VEGA wins multi million Euro managed service contract for ESRIN

5 August 2008 – VEGA, a Finmeccanica company, has been awarded a three-year contract with a potential two-year extension, by the European Space Agency’s Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN). It is worth €3.45m during the first year, with a total value of €9.6m over the first three years.

The IDEAS (Instrument Data quality Evaluation and Analysis Service) consortium, headed by VEGA, will provide an operational service to monitor the quality of Earth Observation instrument data from ESA satellites and some external missions. Specific tasks include the detection of space and ground segment anomalies and trends, the provision of scientific and technical support to users of Earth Observation instrument data, and the maintenance and evolution of the various instrument data processing facilities. In addition, the service will provide a flexible and scalable environment to support future EO missions and technology.

Building upon VEGA’s experience and knowledge of Earth Observation activities, and specifically of the Sensor Performance and Product Assessment (SPPA) domain, this contract will provide a managed service to ESRIN with an emphasis on user–orientated service provision, as well as providing an open multi-mission architecture working across several sites, each with its own area of expertise. This contract is an import step for ESA as it evolves its Earth Observation activities in line with the objectives of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, a joint European Union/ESA initiative to provide high-quality environmental information to the people who need it, such as scientists, policy-makers and aid agencies.

John Auburn, Aerospace Business Development Director for VEGA, said: “This is a great achievement for VEGA, strengthening our position as a key supplier within ESRIN. For this contract, we recognised the requirement for a managed service that goes beyond the current routine data processing and quality control activities. We have created a well respected team of experts within the Earth Observation domain that will focus on meeting comprehensive service level agreements, through a robust management structure.”

Further information

For further information, please contact Karen Rogers, International Marketing Manager, via e-mail on [email protected].