Watch the EDRS launch
Watch the launch of ESA’s first European Data Relay System (EDRS) laser node live on 29 January. Streaming starts 20 minutes before liftoff, with launch expected at 22:20 GMT.
EDRS is one of a kind and ESA’s most ambitious telecom programme to date, creating the means for an entirely new market in commercial satellite communications.
Dubbed the ‘SpaceDataHighway’, EDRS will uniquely provide near-realtime Big Data relay services using cutting-edge laser technology. It will dramatically improve access to time-critical data, aiding disaster response by emergency services and maritime surveillance.
Airbus Defence and Space are ESA’s programme partner and operator of the service. The first node, called EDRS-A, will begin relaying information this summer from its first customers: the European Commission Copernicus Sentinel-1 and -2 satellites.
Once fully deployed, EDRS will relay up to 50 terabytes of data from space to Earth every day. It will eliminate the downlink delay currently prohibiting immediate access to satellite information and phase out Europe’s reliance on foreign ground stations.
Streaming courtesy of International Launch Services (ILS).
