Organization

ESA Organization

ESA project organization is in accordance with other PI type science projects: a project team directed by a project leader based at ESTEC.

This project team includes, a project scientist ensuring that satellite construction, experiments and operations correspond to the science objectives of the mission. S/he conducts regular meetings of all PI scientists and their project leaders to inform them on how the project is proceeding and review the progress of the construction of their experiments.

During the operational phase, s/he will be responsible for co-ordinating the science operations on the satellites. As such, s/he ensures the preparation of these operations in liaison with the Joint Science Operations Centre (JSOC) at RAL in the United Kingdom.

Another member of the project group is the ground segment manager based at ESOC. S/he is responsible for all ground operations: transmitting telecommands, collecting telemetry signals, storing and making data available online at ESOC and on CD-ROMs dispatched to the principal investigators and national centres.

For the CLUSTER Science Data System (CSDS), ESA is responsible for the following two levels of co-ordination:

• Technical level, governed by the Implementation Working Group (IWG). It is led by the ESA project scientist and includes science and technical experiment managers in charge of producing the data processing system.
  France delegates the CNES project leader, the CFC science manager and three scientists representing the CIS, STAFF and WHISPER experiments respectively.
   
• Decision-making level, granted by the Steering Committee (SC). In particular, this includes the centre managers with decision-making (in particular budgetary) authority and PI representatives.
  France is represented by the CNES project leader. The CFC science manager and the CNES programme manager are invited to participate.