Special Mission Infrastructure Lab Environment
SMILE (Special Mission Infrastructure Lab Environment) is a cutting edge mission control and validation facility located at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. Designed to support businesses, universities, and organizations in the field of satellite monitoring and control, SMILE provides a flexible and open-to-use platform for testing and validating technologies for future missions.
The SMILE laboratory provides a flexible control room area equipped with advanced tools such as voice loops, timing systems, and more. The space offers the ability to conduct space-to-ground communication tests, access data analysis tools, and remotely monitor and control the antennas. In addition, specific virtual machines on the SMILE LAN can be provided to support missions or experiments.
Made up of a high-tech laboratory and four antennas, (ESOC-1, ESOC-2, ESOC-3 and Reindeer) SMILE offers ESA member state organizations the opportunity to explore new methods of operating small satellites and related activities.
Coordination of activities at SMILE is facilitated through regular user meetings, which ensure timely response to the evolving needs of missions and provide the flexibility to accommodate specific requirements. Current users of SMILE include organizations such as OPS-SAT and Meteron, and there are plans to provide experimental support for ExoMars and its first acquisition with ESOC-1.[1][2]
Antennas[edit]
The ESOC-1 antenna features a 3.7-meter single parabolic reflector, which supports S-Band up and downlinks and X-Band downlinks, with an angular velocity of up to 10 degrees per second in a three-axis system.
The ESOC-2 antenna is a radio amateur facility that supports VHF, UHF up- and downlinks, and Amateur S-Band downlinks.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Want to SMILE?". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ↑ "SMILE Antennas". Retrieved 2023-01-31.
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