France in Space: Space Cooperation Between France and Chile to be Set Up

1: SPACE COOPERATION BETWEEN FRANCE AND CHILE TO BE SET UP

3: ARIANE 4 WILL SEND TWO NEW SATELLITES IN APRIL AND MAY

** 1: SPACE COOPERATION BETWEEN FRANCE AND CHILE TO BE SET UP

Alain Bensoussan, President of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
(CNES), and Nelson Halad Heresy, President of the Chilean Space Agency
(ACE), will sign a framework agreement governing cooperation in space
technologies and applications in Santiago, Chile, on April 3, 2002. The two
agencies wish to cooperate in the space sector, especially in terms of
environment monitoring, Earth observation and space technology development.
The agreement aims at fostering mutually beneficial industrial cooperation
initiatives in space between France and Chile, and to exploit space
applications to boost economic, social and scientific development. The
cooperation may take the form of exchanges of information, data or
personnel, joint studies and joint organization of seminars, symposia and
exhibitions. The agreement will run for a renewable term of four years.
[CNES Press Release, 04/02/2002]

** 2: FRANCO-RUSSIAN COOPERATION ON A REUSABLE ROCKET ENGINE

On March 22, several European constructors, including Snecma Moteurs
(France), Astrium (Germany), Volvo Aero Corporation (Sweden), and Techspace
Aero (Belgium), signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the
cooperation with Russian companies (the Keldych Research Center, the NPO
Energomash company and the Chemical Automatics Design Bureau) for the
building of a new reusable rocket engine. This long-term cooperation
program has been baptized VOLGA. A high-thrust rocket engine (400 tons in
vacuum), using liquid oxygen and methane as propellant will be built. The
first stage should start mid-2002 supported by the French and German Space
Agencies (CNES and DLR) with the contribution of the European Space Agency
(ESA). Other European partners may join in later.

[Snecma Press Release, 03/22/2002 and AFP, 03/29/2002]

** 3: ARIANE 4 WILL SEND TWO NEW SATELLITES IN APRIL AND MAY

Arianespace is keeping up its rapid mission pace for 2002 as two more
launch campaigns move ahead for lift-off in April and May. Flight 150 is
set for launch on April 16 with the New Skies Satellites N.V. NSS-7
telecommunications payload. Flight 151 with CNES’ (French Space Agency)
Spot 5 Earth observation satellite is on track for lift-off during the
first week of May. NSS-7 is a hybrid satellite based on the Lockheed Martin
A2100 AX satellite bus. It will carry 36 Ku- and 36 C-band transponders.
The satellite will cover European, Africa and the Americas. Astrium-built
Spot 5 will carry a pair of High Geometrical Resolution cameras with an
imaging resolution of up to 2.5 meters. Spot 5, the latest in the Spot
series satellites, will enable the commercial of Spot Image company to
address emerging markets such as telecom network planning and monitoring of
natural hazards.
[Arianespace, 04/01/2002]

[From Agence France Presse (AFP), Arianespace Press Release, CNES Press
Release, Snecma Press Release]