France in Space #277 – Year 2004 in Review
** 1: FRANCE IN SPACE: YEAR 2004 IN REVIEW
The CNES Office and the Office of Science and Technology of the French
Embassy in Washington D.C wish you a Happy New Year. For the last week of
the year, “France In Space” is a review of 2004 main Space events in France
and in Europe. [“France In Space” 2004 editions, Space News 12/20/2004,
Aerospace America December 2004]
** 2: THREE SUCCESSFUL ARIANE 5 LAUNCHES
The Ariane 5G (generic) version has successfully launched three missions
this year. In March, the Rosetta comet probe has left the Earth for a
10-year journey to the Churyimov Gerasimenko comet. In July, Ariane 5 put
into geostationary orbit the largest telecommunications satellite ever
launched, the Canadian Anik F2 satellite. In December, it injected the
Helios IIA observation satellite into Sun-synchronous polar orbit and also
deployed six auxiliary payloads: four Essaim spacecrafts and Parasol, all of
these micro-satellites based on the CNES microsat platform called Myriade,
plus one other small Spanish satellite Nanosat. The next Ariane 5 10-ton
flight is planned on February 11, with in-flight demonstration of the
Vulcain 2 engine nozzle. This version will have a new cryogenic upper stage,
the ESCA. In 2005, Ariane 5 will launch the ATV freight vehicle to ISS whose
capacity is equivalent to four Progress vehicles.
** 3: NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR FRENCH GUIANA SPACEPORT
The small launcher Vega and the mid-class launcher Soyuz are going to
complement the heavy-class Ariane 5 rocket. In 2004, new steps have been
fulfilled to adapt French Guiana European spaceport to these launchers.
The site for the Vega launcher was formally inaugurated on 20 October by ESA
together with CNES and the Italian company Vitrociset, prime contractor for
the ground segment. Vega is due to be launched by the end 2007.
An agreement has been reached concerning the funding of Soyuz launch
facilities in French Guiana. The works for the new launch pad dedicated to
the Russian launcher, estimated 340 million euros, will start in 2005. Soyuz
maiden flight from French Guiana will be operated by Arianespace and is due
by the end of 2007.
** 4: A PRODIGAL YEAR FOR EARTH OBSERVATION
In 2004, the French participation to the Aqua-train orbital observatory has
taken substance. Aqua-train, orbiting at an altitude of 705 kilometers, is
designed to probe the atmosphere from every angle and to better understand
Earth climate system. It is composed by three American satellites AQUA
(launched in 2002), CLOUDSAT and OCO (which will be launched respectively in
2005 and in 2007), and by the two French satellites PARASOL and CALIPSO.
PARASOL (Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric
Sciences coupled with Observations from a Lidar) was successfully launched
by Ariane 5 in December. It will study the impact of aerosols and how they
interact with clouds.
The CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infra-Red Pathfinder Satellite
Observations) satellite is a collaborative effort between CNES and NASA. It
will measure the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols to provide a
global climate forecasting. CALIPSO is set to launch on 2005 May 26 as
CLOUDSAT.
Moreover, the CNES DEMETER spacecraft, launched in June, is mainly dedicated
to studying ionosphere disturbances related to natural geophysical phenomena
and the Earth electromagnetic environment disturbances due to human
activity.
In April, CNES gave the clearance for the Jason-2/OSTM programme to enter
its development phase. The Jason-2/OSTM mission, developed in partnership
with EUMETSAT, NASA and NOAA will ensure the continuation of the
TOPEX-POSEIDON/JASON-1 measurements for oceanography.
Finally, CNES has given the go-ahead for its participation in the
Megha-Tropiques project, designed to study the water cycle in the tropical
belt. This mission is developed jointly with the Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO).
** 5: EUROPEAN SPACE POLICY TAKES SHAPE
In November 2004, the first “Space Council”, a joint meeting of the ESA
Council at Ministerial level and of the EU Competitiveness Council, took
place in Brussels. Space Council is meant to develop a coherent and
progressive European space policy, and to establish a common basis and
practical arrangements for efficient cooperation between ESA and EU. The
ESA-EU space policy is to be finalized in 2005.
European military space capabilities have also been boosted by the
successful launch of Helios IIA satellite in December. This military
surveillance programme is conducted by French defence procurement agency
DGA, in cooperation with Belgium and Spain. Michèle Alliot-Marie, French
Minister of Defence, considers this success as a strong symbol of European
Space Defence cooperation, which needs to be enhanced in others Space fields
such as telecommunications, security intelligence, warning system, space
surveillance or navigation with the Galileo system (cf Article 6).
Concerning telecommunications systems, France, United Kingdom and Italy have
signed an agreement with NATO to provide UHF and SHF satellite
communications capacity for 15 years, starting in January 2005. France will
provide capacity aboard its SHF Syracuse 3 satellites. [Michèle Alliot-Marie
press release, Le Figaro 12/27/2004]
** 6: GALILEO DEPLOYMENT PLANNED FOR 2008
Both ESA and European Commission continued to invest in the Galileo
satellite navigation programme. In July, the United States and the European
Union agreed to terms regarding the use and interoperability of the Galileo
and GPS satellite navigation systems. 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).
The agreement says that every potential attempt to export the encrypted
signal outside Europe should be voted unanimously by the 25 EU members. The
selection of Galileo private-sector operator has been planned for February
2005. The two candidates are Inavsat, involving EADS, Thales, Inmarsat and
SES Global, and Vinci Concessions Consortium, composed of Vinci, Alcatel and
Finmeccanica. In December agreement, both industrialists and governments
confirmed that they will provide financial backing to Galileo beyond the
current development phase.
** 7: 2004 MAIN EVENTS IN FRENCH SPACE INDUSTRY
Alcatel Space announced the awarding of a contract to build and deliver a
new telecommunications satellite for WORLDSAT by end of 2005. In June,
Alcatel Space has signed two new geostationary satellite contracts with
China Satellite Communication Corporation (ChinaSat) and with the American
operator PanAmSat. Jointly with EUMETSAT and ESA, Alcatel Space officially
signed the contract, worth 135 million euros, for the fourth Météosat
Seconde Génération satellite.
In December Alcatel Space delivered Corotel telescope to CNES for COROT
stellar observation satellite. The company will also be the main
subcontractor to Thalès for the construction of the Syracuse III ground
segment. Moreover, Finmeccanica decided to join its space business with
Alcatel Space. The agreement was signed on June 18, making the merger Europe
leader space industrialist just behind Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
In January, the French Procurement Agency DGA awarded a contract to EADS
Astrium for the design and production of a space based optical early warning
system demonstrator SPIRALE (Système Préparatoire Infra-Rouge pour l’Alerte)
programme. In April, EADS Astrium has been selected by Telesat, one of the
world’s leading satellite operators, to build the company’s new Anik F3
satellite. In July, EADS Astrium signed a contract with the Thai government
for delivery of the Theos 2-meter-imager optical Earth observation satellite
for 2007. EADS Astrium and ESA signed the LISA Pathfinder contract to
demonstrate, in orbit, the technologies for LISA, the ESA/NASA Laser
Interferometry Satellite Antenna gravity wave observatory. In December, ESA
and Galileo Industries signed a preliminary contract for the Galileo
In-Orbit-Verfication-Phase (IOV). With a 38 percent stake, EADS Astrium is
the largest shareholder in Galileo Industries and will take on important
work packages as the major subcontractor in this initial phase.
SNECMA and the electronics and telecommunications technology company SAGEM
have decided to merge, creating a firm with annual sales of almost 10
billion euros (12.7 billion dollars). In December the European Commission
approved acquisition of SNECMA by SAGEM.
** 8: EXPLORATION: EUROPE HAS REACHED MARS, MOON AND SATURN
In January, Europe’s Mars Express orbiter reached its destination and has
begun delivering high-resolution imagery of the Martian surface. Despite the
Beagle 2 lander loss and the delay of MARSIS radar deployment (Mars Advanced
Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding), Mars Express mission is
considered successful especially by the scientific community.
In March Europe’s billion-dollar Rosetta comet-chaser mission was launched
by an Ariane 5 rocket for a 10-year voyage.
In November, Smart-1 probe has arrived in lunar orbit after a 14-month
journey powered by ion-electric propulsion, whose engines were provided by
SNECMA.
The European-built Huygens probe successfully separated from the Cassini
spacecraft December 24 on a trajectory towards Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.
Huygens trajectory will take it into Titan atmosphere January 14. The
spacecraft will transmit data to Cassini orbiter during its descent and,
possibly, after landing.
In December, CNES has approved a total of 65 million dollars for four space
science missions: two under the overall management of ESA, LISA Pathinder to
detect gravity waves, and Bepi-Colombo Mercury orbiters; one led by NASA,
the Mars Science Laboratory; and the fourth to be managed in-house, the
Picard satellite project, aimed to study the Sun contribution in Earth
climate change.
** 9: EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTION TO ISS
The Columbus laboratory launch depends on the U.S. space shuttle return to
flight, and ESA officials are still hoping for a launch in 2006. In October,
ESA and DLR officially inaugurated the Columbus Control Centre in Germany.
The ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) inaugural flight is expected for
late-2005. The ATV control centre, tasked with controlling ATV operations,
is being built at the CNES Toulouse Space Centre. The ‘videometer’ (VDM), a
new technology device to ensure very accurate automatic rendezvous
operations between ATV and ISS has been successfully tested in March.
The international biological experiment named ICE FIRST, proposed by CNES,
has been successfully performed onboard the ISS in April. It has analyzed
the impact of cosmic radiations and the role of gravity on muscles and on
the development of organs. ICE FIRST has been conducted onboard by the
European astronaut Andreas Kuipers. Roberto Vittori will be the next ESA
astronaut to fly to the ISS, on the 10-day Soyuz mission, scheduled to be
launched on 15 April 2005.
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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