The Columbus Control Centre during the launch of ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen on his 10-day iriss mission to the International Space Station, 2 September 2015. In the foreground is the presenter for ESA television providing live commentary during the launch.
Control centres monitor performance of operations and, in case of changes or malfunctions, prepare and perform updates. Maintenance of Europe's space laboratory Columbus is performed by astronauts monitored by the control centre and payload centre.
Columbus Control Centre is located at Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, Germany.