The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Special briefing on the European Data Relay System on 15 January 2016, at ESA Headquarters, Paris.
EDRS is a new space and ground infrastructure that provides near-realtime Big Data relay services (up to 50 Tbytes per day) using cutting-edge laser technology. It will dramatically improve access to time-critical data, aiding disaster response by emergency services and maritime surveillance, for example.
EDRS is a public–private partnership between ESA and Airbus Defence and Space. The laser terminal was developed by TESAT-Spacecom and funded by the DLR German Aerospace Center.
The first node will be launched as a hosted payload on the commercial Eutelsat-9B satellite. The launch is scheduled for 27 January, from Baikonur, using a Proton rocket.
The second EDRS node will follow in 2017 as a dedicated satellite.
Airbus Defence and Space will offer EDRS-SpaceDataHighway as a commercial service. Its first customers will be the European Commission’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 and -2 satellites.
From left to right: Michael Witting, ESA EDRS Project Manager; Evert Dudok, Airbus Head of Communication, Intelligence & Security; Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications & Integrated Applications; Jan Wörner, ESA Director General; Volker Liebig, ESA Director of Earth Observation; Gerd Gruppe, Director of Space Administration at the DLR German Aerospace Center.