ESA Telecommunications & Integrated Applications

• Full house for EDRS
  
  

  The EDRS–SpaceDataHighway has now begun regularly relaying Earth images from Sentinel-2A, which marks the last of four Copernicus satellites in orbit being brought under the EDRS service.

• Satellites paint a detailed picture of maritime activity
  
  

  ESA has helped coastal authorities to track up to 70% more ships and pick up nearly three times more ship positions via satellite than was possible before.

• ESA to clear congested skies with Iris
  
  

  ESA has signed a €41.3 million contract with Inmarsat to help get more flights in the air with fewer delays, increased safety and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

• From satellites to the sea: VDES offers global link for ships
  
  

  There are yawning gaps in our interconnected world: unable or unwilling to take up satellite communications, many smaller ships find themselves isolated on the high seas. ESA is part of an ambitious effort to upgrade an existing VHF system to provide wide-bandwidth two-way communications to all mariners.

• Space technology to drive autonomous ships
  
  

  ESA Director General Jan Wörner signed a Memorandum of Intent with Rolls-Royce today, as the two entities agree to investigate how space technology can be used to develop autonomous and remote-controlled ships.