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
Go to topicThe Open Cosmos beeApp application defines a full space mission, including selection of launchers, ground stations and satellite sizes. Based on those parameters, the software simulates the orbits, the amount of power received by the satellite from the sun, when it can see a ground segment and communicate with the Earth, or pass over a specific region. The Open Cosmos beeKit satellite hardware emulates the size, the on-board computer and electrical interfaces of a real satellite, to facilitate the testing of payloads. These payloads can be anything, ranging from Earth Observation, scientific instruments and telecommunication, including proven telecommunications technology or new technology demonstrations.
The two tools can be linked together to simulate a mission with a real payload. The mission definition software simulates the amounts of available solar power, the ground station passes and the modes of operation of the payload and plays it back to the real payload. It then records the behaviour of the payload as if it was in orbit.
The company developed the tools under the ‘SAPION’ project of ESA’s ARTES Pioneer programme.