Applications

Overview

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ESA / Applications / Connectivity and Secure Communications / EDRS

The European Data Relay System (EDRS) is the most sophisticated laser communication network ever designed.

Dubbed the ‘SpaceDataHighway’, EDRS helps Earth-observing satellites to transmit large quantities of potentially life-saving data down to Europe in near-real time.

Its two geostationary satellites use optical links to gather low-orbiting satellites’ information at far higher data rates than traditional radio frequency beams.

Facts and figures

Infrastructure

Two geostationary payloads, EDRS-A and EDRS-C
Mission Operations Centres in Ottobrunn (DE) and Redu (BE)
Spacecraft/Payload Control Centres in Oberpfaffenhofen (DE)
Ground stations in Redu (BE), Harwell (GB), two in Weilheim (DE) and Matera (IT)

Launch dates

EDRS-A: 29 January 2016
EDRS-C: 2019

Launch site

EDRS-A: Baikonur, Kazakhstan
EDRS-C: Kourou, French Guiana

Launcher

EDRS-A: Proton
EDRS-C: Ariane 5

Platform/host satellite

EDRS-A

Satellite: Eutelsat-9B, Eutelsat (FR)
Platform: Eurostar 3000, Airbus (FR)

EDRS-C

Satellite: EDRS-C Satellite, Airbus Defence and Space (DE)
Platform: SmallGEO-type, OHB Systems (DE), also hosting the Hylas-3 payload by Avanti (GB)

Intersatellite link capacity

Optical
Ka-band

Up to 1800 Mbit/s
Up to 300 Mbit/s

Link capacity to ground (Ka-band)

Up to 1800 Mbit/s

Data transmission capacity

At least 50 TBytes/day

Prime contractor

Airbus Defence and Space (DE)

Mission Operation Centre

Airbus Defence and Space (DE)

Anchor customer

ESA/EC Copernicus Sentinel-1 and -2

Overview

Related Links

ARTES website for Telecoms professionals

Airbus