Spacecraft Simulations and Training
Our Simulation Officers provide training to Mission Control Teams (MCTs) for critical phases of their spacecraft missions, including the launch and early orbiting phase (LEOP), commissioning, flybys, rendezvous, orbital insertions and landings, as well as for routine operations.
Our Simulations and Trainings at ESOC
At ESOC, this training we provide consists of conducting approximately 30 pre-launch simulations (8 hours in duration) using the mission’s operational simulator as a data source and involving the full MCT of ~50 participants from 7 teams distributed in multiple control rooms throughout ESOC. Failures and contingencies are injected by the simulation officers via simulator or other means during these simulations, in order to train the team’s reaction to anomalous situations and enable them to exercise their contingency procedures.
Additional specific skill training is given to those ESOC-external participants from ESA project and industry teams in communications via voice loop and mission control system (MCS) operation prior to the inauguration of a simulation campaign.
For missions with other later critical phases, shorter dedicated simulation campaigns of 5-10 days are organised for the teams for those specific critical operations.
We also conduct proficiency training for the Flight Control Teams (FCTs) of many missions during the routine phase throughout the spacecraft lifetime.