France in Space #242

** 1: FRANCE AND US COOPERATION UPDATE

CNES President & CEO, Yannick d’Escatha and NASA Administrator, Sean
O’Keefe
met at CNES (French Space Agency) headquarters in Paris. During this
bilateral meeting, the two agency heads signed the Memorandum Of
Understanding for the Calipso earth observation mission. The CALIPSO
mission
(Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infra-Red Pathfinder Satellite Observations)
aims
to provide the first set of data on vertical profiles of the
atmosphere, to
be measured by the first satellite-borne backscatter lidar. Calipso
will fly
in formation with two other American missions, AQUA and CLOUDSAT, and
also
with the French microsatellite, PARASOL. Together, these satellites will
form an exceptional space-based observatory, ‘the Aqua train’, placed
in a
sun synchronous orbit at altitude of 705 km, and equipped for all
active and
passive measurement techniques. AQUA was launched in April 2002 with a
nominal lifetime of 5 years. PARASOL will be launched in October 2004.
CALIPSO and CLOUDSAT should be put into orbit by a Delta 2 launcher in
November 2004. The project is being conducted in cooperation with NASA
which
is responsible for the mission and the overall system and which is also
providing the payload and the launcher. CNES is responsible for the
satellite and its control and is providing the satellite bus (under
contract
with Alcatel Space) and the infrared imaging radiometer (under contract
with
SODERN). The science operations site has been developed by NASA while
CNES
is in charge of the expertise site for the infrared imaging radiometer.
The
Aqua train data will be analysed and processed at the new ICARE centre
(Interactions Clouds Aerosols Radiations Etc) based in Lille, France,
which
CNES has developed with its French partners for studying clouds,
aerosols
and solar rays. This sustainable development project marks a
significant new
step in French/American cooperation in the field of Earth observation.
[CNES Press Release 25/06/2003]

** 2: A NEW ERA FOR EUROPE IN SPACE?

The four-month consultation on European Space Policy came to a close in
Paris with EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, ESA Director
General
Antonio Rodotà and other leading players in the space sector calling
for a
significant increase in European efforts in space research and an
upgraded
institutional framework. The economic implications of space activities
cannot be ignored. According to the US Department of Defense, by 2010
more
than 2000 satellites will be orbiting the Earth compared to 600 today.
However, European funding for space research and development is only a
sixth
of the figure for the US. ESA’s Green Paper drew wide-ranging
contributions
from across Europe. During the consultation, space sector players
addressed
a series of options, including: upgrading the space policy institutional
framework, possibly by creating a Council of Space Ministers; using the
same
satellite systems for both civil and defense/security purposes
(multiple-use
systems); an institutional market which recognises space potential in
addressing civil policy objectives such as communication and navigation;
independent, reliable and affordable access to space through the
European
Guaranteed Access to Space (EGAS) programme; the need for a European
Security and Defense Agency; improved career prospects, training and
development for people working in space research and technology; a
doubling
of funding for European research; harmonising data collection and
processing
at European level, with the Commission supporting a powerful data
processing
system for climate forecasts and global change monitoring; establishing
the
International Space Station as a base for microgravity research; further
support for ESA’s Aurora programme, which aims to put a human on Mars
within
the next 30 years; developing space applications to underpin
technological
and scientific development and the security of citizens; developing a
programme to achieve seamless broadband communications for everyone in
Europe; and supporting the enlargement process and European integration
through satellite technologies and shared policy objectives.
[ESA Press Release 06/24/03]

** 3: GMID – GLOBAL MONITORING FOR INTELLIGENCE AND DEFENSE

Thought most of the 1990s space issues in Europe were delegated to a
relatively mid-level status among European governments. But now space
applications and commercial space issues have become so important for
overall European competitiveness and technology development that they
are
being addressed as serious elements of national agendas at the prime
minister level. “Space is now a key issue both strategically and
politically
across Europe”, said Antonio Rodotà, the outgoing ESA director genera.
In
fact, a new acronyms being circulated by French officials GMID (Global
Monitoring for Intelligence and Defense) could be added to the
environmental
program GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) to
highlight
its dual nature in a less ambiguous manner. This would enable EU
countries
to work toward common military spacecraft operational requirements. This
move is motivated by the likelihood that Defense and Space will be
included
within the European Union’s new constitution. Under its existing
statutes,
ESA cannot engage in pure defense activities but it can take part in
security initiatives. [Aviation Week & Space Technology 06/23/03]

** 4: ANOMALY MAY AFFECT SOHO DATA TRANSMISSION

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft expects to
experience a blackout in the transmission of its scientific data during
the
week of 22 June 2003. This is estimated to last for about two and a
half to
three weeks. Engineers are predicting this problem after detecting a
malfunction in the pointing mechanism of the satellite’s high-gain
antenna
(HGA), which is used to transmit the large amounts of data from SOHO’s
scientific observations to Earth. If the problem is not solved, the
Earth
will be left outside the HGA beam on a periodic basis, with similar
blackouts occurring every three months. ESA and NASA engineers are
currently
assessing several options to recover the situation, or minimize the
scientific data loss. SOHO is a project of international cooperation
between
ESA and NASA to study the Sun, from its deep core to the outer corona,
and
the solar wind. It was launched in December 1995 on an Atlas
IIAS/Centaur
rocket. SOHO moves around the Sun in step with the Earth, by slowly
orbiting
around the First Lagrangian Point (L1 – 1.5 million kilometers away –
about
four times the distance of the Moon), where the combined gravity of the
Earth and Sun keep SOHO in an orbit locked to the Earth-Sun line. There,
SOHO enjoys an uninterrupted view of our daylight star.
[ESA 06/24/2003]

** 5: ALPHABUS, NEXT GENERATION EUROPEAN SATELLITE BUS

The two major satellite manufacturers Alcatel Space and Astrium, made
the
announcement jointly from the European Space Agency (ESA) pavilion of
the
Paris event. Pascale Sourisse, chairman and CEO of Alcatel Space, and
Antoine Bouvier, chairman and CEO of Astrium, both explained that the
agreement was crucial for the survival of the European satellite
telecommunications sector. AlphaBus is a high-performance satellite:
increasingly powerful and reliable satellites with ever-greater payload
capacity are being developed to meet the requirements of
telecommunications
from geostationary orbits. This trend has brought costs down, making
satellite services affordable to more users. The CNES programme schedule
endorsed by the Board on 30 April 2003 includes AlphaBus in the new
projects
to be taken to the development phase. ESA is preparing an in-flight
validation programme for the AlphaBus platform. It will offer a unique
opportunity to fly innovative payloads with enhanced capabilities and
new
satellite communication missions. The first launch of a satellite from
the
AlphaBus product line is planned for 2007. The leading European players
in
the satellite sector have pooled the best of their expertise to provide
Europe with a platform that has a vital role to play in the development
of
satellite communications. AlphaBus will be the European solution for
satellite communication operators in the over 12 kw sector of the
market.
[ESA Press Release 06/20/2003]

** 6: ARIANESPACE’S STRUGGLE FOR LIFE

Arianespace and EADS Space Transportation signed a letter concerning an
order for 30 Ariane 5 launch vehicles. EADS Space Transportation is now
the
sole prime contractor for the Ariane 5 launcher. As a result, the
company
will manage the totality of contracts covering launch vehicle
production,
and is to deliver a standardized launcher to Arianespace in French
Guiana.
Arianespace is in charge of the commercial launch service operation. The
company will source the launcher from the prime contractor, adapt it to
customer mission requirements, and carry out launch operations at
Europe’s
Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Silvano Casini, Chief Executive
Officer
of ELV, and Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace,
signed a collaboration agreement concerning Vega launcher production and
operation at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Vega comprises
three solid-propellant stages and a fourth stage with a re-ignitable
liquid-propellant engine. It is scheduled to start operations in
mid-2006.
Primarily used for scientific and Earth observation satellites, Vega
will be
able to boost 1,500 kg into polar orbit at 700 kilometers. Arianespace
successfully maintained its leadership position in the commercial
geostationary launch market during 2002 despite intensified competition,
which was made even more difficult by the increasing scarcity of new
business. In 2002, Arianespace signed 11 launch contracts out of the
total
15 competed on the world market. The company’s backlog as of June 16,
2003
was 40 satellites to be launched (including nine missions with the
Automated
Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station). Since the
creation of
Arianespace in March 1980, the company has inked orders for the launch
of a
total 252 payloads. Five satellites and an interplanetary probe have
already
been orbited by Arianespace this year. [Arianespace Press Release
06/16-19-20/2003]

** 7: IN BRIEF

German Defense ministry considers purchasing its own military
telecommunications satellites, likely to be two small geostationary
satellites, one over the Atlantic and one over the Indian Ocean. German
Defense authorities already lease at least 50 million dollars worth of
commercial satellite capacity per year. [Space News 06/23/03]
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and Galileo Industries SA have each won
contracts to build the first satellites for Europe’s Galileo satellite
navigation system for respectively 33 million dollars and 70 million
dollars. Meanwhile, Galileo industries SA has added GSS of Spain and
Thales
Group of France to its shareholder base. Each of them will own 12% of
the
stakes. They are joining the four founding shareholder: Alcatel Space of
France, Alenia Spazio of Italy, Astrium Ltd of Britain and Astrium GmbH
of
Germany, each will have 19% share of the company. [Space News 06/23/03]
Mr. Yannick d’Escatha, CNES President (French Space Agency), announced
that
the presence of the French state in the capital of Arianespace, at a
level
of 32%, was no longer justified since EADS Space Transportation became
Ariane 5’s prime contractor. The reorganization among Arianespace
shareholders is to be effective before the end of 2004. EADS confirmed
it is
interested in raising its Arianespace stake, currently at about 28%, to
above 50%. [AFP Press Release 06/25/03]
Various rumours and reports of Beagle-2 failing are entirely
fictitious. At
this time, things are proceeding nominally and M-EX/B2 system is
happily on
its way. The rumours broadly claim that: “Communication is down between
the
onboard computer of the Mars Express orbiter, en route for the red
planet,
and the Beagle-2 lander, the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos said
Monday.” Which is obviously true because Beagle-2 is switched off, and
so
far has not been switched on since launch. In short: don’t worry.
Things are
fine. [From Ed Chester Beagle Mission Control center]

[From AFP Press Release, Alcatel Press Release, Arianespace Press
Release,
Aviation Week & Space Technology, CNES Press Release, ESA Press Release,
Space News, Spot Magazine]

—-
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

France In Space is available online at
http://www.france-science.org/france-in-space
you will find there the current issue, the subscription and
un-subscription
forms, as well as the archives with a search engine.