France in Space #275
** 1: EUROPEAN AGREEMENT TO GALILEO OPERATIONNAL DEPLOYMENT
European Union Transportation ministers agreed December 10 that the future Galileo satellite navigation system will be deployed in 2008 and that it will offer five separate types of services, including the highly encrypted PRS (Public Regulated Service). Its access will however remain restricted to governments which make the choice to use it, for national security applications only. Moreover, the agreement says that every potential military application of Galileo should be voted unanimously by the 25 EU members. This decision has been enabled because both industrials and governments confirm that they will provide financial backing to Galileo beyond the current development phase. Indeed, both industrial candidates, Eurely (Alcatel/Finmeccanica/Vinci) and Navsat (Thalès/EADS/Immarsat), are committed to invest 1.4 billion euros, representing two thirds of the deployment costs (satellites launch, ground infrastructures etc). The EU governments will pay the last third, plus about a 500 millions euros subvention which will help Galileo commercial operator to get on its feet between 2007 and 2013. Beyond, the program is intended to be self-sustaining. [AFP 12/10/2004]
** 2: NEW STEP FOR THE SOYUZ LAUNCHES FROM FRENCH GUIANA
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin announced that an agreement has been reached concerning the funding of Soyuz launch facilities in French Guiana. France will bring its guaranty to the loan requested by Arianesoace from the BEI (European Bank of Investment). The works for the new launch pad dedicated to the Russian launcher, estimated 340 millions euros, can then begin in Kourou. 121 millions euros of this amount will be paid by the BEI loan. Soyuz is due to be launched by Arianespace for the first time in 2007 and will complement the European heavy-class Ariane 5 and small Vega launchers. [AFP 12/10/2004]
** 3: CNES BOARD APPROVED PICARD PROGRAM CONTINUATION
CNES Board during its December 3 meeting approved the continuation to completion of the PICARD program according to the science programs committee recommendation. It has been named after Abbé Picard who was the first astronomer to measure the Sun diameter during Louis XIV reign, in order to calculate Earth orbit excentricity. Picard satellite is based on the CNES microsat standard platform and is dedicated to accurate Sun irradiance measurements so as to determine the influence of solar activity on the weather, as well as to enhance our knowledge of the star internal structure. Some applications might be derived for space weather forecast purposes. The launch is planned in 2008 to ensure observations during the next ascending phase of the 11-year cycle of solar activity. The satellite will be placed on a sun synchronous orbit and its life duration will be 2 years. Switzerland and Belgium bring substantial contributions in the payload and the ground segment. The overall cost is estimated to 21.4 millions euros. [CNES 12/03/2004]
** 4: ARIANE WILL PROBABLY LAUNCH BOTH SKYNET 5 SATELLITES
United Kingdom’s two Skynet 5 military satellites will probably be launched by European Ariane 5 rockets, following a highly competitive selection run by the prime contractor EADS Astrium. This decision, presumably made in late November, has not been announced yet. Industry officials said that a contract with Arianespace valued at about 75 millions dollars per satellite is expected to be signed by the end of December. The ILS company has been encouraged to bid both its U.S. Atlas 5 and Russian Proton-M vehicles for the Skynet 5 contract, but officials argued that the bidding process was not handled properly. EADS Astrium officials answered that despite their Ariane links (EADS Space is prime contractor of the Ariane 5 rocket and a 29 percent share-holder of Arianespace), the Skynet 5 competition has been handled as a regular competitive procurement in which the winner would be selected according to its merits. However, industry officials report that the British Ministry of Defence could have been concerned by a Skynet 5 launch from the Russian territory. Arianespace and EADS Astrium officials said they would not comment until contracts are duly signed. [Space News 12/13/2004]
** 5: ANOTHER EVOLUTION IN EUTELSAT CAPITAL
The structure of the European space telecoms operator Eutelsat is subject to a new evolution with a deal to be concluded between Eurazeo and Nebozzo. Nebozzo is a company controlled by the American investment funds Texas Pacific and Spectrum Equity Investors. The operation consists, according to previous agreements, in taking over the 20.7% of Eutelsat capital currently owned by Mirror International Holding. Eurazeo and Nebozzo shares which are respectively 26.1% (since the purchase in September of the Telekom Polska shares) and 11.5% will now rise to respectively 36.3% and 22%, totalling 58.3%. The operation, to be finalized in the next 3 months, is estimated at 643 millions euros, valorizing Eutelsat at 3.1 billion euros. [La Tribune 12/14/2004]
** 6: AIR POLLUTION MONITORED FROM SPACE
The ESA satellite Envisat, launched in March 2002, has delivered, after 18 months of measurements of nitrogen dioxide rates made by the Sciamachy spectrometer, a global mapping of air pollution. The most polluted areas are confirmed to be the big North American and European cities as well as Mexico City in Central America and some coal power plants in South Africa. Data even allow a monitoring of the most frequently used sea routes in particular in the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean. In the future, these measurements, analysed in conjunction with other available data, will be used to refine weather and air quality forecasts. [L’Humanité 12/11/2004]
** 7: MSG-1 SATELLITE FAILURE REMAINS UNEXPLAINED
Two years after it occurred, the failure of a MSG-1 satellite power amplifier has not been fully explained. This event forced Eumetsat, the satellite’s operator, to change the way the satellite sends processed meteorological data to users. A report is still expected on the subject, but in the absence of a satisfying explanation, Alcatel Space officials speculate on a possible external cause, as probably a rogue transmission from another satellite of the geostationary orbit. It seems that such things can happen in orbit, and that telemetry is not sufficient to identify the problem, said Eumetsat officials. [Space News 12/13/2004]
[From AFP, Air & Cosmos, Alcatel, Arianespace, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Cercle Finance, CNES, EADS Astrium, EADS Space, ESA, Le Figaro, Launch Services Alliance, La Lettre de l’Expansion, NASA, Reuters, Space News, Spacetoday.net, 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: Jean-Jacques Tortora, Clémence Le Fèvre
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