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New version of European Ground Segment - Common Core has been released with support of Polish company, the BitByBit.

Poznań, May 22, 2024 – The new version of the European Ground Segment—Common Core (EGS-CC) framework has been released. Developed by the European Space industries and Agencies, it offers a unified ground infrastructure for multiple space missions. It is a community-driven project with The BitByBit Company playing a significant role in its development. In 2023, the company, along with Germany’s SpaceQube and the Netherlands’ ITCGR, was selected to provide Release Agent (RA) service. These include: releasing the EGS-CC, providing software development infrastructure, managing the community portal, and more.

The European Ground System – Common Core (EGS-CC) is a framework for controlling, monitoring, and data processing spacecraft missions. It enables ESA and its partners to share a common infrastructure for their ground systems. EGS-CC provides a set of standard interfaces and tools that simplify the development of mission-specific ground systems and reduce their costs. It allows different missions to share resources, such as ground stations, mission planning tools, and data processing centers.

By using a common infrastructure, ESG-CC Consortium aims to improve the efficiency and reliability of its ground systems and reduce the risk of mission failures. The System is designed to be scalable and adaptable to different mission types and sizes, from small satellite missions to complex exploration missions. It is also designed to be interoperable with other ground systems and international standards.

Under the EGS-CC RA contract, the development of EGS-CC has transitioned to a community-based model. This approach lets space industry developers submit source code changes, which are reviewed and incorporated into EGS-CC by experienced community members, including the BitByBit. The Polish team is also responsible for improving and fixing bugs in the EGS-CC user interface – the WebUI. The company has considerable expertise in this field, having developed the application in recent years. Additionally, the BitByBit Company, is maintaining and developing the automated Scenario Validation tests which helps to identify regression in the source code. Along with consortium members, they are also contributing to software releases, documentation, and community support. An essential element of the RA service is the support provided to EGS-CC developers. Consortium members offer a knowledge base, training materials, and online chat support.

We are impressed by the quality and the effectiveness of the consortium's contribution, including BitByBit Company. Through joint efforts, we have created a system that significantly improves the management of European space missions, contributing to their greater efficiency and reliability.

Guillaume GainTechnical Officer of the EGS-CC and Release Agent project

The EGS-CC software is released under the ESA Software Community License, making it open source for entities from ESA Member States. Polish companies can use the system for their own missions and control center, integrate their products with this new framework or even contribute to the development of the EGS-CC thereby influencing future European space missions.

We are delighted that our company has earned the trust of the European Space Agency and is successfully handling the assigned task. This is a great honor and a testament to our ability to execute complex space sector projects at the highest level. I am pleased that Polish entities can use the results of our work, and I hope this will bring great benefits to the Polish space industry.

Dr. Dariusz WalczakCEO of BitByBit Company

BitByBit provides a valued contribution to the Release Agent project. The project’s success is heavily dependent on their consistent work and professionalism.

Hristo IndzhovSpaceCube GmbH, EGS-CC RA Project Manager

The Release Agent project is planned to continue until 2026, with the possibility of an extension for two years.

Last update: Poznan, Jun 27, 2024