France in Space #249
** 1: THE SPACE INDUSTRY WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION
The ESA-EU framework agreement discussed at the inter-parliamentary
conference in Berlin has attempted to define the organization and the
missions of the space industry within the European Union. ESA’s Green Paper
highlights the lack of technological self-sufficiency in the field of manned
flights as well as military systems on orbit for defense purposes. The
scientific community has insisted on the need to dedicate twice the means
and resources currently invested in space sciences. Claudie Haigneré, French
Research Minister, recommends that a mandatory environmental sciences
program be put in place. The industry has stated that its restructuring was
going hand in hand with a strengthening of the European space program,
through political actions towards sharing information (broadband), Earth
observation (GMES), navigation (Galileo), security and defense (via ESDA or
an European Security & Defense Agency). Military authorities suggest that
dual-purpose programs be launched first, on the basis of private-government
partnerships (such as the GMID (Global Monitoring for Intelligence and
Defense) project in parallel to GMES). By the end of 2003, a framework
agreement should be sealed to dispatch tasks between ESA (European Space
Agency) and the EU (European Union). The European Commission plans a space
budget for 2007-2013. ESA’s Green Paper conference also considered doubling
current budget resources (approximately 6 B€ for ESA and national agencies
combined) and improving the institutional framework. However, some issues
regarding ESA’s future still have to be addressed. Could ESA be transformed
into a European Union Space Agency (EUSA) ? “In Europe, the space industry
has entered a political maturity stage. The pioneering days of the first
space conquest led by ESA are over. It is now time for a new political era
focused on building a strong integrated European space industry serving
citizens and supporting European policies”, stated Philippe Busquin,
European Research Commissioner. [Air et Cosmos 09/12/2003]
** 2: ARIANESPACE BACK ON TRACK
Arianespace placed in orbit two geostationary communications satellites on
September 27th, 2003: INSAT-3E for the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), and e-Bird for the European operator Eutelsat. The mission’s third
payload, ESA’s SMART-1 lunar probe, was successfully put into an orbit that
will take it to the Moon. This mission was the 14th launch of a standard
Ariane 5 rocket. Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace General Director, said that
this successful launch confirms that Arianespace will have balanced accounts
in 2003. The SMART-1 probe will be on an increasingly-wider eliptical orbit
before being caught by the moon’s gravitational field. Not only is SMART-1
the first European mission to the moon but it is also the first time that
Europe flies electric primary propulsion in space, and the first European
use of this particular type of ion engine, called a “Hall-effect” thruster.
SMART-1’s revolutionary propulsion system was successfully fired at 12:25
GMT on September 30th, 2003. Built by Boeing Space Systems, e-Bird is the
first satellite entirely optimized for bi-directional broadband services. It
will provide businesses, government administrations and individuals with
effective solutions for fast Internet access as well as multimedia services.
The launch of e-Bird comes after Jean-Pierre Raffarin, French Prime
Minister, reaffirmed the key role to be played by this satellite in opening
French remote areas to digital services. French President, Jacques Chirac,
is committed to ensuring that all towns and villages in France have
broadband access by 2007. [Arianespace 09/27/2003 Les Dernières Nouvelles
d’Alsace 09/29/2003]
** 3: ALCATEL SPACE CONFIRMS ROLE AS STRATEGIC PARTNER TO CNES
Alcatel Space, a subsidiary of Alcatel, was awarded a five-year contract
worth 19 million euros from the French space agency, CNES (Centre National
d’Etudes Spatiales) to provide ground operations and services for the
Toulouse Space Center, in Southwestern France. This contract confirms
Alcatel Space’s unrivaled expertise in satellite control and the operation
and maintenance of ground stations. Alcatel Space will provide non-stop
control services for the TELECOM 2, SPOT and JASON satellites, along with
additional services as needed by CNES. In addition, Alcatel Space will take
charge of around-the-clock routine operations at the Network Operations
Center, operational and maintenance services for the CNES ground stations in
Aussaguel, operation and maintenance of the 2 GHz station in the Kerguelen
Islands, and routine tele-operation of the 2 GHz and Ku-band station in
Kourou, French Guyana. [Alcatel, CNES 09/26/2003]
** 4: SPACE LEADERS TO SHARE VISIONS OF FUTURE LAUNCHERS
Some leaders in the space launch sector will share their views on future
launchers on Monday October 6th, 2003 at a plenary session organised by
ESA’s General Director Jean-Jacques Dordain. The session comes at a crucial
time for the launch service market. With the commercial launch market in the
doldrums, governments can no longer count on the commercial success of
domestic launchers to fund their access to space. As a result, Europe and
the United States are among those being forced to reconsider their space
launch policy. The plenary session will summarise worldwide governmental
policies and institutional needs regarding access to space, with a
particular focus on the latest developments. This session will define the
road map towards launch vehicles to come – and what role international
cooperation may play in their development in order for next generation space
transportation systems to be operational by 2020, international cooperation
is being considered as a means of sharing research and development costs,
bond industrial ties and enlarge the potential market of these systems.
[European Space Agency 10/06/2003]
** 5: MEDITERRANEAN HOT FLUSH DETECTED AFTER SCORCHING SUMMER
Our record-breaking long hot summer heated Europe’s seas as well as the
land. Data from ESA’s environmental satellite, Envisat, show Mediterranean
waters off Crete (Greece) around three degrees Celsius warmer than the
previous year. Envisat’s Advanced Along Track Radiometer (AATSR) is similar
to a space-based thermometer. The instrument records infrared wavelengths of
light to calculate sea surface temperature to an accuracy of 0.3 degrees and
a spatial resolution of 1 sq km. “The oceans actually represent an enormous
reservoir of heat. It’s not generally realised but they absorb directly the
majority of energy radiated from the Sun due to their surface area –
covering about 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface. The oceans then transfer
heat directly to the atmosphere”, explained Professor David Llewellyn-Jones
of University of Leicester, the Principal Investigator for AATSR. Oceans are
a good indicator of possible climate change because they actually store a
huge amount of solar heat, and their temperatures are an indication of how
much heat they hold. They take much longer to warm up or cool down by
comparison to the land or the air, so sea surface temperature records can be
used to help identify longer-term climatic trends. “Studying climate models
show us we need at least 15 years worth of data to differentiate a definite
global temperature increase from the normal variability of climate,” said
Llewellyn-Jones. “Preliminary analysis of existing results does indicate a
general upward trend, but we will be more certain with more time and more
data.” [ESA Press Release 09/23/2003]
** 6: IN BRIEF
Astrium, EADS’s satellite subsidiary, will cut 840 jobs in France by 2005
(750 in Toulouse and 90 in Velizy). The Group will handle each case
individually by promoting internal transfers. Astrium France is expecting
two or three orders per year in a difficult business environment. [La
Tribune 09/15/2003] Six satellite orders have been placed with Alcatel’s
space subsidiary since the beginning of the year, compared to only two
orders in 2002. However, this does not involve any changes in their plan to
cut 650 jobs in 2003 through the closing of the Norwegian, Danish and Swiss
subsidiaries and the sale of the Valence subsidiary. [Les Echos 09/16/2003]
[From Air & Cosmos, Alcatel Press Release, Arianespace Press Release, CNES
Press Release, Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, ESA Press Release, Les
Echos, European Commission, Le Figaro, La Tribune]
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France In Space is a weekly synthesis of French space activities based on
French press. Its content does not reflect an official position of the
French Government or CNES. It is provided by the CNES office and the Office
of Science and Technology of the French Embassy in Washington D.C
Editors: Vincent Sabathier, Thibaut Girard – Translator: World Traduction,
Valéry Tessier-Leon
France In Space is available online at
http://www.france-science.org/france-in-space
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—-
About CNES
“CNES develops and leads national space programmes. The main thrust of its
action is to serve France’s ambition to sustain a strong space capability
and contribute to scientific discovery at the highest levels. CNES is
committed to fostering innovative space technologies that meet the current
and future needs of society. Most programmes are pursued in cooperation with
international partners. CNES also plays a central role in programmes
initiated by ESA, the European Space Agency, to which it is a major
contributor. It is thus a driving force behind ESA programmes and
activities”.
