The designers intend the system to provide almost full-time communication, even with satellites in low Earth orbit that often have reduced visibility from ground stations.
The programme is similar to the American Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System that was set up to support the Space Shuttle—but EDRS is using a new generation Laser Communication Terminal (LCT) which carries data at a much larger bit rate: the laser terminal transmits 1.8 Gbit/s across 45,000 km (the distance of a LEO-GEO link),[1] while the TDRSS provides ground reception rates of 600 Mbit/s in the S-band and 800 Mbit/s in the Ku- and Ka-bands.
The EDRS A and C form the initial core space infrastructure that provides direct coverage for LEO satellites over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Poles.
The first users for EDRS were the Sentinel-1 and -2 satellites of the Copernicus Programme (formerly the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security or GMES).
The Sentinel satellites provide data for the operational provision of geo-information products and services throughout Europe and the globe.
take over ownership of EDRS and will provide the data transmission services to ESA and customers worldwide.