Cebreros Station
Encyclopedia
Cebreros Station is an INSA-operated, ESTRACK
radio
antenna station for communication with spacecraft
located 90 km from Madrid
, Spain
. A 35-metre diameter antenna that receives in X- and Ka-bands is located at the site. Station code is "CEB".
It provides daily support to Venus Express
and back-up to Mars Express
, Rosetta and Cluster
.
Two sister stations are New Norcia Station
in Australia
, and Malargüe Station
in Argentina
(currently under construction).
ESTRACK
The European Space Operations Centre operates a number of ground-based space-tracking stations for the European Space Agency known as the European Space Tracking network. The stations support various ESA spacecraft and facilitate communications between ground operators and scientific probes such...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
antenna station for communication with spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
located 90 km from Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. A 35-metre diameter antenna that receives in X- and Ka-bands is located at the site. Station code is "CEB".
It provides daily support to Venus Express
Venus Express
Venus Express is the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency. Launched in November 2005, it arrived at Venus in April 2006 and has been continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus. Equipped with seven science instruments, the main objective of the...
and back-up to Mars Express
Mars Express
Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency . The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally referred to the speed and efficiency with which the spacecraft was...
, Rosetta and Cluster
Cluster mission
Cluster II is a space mission of the European Space Agency, with NASA participation, to study the Earth's magnetosphere over the course of an entire solar cycle. The mission is composed of four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation...
.
Two sister stations are New Norcia Station
New Norcia Station
New Norcia Station is a 35-metre ESTRACK radio antenna for communication with spacecraft in deep space. It is located south of the town of New Norcia, Western Australia. It was built for the European Space Agency. The station was officially opened on 5 March 2003 by the Premier of Western...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Malargüe Station
Malargüe Station
Malargüe Station is a 35-metre ESTRACK radio antenna currently under construction in Argentina. It is being built for the European Space Agency for communication with spacecraft in deep space. It is located south of the town of Malargüe, Argentina...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(currently under construction).