User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs)
The User Support and Operation Centres, USOCs, are responsible for running and implementing European payloads on the International Space Station. These centres are located throughout Europe.
On behalf of Station users and under ESA management, USOCs prepare and operate facilities for experiments on the Station. The User Support and Operation Centres link scientists and the Space Station, and are focal points for preparing and operating ESA payloads.
Before new experiments are launched, USOCs develop procedures to optimise and calibrate payloads and experiments, and support training astronauts.
The User Support and Operation Centres interact with the scientists by providing them with data on the experiments, receiving and processing requests for scheduling experiments and providing information and instructions for the experiments being run.
Although each User Support and Operation Centre has a different role depending on the technical and operational responsibilities assigned to them, all USOCs act as information centres for their users. They identify potential clients and familiarise them with the possibilities that the International Space Station provides for scientific and commercial use.
What do USOCs do?
- Science planning
- Preparation of payload procedures, displays and commands
- Testing with ground models
- Real-time monitoring and problem-solving in case of onboard anomalies
- Data archiving and distribution
Who are they?
-
BIOTESC Biotechnology Space Support Centre
(Zurich, Switzerland)
www.spacebiol.ethz.ch/biotesc/ -
B-USOC Belgian User Support and Operations Centre
(Brussels, Belgium)
www.busoc.be -
CADMOS Centre d'Aide au Développement des activités en Micropesanteur et des Opérations Spatiales
(Toulouse, France)
www.cnes.fr -
E-USOC Spanish User Support and Operations Center
(Madrid, Spain)
www.eusoc.upm.es MUSC Microgravity User Support Centre
(Cologne, Germany)
www.dlr.de/musc
