ESA - ESA Spacecraft Operations - Cluster II operations

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Cluster II operations

The mission

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Artist's impression of the Cluster constellation

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Artist's impression of the Cluster constellation.

ESA's mission Cluster consists of four identical spacecraft flying in formation between 19 000 and 119 000 km above the Earth. They study the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere, or the Sun-Earth connection in 3D.

Credits: ESA

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Artist impression of the Cluster quartet

Artist's impression of the ESA Cluster mission, with four spacecraft flying in formation above Earth.

Credits: ESA

The Flight Control Team

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Juergen Volpp is SOM for Cluster.

Credits: ESA-J.Mai/juergenmai.com

Mission operations

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The paired Cluster satellites were delivered into their preliminary parking orbit by the Fregat upper stage of the Soyuz launcher.

Credits: Starsem

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VMC IRIS camera - TOS-EDT Image and Signal processing lab
Post-processed by TOS-EDT for Cluster 9 August 2000

Credits: ESA/Cluster

The ground station
Maspalomas

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Maspalomas S-band and X-band ground station

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The Maspalomas station is located in the southern part of the Gran Canaria island (Spain) on the campus of the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA). The antenna is operated by INTA in cooperation with Ingenieria y Servicios Aerospatiales (INSA). It hosts a 15-metre antenna with reception in both S- and X-band and transmission in S-band. In addition there is an antenna for the Global Positioning System – Tracking and Data Facility (GPS-TDAF). Experts used the station for Cluster and SMART-1 during their Routine phases.

Credits: ESA

Ground segment & mission control system

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The Cluster ground segment is used to monitor and control the four satellites, and to receive, archive and distribute the science data.

The platform and payload

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Cutaway diagram of one of the Cluster spacecraft, showing its main structural features.

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This animation shows the four ESA's Cluster satellites flying through the Earth's magnetosphere and observing the 'magnetic reconnection' process.

Magnetic reconnection is a process that can occur almost anywhere that a magnetic field is found. In a reconnection event, the magnetic field lines are squeezed together somehow and spontaneously reconfigure themselves, releasing energy.

When it occurs near the surface of the Sun, such an event powers giant solar flares that can release thousands of millions of tonnes of electrically charged particles into space.

Credits: ESA

More information

Cluster Cluster II in-depth Cluster Science Data System Cluster Active Archive Cluster achieves closest-ever separation for two ESA spacecraft Images, animations

Ground stations

Maspalomas station

Launch vehicle

Soyuz Related video

Cluster II Joint Science Operations Centre (JSOC)