New Service Contract at ESAC

ESA awarded Aurora a new service contract containing most of the support that Aurora was already performing at ESAC, near Madrid in Spain. The Contract is for the years 2015 and 2016. Hugo Costa is the Service Manager and our services involve a further 18 engineers and scientists who provide specific services to the following:

Specialised services to support ESA in Computer System Engineering at ESAC

The service supports ESA in system administration activities for those computer systems used for science operations and research activities including Disk Storage infrastructure, Virtual infrastructure as well as GRID and Cloud computing infrastructures.

System and Software Engineering for Science Operations

• Science Archives and Virtual Observatory with particular support to the Planck and Euclid missions.
• Mars Express Medium and Short Term planning plus engineering support tasks.
• Gaia Ground Segment Software Development and operations with particular responsibilities for the Main DataBase (MDB) using InterSystems Cache expected to hold more than 1 petabyte of data.; the Pipeline processing systems and supporting the Initial Data Treatment (IDT) subsystems.
• ExoMars 2016 Science Ground Segment System Development at ESAC relating to the specification, design, implementation, testing and operations of the downlink system.
• Herschel in Post-operations to ensure the preservation of the Herschel data legacy.

Operations Support

• Rosetta Long, Medium and Short Term Science Mission Planning, liaison with PI teams and Trajectory Planning.
• XMM-Newton scientific support to planning, operations calibration and science community.
• Gaia Procedures, testing, integration and validation of science ground segment, daily operations, calibrations and supporting upgrades.
• LISA Pathfinder operations planning and scientific support to the spacecraft and the Technology Package.
• Planck scientific community support, publications and science archive.
• Solar Orbiter Science Operations Centre testing.

The contract is carried out under a programme of and funded by the European Space Agency.

The support has been carried out under a programme and funded by the European Space Agency.  ESA disclaimer – “The view expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.”