e-GEOS and SES to Build New Ground Station for European Data Relay System

e-GEOS (a joint venture between Telespazio and the Italian Space Agency) and SES are working together to build the Matera User Ground Station (MUGS) for the European Data Relay System. The MUGS is designed to receive, process and distribute data streams from EDRS space segment. It will serve the EU’s Earth Observation Programme Copernicus, supporting urban area management, nature protection, agriculture, health, and civil protection.

EDRS is an optical satellite communications system that enables near-realtime data relay from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to Europe via the geostationary EDRS-A and -C satellites. It was developed under a public–private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus, through ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme.

The tender for the construction of the MUGS was awarded to e-GEOS by ESA, under ARTES. The project will be managed by ESA and led by e-GEOS as the prime contractor, in close collaboration with SES, which has been selected to design, deliver and test the ground station, and Airbus, which will build data collection and storage units.

The MUGS will be installed and integrated at the Italian Space Agency (ASI) Geodesy Centre - G. Colombo - at Matera, Italy. It is expected to become operational during the second half of 2019 and once completed, the ownership and operation of the station will be transferred from ESA to ASI.

“The Matera User Ground Station will make it possible to improve considerably the applications for the monitoring of our Planet enabled by the Sentinels of the Copernicus programme,” stated Bruno Versini, Chief Operation Officer of e-GEOS. “This is an important result, achieved by joining our skills in operating in the ground segment and leadership in technological integration with the engineering expertise of our partners.”

“We are delighted to once again be chosen to be a technology partner in such a prominent project. Through our collaboration with a global geoinformation leader such as e-GEOS, we will continue contributing to improved Earth observation data collection across Europe,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES Networks.

e-GEOS is a leader in Geo-spatial Information business and has over two decades of experience of providing solutions for Matera Space Centre, particularly in the management of Sentinel satellites for Copernicus project. The MUGS will be an EDRS ground station, being able to process and deliver data streams from Copernicus satellites, like Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, which are relayed to the ground station by the EDRS space segment. It will operate as a collaborative station and will be equipped with a Ka-band receive-only antenna. www.e-geos.it

SES is the world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 12 in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in two key business units: SES Video and SES Networks. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions. SES’s portfolio includes ASTRA, O3b and MX1, a leading media service provider that offers a full suite of innovative digital video and media services. SES is listed on the Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange (ticker: SESG). Further information available at: www.ses.com