EDRS-C being tested

EDRS-C is put through its paces at OHB System AG in Bremen, Germany, on 7 April.

EDRS-C is the second node of the European Data Relay System and first dedicated satellite to complement the infrastructure. It is the second satellite to be based on ESA and OHB’s SmallGEO platform.

The European Data Relay System is designed to transmit data between low Earth orbiting satellites and the EDRS payloads in geostationary orbit using innovative laser communication technology. By relaying their findings to Europe via EDRS, Earth-observing satellites can transmit their information to the ground in near-realtime as they gather it, instead of having to store it onboard until they travel over one of their own ground stations.