ESA satellite technology enhances nuclear monitoring (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

28 March 2008

ESA satellite technology enhances nuclear monitoring

Satellite telecommunication technology developed with support from ESA is
being used to enhance the connections between the International Atomic
Energy Agency's remote monitoring centre and nuclear facilities around the
world, including the Chernobyl site.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is well known for their
mission of monitoring the worldwide flow of nuclear materials and
safeguarding the implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
From their headquarters in Vienna, the IAEA safeguards numerous nuclear
facilities in many countries and across several continents.

To support the online monitoring of nuclear facilities, the IAEA has a
remote monitoring data centre, which downloads data from over 140 systems
worldwide. Fifty radiation detection systems and 90 surveillance systems
(including 340 cameras producing 150,000 images per day) generate to up to
two gigabytes per day of global data traffic.

Online monitoring depends on reliable communications between the remote
sites, IAEA headquarters and its regional offices in Tokyo & Toronto.
Following intensive investigations of technological solutions, the IAEA --
in cooperation with ESA -- has now decided to verify the suitability of a
worldwide satellite communications network. This project will play a very
important role, assisting the IAEA in performing a thorough assessment and
in obtaining evidence of the performance and benefits of a space-based
communications infrastructure.

For the IAEA, connectivity via satellite to reach the locations of
geographic interest will be an important step forward. Reaching all corners
of the world with a single hop via satellite makes IAEA communications
independent of terrestrial networks. This is achieved by the multi-satellite
and multi-transponder capability of the selected network technology.
Furthermore, the new system allows the simultaneous carrying of all types of
services at the same time via one network. Telephony, written reports,
images and data can be all be sent, along with live videoconferencing.

Under ESA and IAEA supervision, the deployment of a pilot network, which
will be used to identify and evaluate interoperability and network design
issues, has begun. The central hub of the network in the IAEA headquarters
building will be connected this year to sites in four countries: Brazil,
Hungary, Armenia, and the Chernobyl facility in the Ukraine. Further sites
can be added at any time in the future.

The selected communications technology is known as 'Digital Video
Broadcasting - Return Channel via Satellite' (DVB-RCS), an open standard for
two-way transmission of digital data. Development and promotion of DVB-RCS
has been funded by ESA as part of its Advanced Research in
Telecommunications (ARTES) programme.

The partnership with ESA will give the IEAE welcome additional
infrastructure capability for its ever-expanding remote monitoring network.

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