| | Villafranca station
Villafranca station is located at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)
The ESTRACK tracking antennas located at ESA/ESAC currently support ESA's Cluster, Integral, XMM-Newton, Envisat and ERS-2 missions, as well as ATV and the International Space Station.
Location || 40.446°N, 3.953°W
The coordinates of the VIL-2 15-metre antenna are 40°26'44.14" North and 3°57'09.36" West. The antenna is sited at an elevation of 664.80 metres with respect to the WGS-84 reference ellipsoid, a mathematically-defined reference surface that approximates the Earth's geoid surface.
ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) lies in the Guadarrama Valley, 30 kilometres west of Madrid, Spain, in an area of evergreen oaks and poplars, surrounded by antennas and a castle dating from the 15th century.
Facilities & technology
Villafranca hosts the following antennas:
- VIL-1: 15m-diameter dish antenna with reception and transmission in S-band and including an autotrack capability, a ranging system, a frequency and timing system, a monitoring and control system, and a communications system. The VIL-1 antenna is currently mothballed and waiting to be used for educational purposes under the CESAR programme.
- VIL-2: 15m-diameter dish antenna with reception and transmission in S-band and including an autotrack capability, a ranging system, a frequency and timing system, a monitoring and control system, and a communications system
Both terminals provide facilities for tracking, telemetry, telecommand and radiometric measurements (ranging, Doppler, meteo).
 | | | Aerial view of ESAC |
The station has a frequency and timing system, a monitoring and control system and communications are enabled via the ESA Operations Network (OPSNET). The site is equipped with a no-break power plant.
The station is operated remotely from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, and has been responsible for providing telemetry, tracking and command support to ESA as well as non-ESA satellites.
ESA satellites have included: the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), Marecs, the first- and second- generation Meteosats, Hipparcos, ERS-1 and 2, the Infared Space Observatory (ISO) and SMART-1, ESA's mission to the Moon.
| | | XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre (SOC) at ESAC |
In addition to hosting the tracking antennas, ESAC hosts a number of important ESA activities, including the Science Operations Centres (SOC) for XMM Newton, Integral, Herschel and Gaia, and the Spanish Laboratory for Space Astrophysics and Fundamental Physics (LAEFF).
GPS-TDAF
A GPS-TDAF (GPS Tracking and Data Analysis Facility) dual-frequency receiver system with geodetic accuracy is installed on the site, which delivers continuous measurements to the ESOC Navigation Facility.
Access & contact
The ESOC point of contact is:
Head of Ground Facilities Operations Div. (OPS-ON)
ESOC, Darmstadt
Tel: +49-6151-90-0
The local station contact is:
ESA Cebreros & Villafranca TT&C Stations Manager
Mr Lionel Hernandez
lionel.hernandez [@] esa.int
Tel +34-91-896-38-45
Fax +34-91-896-38-46
The postal address of the station is:
European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)
Camino bajo del Castillo, s/n
Urbanizacion Villafranca del Castillo
Villanueva de la Cañada
28692 Madrid, Spain
ESAC switchboard: +34-918-131-100(3)
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Villafranca location
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