O'day 23 Rigging Diagram

Artemis successfully assists ATV Jules Verne

Artemis relay satellite data from ESA, successfully responded to the request for emergency services from the ATV Control Centre, after the unexpected outage of the NASA Space Center Houston, Texas.

Artemis operations are conducted from ESA's facility at Redu, Belgium, where is the mission control center and a satellite terminal with a Ka-band dish antenna 13.5 meters in diameter.

The most recent task performed by Artemis was communicating with Jules Verne, the first Automated Vehicle Transfer (ATC) in Europe, a task he shared with the System for Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TRDSS) spacecraft. "On September 11 we received notification that it was necessary to provide emergency support to the ATV by Artemis," explained Benoit Demelenne, Head of Redu's TT & C and Spacecraft Operations Unit. "Hurricane Ike was approaching the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which had to be evacuated. The ATV Control Centre requested emergency support through Artemis at the prospect that communications with ATV via TDRSS could see interrupted. "

Kris Capelle, ATV Mission Director also explained that it was necessary to perform a maneuver to dodge space junk (DAM, Debris Avoidance Manoeuvre), which could get too close to ATV.

"To carry out these operations additional visibility needed to track the performance of the ATV. Because these two situations were presented just once, was needed additional support from Artemis, "said Capelle .

control team's mission and support equipment for ground segment of the ATV Control Centre in Toulouse and the Artemis Control Centre in Redu immediately began procedures. With only a few hours to prepare, could provide support to the ATV during the night, successfully.

Artemis has served more than five years of operations in orbit. It is in a geostationary orbit over Africa and has three main purposes:

• provide a satellite communication system using advanced radio link S-band and Ka-and laser technology.


• Playing a key role within the European system EGNOS satellite navigation, emitting signals from GPS and GLONASS improved for use by civilian transport service "safety critical" and services navigation.


• Provide a system of voice and data communications between mobile terminals in remote areas of Europe and North Africa and the Atlantic.

Artemis was used as a communications link with the ATV "Jules Verne" during the different phases of its mission, working in parallel with TDRSS. Was the host phase in which the ATV was docked to the ISS, and offered support in the reception of telemetry and remote control to and from the ATV vehicle during the encounter, rendezvous-docking, undocking and reentry on . ATV "Jules Verne" has completed a flawless mission six months, disengaging from the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 5 to complete the last leg of its journey into space, ending the destroyed in a controlled reentry into Earth's atmosphere on 29 September.

"Once again, Artemis has been shown to be prepared to respond to the needs of ESA programs, as is the case of continuous service of Envisat data transmission," says Andrea Cotellessa, Head of Project Office Artemis. "We have been entrusted to continue the operations of Artemis providing initial services to the commissioning of the European System Relay Data, and from there continue to provide support services until the end of the operating life of Artemis. "