The European Space Agency (ESA) operates a network of tracking stations, commonly referred to as ESTRACK, dedicated to the support of ESA’s and third parties’ mission.
The Santa Maria Station (SMA) is one of the twelve stations located at eight sites around the globe. Santa Maria, the island in the Azores selected for ESA‘s new tracking station, offers an excellent location for the installation and operation of a down-range station for the reception of telemetry for Ariane launches. The first launch to be monitored from Santa Maria will take place in January 2008, when Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle to be sent to the International Space Station, lifts off from Europe‘s Spaceport in French Guiana.
EDISOFT, acting as the prime contractor, will be responsible for all system maintenance and operation activities at SMA, namely launch support operations, maintenance management and administration of the ground station. The other consortium members are the Azores local companies, GLOBALEDA and SEGMA. The O&M Team already designated will ensure the quality of the service to be provided and avoid disruption of service, for which know-how overlap and cross-training activity have been accommodated.
Currently, EDISOFT is also exploring the possibility of evolution of the Santa Maria ground station to be used as a facility for Earth Observation payload data reception.
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Contact:
Bárbara Guerra Manso
Head of Business Development & Marketing
Edisoft, S.A.
Rua Quinta dos Medronheiros
Lazarim
Apartado 382 Monte de Caparica
2826-801 Caparica Portugal
Apartado 382 Monte de Caparica
2826-801 Caparica Portugal
Tel.: (+351) 212 945 900
Fax: (+351) 212 945 999
Mobile: (+351) 93 235 1618
E-mail: barbara.manso@edisoft.pt
(Source Edisoft)