EDRS-C is shown during the acoustic tests at IABG Ottobrunn, in preparation for launch.
EDRS-C is the second node to the European Data Relay System, a unique public–private partnership between ESA and Airbus.
The system – dubbed the SpaceDataHighway by industry – provides data relay between low orbiting satellites and the EDRS nodes over optical links, with the information sent down to Europe in near-real time.
EDRS-C is the first dedicated EDRS satellite, and will double the system's capacity in orbit.
It is built by OHB System AG.