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The '''European Data Relay System''' ('''EDRS''') system is a European constellation of [[geosynchronous orbit|GEO]] satellites that relay information and data between satellites, spacecraft, [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|UAVs]], and ground stations. 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. It makes on-demand data available to, for example, rescue workers who want near-real-time satellite data of a crisis region.
The system has been developed as part of the [[ARTES]] 7 programme and is intended to be an independent, European satellite system that reduces time delays in the transmission of large quantities of data. 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 in space|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), while the TDRSS provides ground reception rates of
Such a terminal was successfully tested during in-orbit verification between the German radar satellite [[TerraSAR-X]] and the American [[Near Field Infrared Experiment|NFIRE]] satellite.<ref name="TerraSAR-X NFIRE test">[http://www.dlr.de/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-78/7420_read-14120/ TerraSAR-X NFIRE test]</ref> It is also embarked on the commercial telecommunication satellite [[Alphasat]].<ref> [http://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=1138 Alphasat] {{webarchive|url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091223045943/http://telecom.esa.int/telecom/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=1138 |date=2009-12-23 }}</ref>
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