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    ESA > Our Activities > Operations

    ESOC Main Control Room
    Main Control Room at ESA's Space Operations Centre

    ESA mission history and status

    Name

    Purpose

    Launch date

    Mission duration

    Note
    ESRO-2

    Science

    17.05.1968

    3 years
    ESRO-1A

    Science

    03.10.1968

    2 years
    HEOS-A1

    Science

    05.12.1968

    7 years
    ESRO-1B

    Science

    01.10.1969

    2 months
    HEOS-A2

    Science

    31.01.72

    2 years
    TD-1A

    Science

    12.03.72

    2 years
    ESRO-4

    Science

    20.11.72

    2 years
    COS-B

    Science

    09.08.75

    7 years
    GEOS-1

    Science

    20.04.77

    5 years
    ISEE-2

    Science

    22.10.77

    10 years OCC at GSFC
    Meteosat-1

    Weather

    23.11.77

    8 years
    IUE

    Science

    28.01.78

    18 years OCC at Vilspa, joint NASA
    GEOS-2

    Science

    14.07.78

    6 years
    OTS-2

    Telecom

    11.05.78

    13 years
    Meteosat-2

    Weather

    19.06.81

    10 years
    Marecs-A

    Telekom

    20.12.81

    14 years, 9 months
    Exosat

    Science

    26.05.83

    3 years
    ECS-1

    Telecom

    16.08.83

    13 years, 6 months OCC in Redu
    ECS-2

    Telecom

    04.08.84

    9 years OCC in Redu
    Marecs-B2

    Telecom

    10.11.84

    7 years
    Giotto

    Science

    02.07.85

    Hibernation
    ECS-4

    Telecom

    10.09.87

    15 years OCC in Redu
    Meteosat-P2

    Weather

    15.06.88

    7 years
    ECS-5

    Telecom

    21.07.88

    12 years OCC in Redu
    MOP-1

    Weather

    06.03.89

    6 years
    Olympus

    Telecom

    12.07.89

    4 years LEOP only
    Hipparcos

    Science

    08.08.89

    4 years
    Ulysses

    Science

    06.10.90

    18 years OCC at JPL
    MOP-2 (Meteosat-5)

    Weather

    02.03.91

    Complete OCC moved to EUMETSAT
    ERS-1

    Earth obs

    17.07.91

    5 years
    Eureca

    Microgravity

    31.07.92

    1 year Retrieved by Shuttle
    MOP-3

    Weather

    20.11.93

    Ongoing Operated now by EUMETSAT
    ERS-2

    Earth obs

    21.04.95

    Complete End 5.09.11
    ISO

    Science

    17.11.95

    3 years LEOP ESOC, OCC in Vilspa
    MTP (Meteosat-7)

    Weather

    03.09.97

    Ongoing Operated now by EUMETSAT
    Cassini-
    Huygens

    Science

    15.10.97

    Cassini continuing

    Huygens complete
    Joint ESA-NASA mission

    Huygens on Titan 14.01.05
    Teamsat

    Technology

    30.10.97

    5 days Joint with ESTEC
    Pastel

    Payload: Spot4

    24.04.98

    Complete LEOP only
    XMM-Newton

    Science

    10.12.99

    Ongoing
    Cluster-II

    Science

    16.07.00

    Ongoing Satellites 1 & 2
    Cluster-II

    Science

    09.08.00

    Ongoing Satellites 3 & 4
    Proba-1

    Technology Demonstration

    22.10.01

    Ongoing
    Envisat

    Earth obs

    01.03.02

    Complete End 09.05.2012
    MSG-1

    Weather

    28.08.02

    Ongoing Operated now by EUMETSAT
    Integral

    Science

    17.10.02

    Ongoing
    Mars Express

    Science

    02.06.03

    Ongoing
    SMART-1

    Science

    28.09.03

    4.09.06
    Rosetta

    Science

    02.03.04

    Ongoing
    MSG-2

    Weather

    21.12.05

    Ongoing Operated now by EUMETSAT
    Venus Express

    Science

    9.11.05

    Ongoing
    MetOp

    Weather

    19.10.06

    Ongoing Operated now by EUMETSAT
    Columbus Laboratory

    Science

    07.02.08

    Ongoing Ongoing mission on the ISS
    ATV Jules Verne

    ISS resupply & reboost

    09.03.08

    Complete Periodic ISS resupply
    GOCE

    Earth obs

    17.03.09

    Ongoing
    Herschel

    Science

    14.05.09

    Ongoing Orbit at L2
    Planck

    Science

    14.05.09

    Ongoing Orbit at L2
    Proba-2

    Technology Demonstration

    2.11.09

    Ongoing
    CryoSat-2

    Earth obs

    08.04.10

    Ongoing
    ATV Johannes Kepler

    ISS resupply & reboost

    16.02.11

    End 29.09.2008 Periodic ISS resupply
    ATV Edoardo Amaldi

    ISS resupply & reboost

    23.03.12

    Ongoing Periodic ISS resupply
    MSG-3

    Weather

    06.07.12

    Ongoing Operated now by EUMETSAT

    Abbreviations

    • EUMETSAT: European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
    • GSFC: Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA)
    • JPL: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
    • LEOP: Launch and Early Orbit Phase
    • OCC: Operations Control Center

    Last update: 8 December 2012

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