ESOC

The Interconnection Ground Subnetwork (IGS) control room at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC)in Germany. ESOC controls ESA satellites through the ESTRACK network of ground stations. IGS is the ground communication infrastructure which supports the European components of the International Space Station (ISS) programme: the Columbus Orbital Facility attached to ISS and the Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo carrier. The IGS testbed (a precursor of the final IGS) already provides communication services to enable researchers to perform telescience experiments aboard Space Shuttle and Mir missions remotely from their home locations in Europe.