the exchange of information regarding the [[ionosphere]], particularly through the IONosphere-map EXchange (IONEX) format.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Interfaces and Protocols - Navipedia |url=https://gssc.esa.int/navipedia/index.php/Interfaces_and_Protocols#IONEX |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=gssc.esa.int}}</ref> Developed to standardize the sharing of [[Total electron content|Total Electron Content]] (TEC) maps derived from [[Satellite navigation|Global Navigation Satellite System]] (GNSS) signals,<ref name=":0" /> IONEX files are essential for understanding the impact of ionospheric conditions on GNSS [[Wave|signal propagation]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2021-03-01 |title=Standards and Data Formats {{!}} GSSC |url=https://gssc.esa.int/education/library/standards-and-data-formats/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |language=en-US}}</ref>

As GNSS signals traverse the [[ionosphere]], they experience [[distortion]] due to the ionised [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] present in this region.<ref name=":1" /> This [[distortion]] results in delays and changes in signal direction, influenced by factors such as satellite elevation and solar position.<ref name=":1" /> Consequently, analysis of GNSS signals at [[Ground station|ground stations]] yields critical insights into the [[Ionosphere|ionosphere's]] state, particularly the density of [[Election|free electrons]], which is a key parameter affecting signal quality.<ref name=":1" />

IONEX files consist of an ASCII format that includes a comprehensive header with global information, followed by a data section detailing TEC maps.<ref name=":0" /> TEC is measured in terms of the number of free [[Electron|electrons]] per square meter in a vertical column of the [[ionosphere]], with a standard [[density]] of 10<sup>16</sup> electrons representing one unit of TEC.<ref name=":1" />

In addition to TEC maps, IONEX files also provide [[Root mean square|Root Mean Square]] (RMS) error maps and height maps, enhancing the understanding of [[Ionosphere|ionospheric]] variations.<ref name=":1" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/CORS/RINEX211.txt RINEX: The Receiver Independent Exchange Format Version 2.11] (December 10, 2007)
* [https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/rinex211.txt Rinex Version 2.11] (June 26, 2012, minor clarifications)
* [https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/rinex302.pdf Rinex Version 3.02] (April 3, 2013)
* [https://files.igs.org/pub/data/format/rinex_4.02.pdf Rinex Version 4.02] (October 1, 2024)
* {{Cite web |url=https://server.gage.upc.edu/gLAB/HTML/Observation_Rinex_v4.00.html |title=Observation RINEX 4.0 Format |publisher=Research group of Astronomy and GEomatics of the [[Polytechnic University of Catalonia]] |website=GNSS Format Descriptions |accessdate=2024-09-05}}
* {{Cite web |url=https://www.unavco.org/software/data-processing/preprocessing/preprocessing.html#hatanaka |title=Hatanaka compression/decompression |publisher=[[EarthScope Consortium]] |website=GPS/GNSS Pre-Processing Tools |accessdate=2024-09-05}}
* {{Cite web |url=https://terras.gsi.go.jp/software/ringo/en/ |title=RINGO: RINEX pre-processing tool using Go |publisher=[[Geospatial Information Authority of Japan]] |accessdate=2024-09-05}}

{{Satellite navigation systems}}

[[Category:Satellite navigation]]
[[Category:Geodesy]]
[[Category:Geographical technology]]
[[Category:Navigation]]
[[Category:Navigational equipment]]
[[Category:Surveying]]
[[Category:Technology systems]]