The people who dream up disaster

In an underground room beneath the Main Control Room, Simulation Officers sit intensely watching what the flight control team is doing above throughout every scenario – they observe their individual monitors, listen in on their calls, and access cameras while controlling the ‘mission simulator’.

From this room, they control the spacecraft simulator along with other aspects involved during the Launch and Early Orbit Phase such as ground stations. During 'contingency simulations' they insert errors, small and large, that control teams have to find and solve in order to keep their missions flying.

This image was taken during simulations preparing teams for the launches of Sentinel-6 and SEOSAT-Ingenio.