The Villafranca Satellite Tracking Station (VILSPA) is part of ESA's (European Space Agency's) worldwide European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) Station Network (ESTRACK). VILSPA lies in the Guadarrama Valley, 30 kilometers west of Madrid. Built in 1975, it has supported and continues to support many ESA and other international programs.

 

VILSPA has been responsible for providing support to more than 50 ESA as well as non-ESA satellites (in chronological order): IUE, OTS-2, GOES-1, Marecs-A, Exosat, ECS-1, Marecs-B2, ECS-2, ECS-4, ECS-5, Meteosat-2, Olympus, Hipparcos, Giotto, Italsat-F1, ERS-1, Meteosat-3, Meteosat-4 (MOP-1), Meteosat-5 (MOP-2), Meteosat-6 (MOP-3), Meteosat-7(MOP-4), ISO, ERS-2, Italsat-F2, SOHO, XMM-Newton, Cluster ESA's four-satellite flotilla, Eutelsat-W3, Envisat, Meteosat-8 (MSG-1),Integral, SMART-1, TC-1, Bird, TC-2, Meteosat-9 (MSG-2), ASTRA-2 series, MetOp-A, and Metop-B.

 

It has also supported the Jules Verne (ATV-1), Johannes Kepler (ATV-2), Edoardo Amaldi (ATV-3), Albert Einstein (ATV-4), and Georges Lemaitre (ATV-5) supply missions to the International Space Station, and the ISS itself.