European Space Agency
  8-10 Rue Mario Nikis
  75738 Paris Cedex 15
  Telephone: (3314) 273 7155
  Telex: ESA 202 746
  FAX: (3314) 273-7560

  FOR RELEASE: APRIL 11, 1991 #11

  On  12 April ESA's Director General, Jean-Marie Luton, with Senator
  Learco Saporito, Undersecretary of State of  the  Italian  Ministry
  for  University  and  Scientific  and  Technological Research, will
  inaugurate the Earthnet, ERS Central Facility (EECF)  at  ESRIN  --
  the  first  element of the Payload Data Coordination Centre planned
  for the coming years.  Professor Francesco  Carassa,  President  of
  the  ESA  Council,  Professor  Luciano  Guerriero, President of the
  Italian Space Agency, and  many  other  high-ranking  personalities
  from  government, industry and institutes in ESA Member States will
  attend this event.

  ERS-1, the first polar orbiting remote  sensing  satellite  of  the
  European  Space  Agency,  will  be launched in May 1991.  It is the
  first  milestone  of  an  ambitious  long-term  Earth   Observation
  Programme  to  be followed by ERS-2, and later by a series of polar
  orbiting platforms.

  ERS-1, with its unique  microwave  radar  instrumentation  able  to
  "see"  through  clouds and darkness, is designed to gather enormous
  amounts of data of the Earth and its environment.   ERS-2  and  the
  Polar-Orbit  Earth  Observation Missions (POEMS) in the late 1990s,
  will provide a long-term continuity of data flow, and will help  to
  establish   a   better  understanding  of  evolution  patterns  and
  statistics, complementing available data from non-radar missions.

  The important part of an earth observation mission, however, is not
  only the spacecraft, but also the data  it  provides.   The  ground
  segment, which receives and processes this information and makes it
  available  to  the  user  communities,  therefore,  is of paramount
  importance to the success of a mission.

  This task for ERS-1 and subsequent missions has been  entrusted  to
  ESRIN and its Earthnet programme.

  ESRIN (located in Frascati near Rome), one of the Establishments of
  ESA  and  Earthnet,  an  activity forming part of the ESA mandatory
  programme since 1980, has  dedicated  years  to  the  planning  and
  preparation  of  the  ERS-1  ground  segment.   Its  experience  in
  acquiring, processing, archiving and  distributing  remote  sensing
  data  from  non-ESA  missions since 1978 provided the basis for the
  setting-up of EECF, ready to ensure efficient exploitation of ERS-1
  payload data as requested by the user communities.

  The EECF tasks are manifold and  challenging.   Powerful  computers
  are  in  place to guarantee round-the-clock telecommunication links
  with: the Mission Management and Control Centre at ESOC,  Darmstadt
  which executes the mission operation plan prepared by the EECF; the
  ground  stations  for the scheduling of near real-time distribution
  of Fast Delivery (FD) Data; the Processing and Archiving Facilities
  for data product orders; the users to provide access to the  online
  worldwide   catalogue   of  ERS  data  and  to  exchange  messages.
  Furthermore, ground stations acquisition and processing chains will
  be controlled and monitored from ESRIN and potential  problems  can
  be  solved  via  simulation  on  a local computer reference system.
  Product Control is carried  out  online  in  collected  samples  to
  assure quality of data products.

  The implementation of these services has required, and will require
  in  the  future,  accurate planning and preparation, investments in
  infrastructures and new equipment, and an increase in  staff  which
  will instruct users on all possible data applications, on access to
  the catalogue, and on planned data acquistion schedules.

  The  EECF  at  ESRIN  will be ESA's key to the user communities all
  over  the  world  --  meterological  services,  research   centres,
  geophysical  and  oceanographic  institutes, universities, national
  space agencies but also operational/commercial entities, which  can
  use satellite data for a better management of their activities.

  For further information, please contact:

  ESA/Public Relations
  Tel: (33.1) 42.73.71.55

  There   are   also   Public  Relations  offices  in  the  following
  establishments:

ESTEC Noordwijk (NL)   ESOC Darmstadt (FRG)     ESRIN Frascati (I)
Tel: (31) 1719.8.3006  Tel: (49) 6151.90.02.66  Tel (39) 694.18.02.60

For further information contact the above address or
ESA Washington Office
L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Suite 7800
Washington, D.C. 20024
Tel: (202) 488-4158
FAX: (202) 488-4930