Systems Department
The Systems Department (TEC-S) is responsible for:
The department advises projects and manages technology activities related to the domains of the department and elaborates corresponding engineering standards.
It manages technical laboratories and facilities to support internal and external customers.
Among those, it is responsible for providing the Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) in support of studies and early phase activities of ESA programmes.
Associate to systems engineering is cost engineering, which provides cost estimates of future space projects to ESA decision-makers.
For any enquiries on our department, please refer to the assigned contacts:
Why it is needed
Systems, AOCs and software engineering are key for any space mission because if not:
- Space systems will not be efficient and will not have all their components working together in the best possible way
- Space systems will be ‘dumb’ as they will have no intelligence and no pointing provided by AOCs and software
- Satellites will neither be controlled nor monitored.
Further, satellites would not have the key components that make it possible to operate in the complex functional environment of space.
In-orbit demonstration provides access to space for new technologies and techniques using small satellites and cubesats, without which in-orbit demonstration missions, technologies and techniques will not have the opportunity to be validated (i.e. brought to TRL 9) before being used in application programmes.
Systems engineering effectively 'gives birth' to missions, turning an initial idea into a full system description, with all necessary elements integrated into a complete whole.
These blueprints can then become the basis of subsequent decision-making, ultimately by ESA Member States as they judge which future missions should gain their support.
Without cost engineering, ESA will not have an estimate to know at an early stage the cost of a programme.
OFFICES
UNITS
Divisions
GNC, AOCS and Pointing Division
The Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC), Attitude and Orbit Control (AOCS) and Pointing Division is responsible for R&D, engineering and project support in the domains of GNC, AOCS and pointing, control techniques and tools and AOCS and GNC sensors.
Systems Engineering Division
The Systems Engineering Division (TEC-SY) allows translating the needs from the users, design architecture of the system accordingly, define its building strategy and control the integration of subsystems to coherently achieve the final result.
Software Systems Division
The Software Systems Division is responsible for the engineering of on-board software in all phases, including pre-development of software and independent verification of mission-critical software. Division activities cover areas such as the development and assessment of software engineering technologies, methods and tools.
Related labs
Concurrent Design Facility
The Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) provides a collaborative, cooperative, collective and simultaneous engineering working environment.
GNC, AOCS & Pointing Laboratory
The Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC), Attitude Orbit Control (AOCs) & Pointing Laboratory supports engineering research, evaluation and investigations for ESA Projects and R&D Programs through prototyping, characterisation and testing of the products related to GNC, AOCS and pointing systems.
Software Systems Laboratory
The Software Systems Laboratory supplies hardware and software infrastructure as well as specialised equipment and tools to support R&D activities and missions at ESA, including flight software (platform and payload onboard software) and ground software for systems supporting spacecraft development, specifically functional verification.
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