SPACE for EUROPE Spain Portugal Sweden Royaumi-Uni Switzerland Suède United Kingdom Suisse ESA Bulletin134-May2008

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number 134 - may 2008

Member States Etats membres

Austria Allemagne Belgium Autriche Denmark Belgique Finland Danemark France Espagne Germany Finlande Greece France Ireland Grèce Italy Irlande Luxembourg Italie Netherlands Luxembourg Norway Norvège Portugal Pays-Bas SPACE FOR EUROPE Spain Portugal Sweden Royaumi-Uni Switzerland Suède United Kingdom Suisse ESA bulletin134-may2008

ESA Communications ESTEC, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands Tel: +31 71 565-3400 Fax: +31 71 565-5433 Visit Publications at http://www.esa.int IFCb134 6/5/08 12:23 PM Page 2

European Space Agency Editorial/Circulation Office ESA Communications ESTEC, PO Box 299, The European Space Agency was formed out of, and took over the rights and obligations of, the two earlier European space organisations – the 2200 AG Noordwijk European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO). The Member States are Austria, The Netherlands Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Tel: +31 71 565-3408 the United Kingdom. Canada is a Cooperating State. Editor Carl Walker In the words of its Convention: the purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for and to promote for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among Additional editing European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational Peter Bond space applications systems: Design & Layout (a) by elaborating and implementing a long-term European space policy, by recommending space objectives to the Member States, and by concerting Eva Ekstrand the policies of the Member States with respect to other national and international organisations and institutions; Advertising (b) by elaborating and implementing activities and programmes in the space field; Lorraine Conroy (c) by coordinating the European space programme and national programmes, and by integrating the latter progressively and as completely as possible into the European space programme, in particular as regards the development of applications satellites; The ESA Bulletin is published by the European Space (d) by elaborating and implementing the industrial policy appropriate to its programme and by recommending a coherent industrial policy to the Agency. Individual articles may be reprinted provided the credit line reads ‘Reprinted from ESA Bulletin’, plus Member States. date of issue. Signed articles reprinted must bear the author’s name. Advertisements are accepted in good The Agency is directed by a Council composed of representatives of the Member States. The Director General is the chief executive of the Agency and faith; the Agency accepts no responsibility for their its legal representative. content or claims.

The ESA HEADQUARTERS are in Paris. Copyright © 2008 European Space Agency Printed in the Netherlands ISSN 0376-4265 The major establishments of ESA are: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands. ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany. ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. ESAC, Madrid, Spain. Chairman of the Council: P. Tegner Director General: J.-J. Dordain

Agence spatiale européenne

L’Agence spatiale européenne est issue des deux Organisations spatiales européennes qui l’ont précédée – l’Organisation européenne de recherches spatiales (CERS) et l’Organisation européenne pour la mise au point et la construction de lanceurs d’engins spatiaux (CECLES) – dont elle a repris les droits et obligations. Les Etats membres en sont: l’Allemagne, l’Autriche, la Belgique, le Danemark, l’Espagne, la Finlande, la France, la Grèce, l’Irlande, l’Italie, le Luxembourg, la Norvège, les Pays-Bas, le Portugal, le Royaumi-Uni, la Suède et la Suisse. Le Canada bénéficie d’un statut d’Etat coopérant.

Selon les termes de la Convention: l’Agence a pour mission d’assurer et de développer, à des fins exclusivement pacifiques, la coopération entre Etats européens dans les domaines de la recherche et de la technologie spatiales et de leurs applications spatiales, en vue de leur utilisation à des fins scientifiques et pour des systèmes spatiaux opérationnels d’applications: ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Jules Verne seen from the ISS during a rendezvous (a) en élaborant et en mettant en oeuvre une politique spatiale européenne à long terme, en recommandant aux Etats membres des objectifs en test on 31 March 2008. On Demonstration Day matière spatiale et en concertant les politiques des Etats membres à l’égard d’autres organisations et institutions nationales et internationales; 2, Expedition 16 flight engineer Yuri (b) en élaborant et en mettant en oeuvre des activités et des programmes dans le domaine spatial; Malenchenko (RUS) took this photo of ATV (c) en coordonnant le programme spatial européen et les programmes nationaux, et en intégrant ces derniers progressivement et aussi approaching to within 11 metres of the ISS complètement que possible dans le programme spatial européen, notamment en ce qui concerne le développement de satellites d’applications; before the actual docking on 3 April (NASA) (d) en élaborant et en mettant en oeuvre la politique industrielle appropriée à son programme et en recommandant aux Etats membres une politique industrielle cohérente.

L’Agence est dirigée par un Conseil, composé de représentants des Etats membres. Le Directeur général est le fonctionnaire exécutif supérieur de l’Agence et la représente dans tous ses actes.

Le SIEGE de l’Agence est à Paris. Les principaux Etablissements de l’Agence sont: ESTEC, Noordwijk, Pays-Bas. ESOC, Darmstadt, Allemagne. ESRIN, Frascati, Italie. ESAC, Madrid, Espagne. Président du Conseil: P. Tegner Directeur général: J.-J. Dordain

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2 10 20 The Next Decade with Mission Analysis Flight of the Phoenix XMM-Newton Towards a European Harmonisation ESOC Supports NASA Mars Mission

26 34 64 Getting Customer-oriented Expander Demonstrator Ariane-5 ES Launch of ATV ESA Procurement in Cooperation with Paving the Way for European Advanced Other Organisations Upper-stage Engines

bulletin 134 - may 2008 Contents

The Next Decade with XMM-Newton 2 Expander Demonstrator 34 Its Scientific Impact and Challenges for the Next 10 Years Paving the Way for European Advanced Upper-stage Engines Norbert Schartel & Arvind Parmar Jérôme Breteau & Jean-Noël Caruana

Mission Analysis 10 Programmes in Progress 42 Towards a European Harmonisation Johannes Schoenmaekers et al. News – In Brief 64

Flight of the Phoenix 20 Publications 78 ESOC Supports NASA Mars Mission Peter Schmitz et al.

Getting Customer-oriented 26 ESA Procurement in Cooperation with Other Organisations Stefano Fiorilli

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XMM-Newton

Norbert Schartel Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESAC, Villafranca, Spain

Arvind Parmar Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

MM-Newton is one of ESA’s most successful science missions. Launched in XDecember 1999, the spacecraft is technically able to continue this scientific success story and now, encouraged by its impressive scientific output, ESA has already extended XMM-Newton’s operations well beyond its original 10-year design lifetime.

Introduction X-rays open up a universe unseen to our eyes. In 1901, the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics for the production and detection of X-rays. The prize was awarded only six years after the discovery, due to the immediate importance of X-rays as a medical diagnostic tool. X-rays are also an important diagnostic tool for astronomers, since they are emitted by very hot gas or plasma at temperatures of several million Kelvin that cannot be detected by other means. Because X-rays are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, astronomers had to wait until the advent of the space age to observe the X-ray sky.

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XMM-Newton

Norbert Schartel Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESAC, Villafranca, Spain

Arvind Parmar Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

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Science XMM-Newton

Sir Isaac Newton XMM-Newton’s Scientific Payload EPIC-pn EPIC-MOS RGS Extended Mission Operations Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727) was an English The power of an astronomical telescope Energy bandpass (keV) 0.15-12 0.15-10 0.35-2.5 XMM-Newton operations were origi- physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural depends on how much incoming light Field of view (arcmin) 30 30 5 nally approved for 2.25 years of philosopher and alchemist. His book of 1687, can be collected. Nearly all materials Spatial resolution (arcsec) 6 5 N/A operations with a design lifetime of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, absorb incident X-rays. It is therefore Temporal resolution (ms) 0.03 1.5 16 10 years. XMM-Newton will exceed its described universal gravitation and the laws of impossible to construct a mirror that Energy resolution at 1 keV (eV) 80 70 3.2 design lifetime at the end of 2009. To motion, which provided the foundations for reflects and focuses X-rays in the same plan for operations beyond this date, an classical mechanics and dominated scientific way as in an optical telescope. The main characteristics of XMM-Newton’s X-ray instruments independent review of operations (the thinking for the next three centuries. Newton Instead, X-ray optics use a physical Mission Extended Operations Review) proved that the motions of objects on Earth and effect called ‘total reflection’ which was conducted in 2007. of celestial bodies are governed by the same set occurs only with very small reflection over-subscribed. For example, 586 also an indicator of the importance of The review focused on the expected of natural laws by demonstrating the consistency angles, when the incoming ray is almost valid proposals were received in XMM-Newton to the scientific performances of the spacecraft, the between Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation. parallel to the mirror surface and thereby response to the 2007 announcement. community. instruments and ground segment, and ‘grazes’ it. We can experience this effect These were submitted by 424 different examined a new simpler operations Newton discovered the principles of conservation of momentum and with normal visible light, for instance principal investigators. If co- concept. This concept strongly reduces angular momentum. He invented the reflecting telescope and developed Scientific Impact a theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes when driving along a wet road at sunset, investigators are included, about 1560 The number of publications based on costs by combining the Integral and white light into a visible spectrum. Newton shares the credit with you can be suddenly dazzled by the scientists from 33 different countries XMM-Newton data is growing steadily XMM-Newton Mission Operations Gottfried Leibnitz for the development of calculus. reflection of the Sun’s rays. participated in this call. at a rate of around 300 articles in teams at ESOC and automating the real- XMM-Newton carries three grazing – 1730 registered scientists retrieve data refereed scientific journals each year. But time monitoring of the instruments. incidence telescopes. Each telescope from the XMM-Newton on-line quantity does not say it all. What about Combined operations started in the consists of 58 gold-coated mirror shells archives or download the software the quality and importance of XMM- winter of 2007 and have been running The first cosmic X-ray source was XMM-Newton has been routinely that are nested inside one another like a needed to process them. Newton results? It is possible to assess smoothly since then. discovered during a short rocket flight in collecting scientific data for more than Russian doll. XMM-Newton provides the importance of a given scientific The status of the satellite and the 1962 (American astrophysicist Riccardo eight years. With almost 200 000 high-quality X-ray and optical/UV data We estimate that between 1500 and publication by counting the number of instruments remains excellent. On- Giacconi was awarded the Nobel Prize in individual sources, the XMM-Newton from six instruments simultaneously: 2000 scientists use XMM-Newton times it was mentioned, or cited, in other board consumables are sufficient to 2002, almost exactly 100 years after catalogue is the largest of its kind. Last three European Photon Imaging Camera routinely. This is approximately 20% of refereed articles. A 2007 analysis by Prof. operate for at least another 10 years. Röntgen, for his pioneering work leading autumn, ESA’s Science Programme (EPIC) cameras, two Reflection Grating all professional astronomers worldwide. V. Trimble and Dr J.A. Ceja showed that, The spacecraft is being operated on all to this discovery). X-ray astronomy then Committee approved mission operations Spectrometers (RGS) and the Optical Indeed, XMM-Newton is an observatory with an average of 31.4 citations per its prime hardware chains with no developed rapidly during the 1960s; the until the end of December 2012, with Monitor. open to the entire scientific community. article, XMM-Newton results have the redundant units having been used so first X-ray satellite was launched in 1970 further extensions possible assuming that An EPIC detector is positioned behind However, because observing time is so highest impact ratio of all observatories. far. The instruments are standing up to and discovered several hundred X-ray the outstanding scientific return each of the three X-ray mirror modules. valuable, its use is strictly regulated and Furthermore, 47% of XMM-Newton the harsh environment of space very sources. continues and that there are no major Two MOS-CCD cameras share two of optimised. articles are amongst the top 10% most well and are expected to continue European involvement started shortly technical problems. the modules with the RGS grating arrays Each year, ESA issues an Announce- cited publications, and 9.1% belong to providing outstanding results for many after with ESA’s first X-ray observatory, and a pn-CCD detector is located behind ment of Opportunity to which scientists the top 1% most cited class. years to come. Exosat, launched in 1983. The early and the other telescope position, providing from all over the world are invited to continued involvement in the field is an images of the X-ray sky as well as spectra respond by submitting an observing The cumulative number of publications in refereed journals that use XMM-Newton data important factor in maintaining Europe’s An XMM-Newton mirror module comprising of 58 nested mirror with moderate resolution and timing proposal. The scientific importance and strong position in X-ray astrophysics shells (ESA/Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH) information. The spectrometers disperse quality of all proposals are assessed today. the light from the telescope to produce by an Observing Time Allocation XMM-Newton, ESA’s large X-ray high-resolution X-ray spectra of all types Committee (OTAC) composed of senior observatory and second cornerstone of of celestial objects. astronomers selected for their scientific the Horizon 2000 programme, was excellence. launched in December 1999. It was Importance to the Scientific Community The OTAC evaluates all the submitted named after the technique behind the An objective measure of the impact of proposals and awards XMM-Newton mission (XMM stands for ‘X-ray Multi- XMM-Newton is the number of observing time only to those proposals Mirror’) and Sir Isaac Newton, the man scientists who use its data, and there are with the largest potential for discovery. who first explained the significance of several ways to estimate this number. The proposals that fail to get observing gravity in the heavens (see box). Gravity – As of January 2008, refereed time do so, not because they are bad, but is the driving force that creates black publications based on XMM-Newton because the pressure is so high that only holes, neutron stars and other collapsed data have been published by 575 the best ones survive the selection. In objects, which are among the main different main authors and 3500 co- 2007 for instance, the total amount of targets of XMM-Newton’s studies, so it authors. observing time requested was nearly was only fit to associate Newton’s name – As explained below, every call for eight times larger than was available. This to this very successful mission. observing proposals has been heavily large rejection rate is distressing but is

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Science XMM-Newton

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Science XMM-Newton

Scientific Highlights The far-reaching impact of XMM-Newton is illustrated by some recent scientific highlights.

A combined XMM-Newton and AXAF-Chandra X-ray image of RCW 86 showing the expanding ring of debris, or shell, that was created by the supernova explosion. Both images show low, medium and The Orion nebula with its hot gas cloud. (Left panel) An X-ray high-energy X-rays in red, image obtained with XMM-Newton. The diffuse X-rays green and blue, emitted by the million-degree cloud appear reddish in this respectively. The AXAF- false colour picture. (Right panel) The same diffuse X-rays Chandra observations Results from a 100 000-second XMM-Newton observation of from the hot gas discovered by XMM-Newton (blue) overlaid focused on the north-east NGC 4472. The EPIC-pn count rate is plotted against time since on Spitzer IR data of the Orion region (AAAS/Science XMM- side of RCW 86. (ESA, the start of the observation. The rapid decrease in count rate Newton EPIC (Guedel et al.), AAAS/Science (ESA XMM- NASA/CXC, University of by a factor of seven is the key to identifying the object as a Newton and NASA Spitzer data) Utrecht/J. Vink) black hole (Nature)

Million-degree plasma in the Orion nebula The XMM-Newton observations therefore suggest that size of the shell allowed them to determine the age of pull of the cluster’s myriad stars would mean that newly XMM-Newton observations allowed Dr M. Guedel and such X-ray outflow phenomenon should be common in the remnant and demonstrate that it is only 2000 years formed black holes would be rapidly ejected from the colleagues to discover a huge cloud of very hot gas filling star-forming regions, and therefore widespread old, much younger than the previous estimate of cluster in a kind of ‘slingshot effect’. part of the Orion Nebula. The hot gas seems to stream throughout our galaxy. This discovery is not just a matter 10 000 years. out of the nebula into the neighbouring interstellar of scientific curiosity. The outflows help enrich the Black holes are by definition invisible, but the region medium. interstellar medium with heavy elements such as carbon The revised age for RCW 86 probably explains an around them can flare up when the black hole ‘feeds’. and oxygen. Accordingly, this result changes our view of astronomical event observed almost 2000 years ago. In When material falls into a black hole, it is heated to very The Orion Nebula is the nearest dense star-forming region how material may have come together in the formation of 185 AD, Chinese astronomers (and possibly the Romans) high temperatures and radiates brightly in X-rays. to Earth. It contains stars much more massive than the Earth-like planets and possibly life itself. recorded a new bright star. The star took about eight XMM-Newton is extremely sensitive to variable X-ray Sun. It is visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch of light months to fade from sight, which is consistent with sources and can efficiently search across large parts of located just below the three belt stars in the constellation Stellar remains linked to the oldest recorded supernova modern observations of supernovae. RCW 86 had the sky. of Orion. While gas in star-forming regions is usually When a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel, it previously been suggested as the remnant from the relatively cool, XMM-Newton discovered that the Orion collapses and explodes as a supernova that can briefly 185 AD event, based on the historical records of the Dr Maccarone’s team found the X-ray signature of a Nebula also contains a huge cloud of extremely hot gas, outshine an entire galaxy. The explosion ejects the outer object’s position. But uncertainties about the age ‘feeding’ black hole in a globular cluster orbiting the giant or plasma, heated to millions of degrees. layers of the star into space producing powerful shock provided significant doubt on the identification. elliptical galaxy NGC 4472. NASA’s AXAF-Chandra waves. The remains of the star and the material it confirmed that the black hole was indeed located inside This cloud is invisible in optical or infrared images but is encounters are heated to millions of degrees and emit First black hole found inside a globular star cluster the globular cluster. prominently seen in XMM-Newton images. The intense X-ray radiation for thousands of years as a Thanks to XMM-Newton observations, Dr T. Maccarone researchers speculate that the plasma originates from supernova remnant. and colleagues discovered the first black hole located This new object is so luminous and varies so rapidly that shocks formed as the fast stellar wind ejected by the most inside a globular star cluster. This finding is important to this rules out any type of explanation other than a black massive star in the nebula’s centre runs into the cool and Dr J. Vink and colleagues examined XMM-Newton help astronomers understand how stars move in clusters hole. Its X-ray luminosity changed by a factor of seven in dense Orion gas. That a single massive star could create observations of a supernova remnant called ‘RCW 86’, and how black holes grow and evolve. a few hours, implying that the source cannot be a chance such huge hot plasma cloud came as a surprise since it along with data from a similar but complementary NASA superposition of several close objects. The new findings was generally thought that powerful supernova explosions X-ray observatory AXAF-Chandra, to estimate when the Globular clusters are dense groups of thousands to provide the first convincing evidence that some black would be required, or at least a large number of massive star exploded. They calculated how quickly the shell is millions of stars and many scientists doubted that black holes might not only survive, but also grow and flourish in stars whose winds collide with each other. expanding. Combining the expansion velocity with the holes could survive in such regions as the gravitational globular clusters.

The Future predict what exactly will XMM-Newton’s combining the spectroscopic diagnostics for following up on one of the most carefully mapping nearby galaxies such the strong gravitational field from the In June 2007, 125 scientists gathered at next great discovery, the workshop from XMM-Newton with those of ESA’s unexpected discoveries of recent years. as Andromeda or the two Magellanic black hole extracts energy from the light. ESA’s European Space Astronomy participants were not short of ideas for soon-to-be-launched Herschel infrared In 2006 the remnants of a new class of clouds, a task for which XMM-Newton The net effect is to distort the profile of Centre to discuss the future science new avenues of research exploiting observatory. This will provide unpre- supernovae were detected in XMM- is ideally suited. an emission line, giving it a characteristic objectives of XMM-Newton. Many new XMM-Newton’s unique capabilities. cedented insights into the formation of Newton images of the Small Magellanic XMM-Newton’s sensitivity and good broad and asymmetric shape easily scientific questions were presented and The formation of stars and, ultimately, stars and the nursery of planetary Cloud, one of the galaxies closest to our spectral resolution pay off in so many spotted with XMM-Newton. many scientifically exciting and of planetary systems, is a topic of systems. own. The importance of collecting large ways. In 2006, Astronomical Notes XMM-Newton recently uncovered the innovative research programmes were expanding interest and attacks one of the XMM-Newton with its large field of and complete samples as a way to devoted an entire issue to the properties existence of broad asymmetric lines in outlined. Although the hazards of the most fundamental problems in astro- view, good spatial resolution and uncover rare galactic objects cannot be of iron lines emitted in the vicinity of neutron stars as well. This opens the peer review process make it impossible to physics. The great prospect lies ahead of excellent sensitivity is uniquely suitable overemphasised. This is best achieved by black holes. General relativity tells us that possibility of measuring directly the mass

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Science XMM-Newton

Scientific Highlights The far-reaching impact of XMM-Newton is illustrated by some recent scientific highlights.

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Science

of neutron stars and thereby the equation of 2008. Planck will discover thousands matter as the Universe expands. This of state of the extremely dense matter of clusters of galaxies. In particular, it technique will provide important clues as they are made of. This one discovery will increase the number of known to what dark energy really is. opens up a whole new research avenue distant clusters by a factor of 100. These XMM-Newton is one of ESA’s most and illustrates the mission’s powerful far-away clusters can be used as successful science missions ever, and capabilities. yardsticks to measure the growth of while we may look forward to its eventual The existence of dark energy was structures in the Universe from the time successor, both scientifically and discovered only ten years ago, when when it was several billion years younger. technically, XMM-Newton has the XMM-Newton was under final con- Using XMM-Newton data in potential to continue observing and struction. Together with dark matter, combination, it will be possible measure making discoveries in the X-ray sky for at dark energy accounts for over 95% of the the mass and the temperature of these least another decade. The large amount energy content of the Universe. Not far-away clusters and compare them with of observing time requested each year surprisingly, understanding its nature those of nearby ‘modern’ clusters. By and the lively debate in the scientific has become one of the key questions in studying how the cluster properties evolve community show that astronomers physics today, and XMM-Newton has a with cosmic time, it will be possible to worldwide are well aware of this. e part to play here. infer the effects of dark energy on normal Dark energy cannot be detected and measured directly. Significant progress is Explore the XMM-Newton sky in Google Earth: expected in the next few years when it Astronomical images and spectra taken with XMM-Newton can be becomes possible to combine data from displayed in Google Earth. XMM-Newton with those from ESA’s http://earth.google.com/gallery/kml_entry.html#tXMM-Newton%20Gallery Planck mission, to be launched at the end

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Artist’s impression of ESA’s Mars Sample Return orbiter vehicle. This mission presents many mission analysis challenges Mission Analysis

Johannes Schoenmaekers, Rüdiger Jehn, Markus Landgraf & Michael Khan Mission Analysis Section, Flight Dynamics Division, Ground Systems Engineering Department, Directorate of Operations and Infrastructure, ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

ission analysis forms an integral part of every space project, and M strongly influences the mission and element design. Once an exclusive activity of ESA experts, mission analysis now relies on a network of competent European industrial, academic and ESA partners, all integrated into the process.

Introduction ‘Mission analysis’ is the analysis of satellite orbits to determine how best to achieve the objectives of a space mission. This is performed during the entire definition, development and preparation phases of each project. Mission analysis support has been provided to ESA projects by the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) mission analysis team since the early 1970s. For many years, this team has been the focal point for mission analysis within ESA, coordinating activities with units at the European Space Research and Technology Research Centre (ESTEC), which concentrate on Earth observation, astrodynamic tools and research, as well as cooperation with national agencies.

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Artist’s impression of ESA’s Mars Sample Return orbiter vehicle. This mission presents many mission analysis challenges Mission Analysis

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Operations and Infrastructure Mission Analysis

In recent years, the network has been mission analysts to adjust their work to The navigational analysis has to show enlarged to include European industrial evolving mission requirements and that the stochastic disturbances affecting and academic partners. The European design and ensuring that the informa- the trajectory can be sufficiently workshops on space mission analysis, tion provided is properly interpreted. measured and corrected in order to the first of which was held at ESOC on A generalist, familiar with all mission guarantee spacecraft safety and achieve 10–12 December 2007, acknowledge this analysis aspects, is preferable at this the accuracy needed for payload evolution and provide a unique platform stage to ensure that the best solutions operations. The fuel needed to correct for technical exchange between the are chosen. In this context, a close link these errors is also computed. Typical experts involved. With 87 participants to operations or, even better, operational disturbances are launcher injection and 40 presentations, the first workshop experience is of high value. errors, orbit correction manoeuvre covered the entire spectrum of mission Later on in a project, the baseline errors, uncertainties in the solar analysis subjects. solution is studied in more detail in radiation pressure and atmospheric Several joint presentations on major order to demonstrate feasibility and drag, as well as velocity increments projects such as BepiColombo, LISA further optimise performance, in associated with attitude control. Pathfinder and Mars Sample Return addition to generating all the informa- The contingency analysis quantifies showed the high degree of harmoni- tion needed for platform, payload, the consequences of spacecraft failures, sation. They are used here to illustrate ground segment, launcher service and such as a missed orbit manoeuvre or a the mission analysis process and the way operations design. spacecraft safe mode, proposes risk in which the cooperation with industry The orbit analysis includes the deter- mitigation or recovery strategies, and and universities is implemented, while at mination of the frequency of mano- quantifies the fuel and time penalty to the same time guaranteeing continuity euvres to maintain the operational orbit implement them. and completeness of the mission analysis and the fuel needed for these, bearing in The launch window analysis support, system optimality and mind payload operations and spacecraft determines the days during which the industrial competition. safety. Usually the manoeuvres com- spacecraft can be launched and the time pensate for known orbital perturbations, slots when lift-off can occur, as well as Mission Analysis Process such as third-body gravitational effects, the target injection orbit. It has to be At the start of a project, the mission and those caused by the asymmetries of proved that the mission objectives can be requirements are evaluated in order to the planet’s gravitational field. achieved in each of these windows. The provide an overview of the available trajectory options. For each option, the The BepiColombo interplanetary cruise to Mercury, ecliptic projection showing swingbys mission analyst computes the Artist’s impression of BepiColombo in cruise configuration (exploded view). From top to bottom, the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), the sunshield, the Mercury Planet Orbiter (MPO) and the information needed by the project to BepiColombo transfer module perform a proper trade-off between the different options and to define one or more baseline and back-up solutions for extra fuel required to compensate for the of the project guarantees a continuing cornerstone mission of the ESA further detailed analysis, definition and non-optimal injection time and orbit awareness of the possible alternatives Horizons 2000 scientific programme, optimisation. also has to be quantified. This task that were assessed in the early phase of BepiColombo consists of two scientific This information usually includes: the requires interaction, via the project, with the project. Typical examples are the spacecraft, the Mercury Planetary timeline of major events; launcher the launcher authorities. redesign of the Cassini-Huygens Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury injection orbit and mass; delta-V The results of the in-depth analysis mission after the identification of a Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). The budget; power and thermal aspects, such for the baseline solution are compiled in transponder design problem and the latter spacecraft will be built and as eclipses and distance from the Sun; the Consolidated Report on Mission redefinition of the Rosetta mission after operated by the Japan Aerospace Earth distance; Sun-spacecraft-Earth Analysis (CREMA). losing the option to fly to Comet Exploration Agency (JAXA) and and Sun-Earth-spacecraft angles and Launch delays, spacecraft mass Wirtanen in January 2003. passively attached to the MPO during their influence on communications; overruns, technology development the cruise to Mercury. The two coverage of science targets; and a problems or other difficulties often BepiColombo spacecraft will study the origin and qualitative assessment of complexity prevent the baseline mission from being The first assessment studies for an ESA evolution of Mercury, its interior and operational risk. At this stage the flown as planned. During mission mission to Mercury started in dynamics and the origin of its magnetic emphasis is on a good overview, rather operations, contingencies may also November 1993. Since then, the mission field. than on accuracy and optimality. require a mission redesign within the design evolved from a single Mercury Going to Mercury is not simple: if no The information is usually compiled constraints of the existing spacecraft, orbiter that used chemical propulsion planetary flybys are used, it would cost in a Mission Analysis Guidelines payload and ground segment. and gravity assists to reach the planet, to even more fuel than a journey to Pluto! (MAG) document. A frequent inter- Continuity in the mission analysis a system with two orbiters, based on So, before starting the competitive action with the project team allows the support throughout the entire lifecycle electrical propulsion. Now, as the fifth definition study with Alenia Spazio and

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Operations and Infrastructure Mission Analysis

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Operations and Infrastructure Mission Analysis

not end when a good trajectory is found. propulsion or have to be done using In the case of BepiColombo, the Ariane chemical propulsion. Mission analysts rocket became unaffordable and from the University of Glasgow and solutions with the smaller Soyuz rocket Politecnico di Milano have been called had to be found. upon to write software for trajectory To compensate for the missing thrust optimisation and graphical user from the powerful Ariane-5 rocket, one interfaces to make the very complex lunar flyby and an Earth flyby were trajectories easier to present and to introduced. The solar arrays had to be understand. Finally, the Spanish reduced in size, cutting the available ion technological business group GMV has engine thrust in half. As a consequence, delivered the ‘ASTRO’ toolbox to the transfer duration increased to five visualise the complex navigational years. aspects and simplify many day-to-day The current interplanetary trajectory astrodynamic calculations. is shown on the previous page. It includes single flybys at the Moon, LISA Pathfinder Earth, two at Venus and two at Mercury, As a precursor for the Laser as well as several long thrust arcs Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) provided by solar-electric propulsion. gravity wave hunter, the LISA However, the mission analysts already Pathfinder mission is required to Artist’s impression of LISA Pathfinder, showing the science spacecraft and propulsion module after separation have back-up options available, with up perform its experiments in an extremely to six Mercury flybys giving even more low-force, low-disturbance environment. fuel savings. For example, any force differences of EADS Astrium, the framework of the powerful Ariane-5 rocket was to be used, One way to compensate for a potential more than one billionth of a g (1g = mission had to be defined. A complex just two flybys at Venus and two at mass crisis in the mission is a ‘gravity 9.81 ms–2, the gravity acceleration on interplanetary trajectory was designed, Mercury were required, in combination capture’ on arrival at Mercury. In Earth’s surface) between the proof working together with mission experts at with solar-electric propulsion. The collaboration with EADS Astrium, a masses of the payload is to be avoided, the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale in target could then be reached in less than sophisticated arrival strategy was ruling out Earth’s vicinity up to Orsay, France. Originally, when the three years. But mission analysis does designed in which the Sun’s gravity is distances of 120000 km. Lagrange (libration) points L1 to L5 on the ‘Jacobi surface’ (green) in the Sun-Earth system (not to scale) used in such a way that the spacecraft is Given these requirements, the dayside BepiColombo cruise from lunar swingby to capture at Mercury decelerated enough to be temporarily L1 Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth There are industrial and academic assign this task to the prime contractor captured in a high orbit around system was chosen as the target players who work with ESA’s experts, and have it reviewed by ESA experts. Mercury. If the orbit insertion fails, location for LISA Pathfinder. There, at sometimes in parallel, sometimes by One important trade-off in this there are multiple opportunities to 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, the providing tools, and sometimes by optimisation was the total number of attempt another capture burn before the forces of Earth’s gravity, Sun’s gravity, reviewing each other’s results. manoeuvres, with an increase in spacecraft eventually drifts away and the and the centrifugal force of Earth’s The possibility of putting LISA manoeuvres reducing the propellant mission is lost. motion around the Sun cancel each Pathfinder as a co-passenger on a expenditure, but at the same time For such a demanding ESA other, so that the spacecraft moves about commercial Ariane-5 launch was increasing the LEOP duration and cornerstone mission, the ESOC mission like a three-dimensional pendulum with excluded in phase A. This means that, complexity. Mission designs with up to analysis team relies on industrial support a period of roughly 180 days. The instead of being injected into a 25 manoeuvres were considered by the to analyse all aspects of the mission in pendulum motion in the plane of Earth’s geostationary transfer orbit, a dedicated prime contractor in order to achieve the the required detail. One example is orbit has a slightly different period than small Russian Rockot launcher will place minimum change in velocity (delta-V, or navigation, a key issue for the safety of the motion perpendicular to it, causing the spacecraft in a slightly elliptical low ΔV). Concerns about the operability of the mission. When six flybys may need to non-repeating orbits about the Lagrange Earth orbit below an altitude of this approach were evaluated, eventually be performed with high precision, a point. The size of the free pendulum, or 1000 km. The most efficient way to resulting in a reduction to 15 detailed simulation of the orbit libration, motion is of the same order as transfer the vehicle from this initial low- manoeuvres. This number allowed a determination and trajectory correction the distance of the Lagrange point from energy orbit and send it towards the credible approach for the nominal is required. This resulted in dedicated Earth, so that the spacecraft appears to Lagrange point was sought. The operations in the Earth-orbiting phase, software being written by Deimos Space, be circling the Sun on an annulus strategic approach to use a number of while also catering for simple building on ESA’s long-standing between 10° and 45° when viewed from perigee burns was regarded as the only contingency situations during that expertise and prototype software. Earth. possible solution. Since this transfer phase. In addition, the radiation As a consequence, we now know LISA Pathfinder is not an unusual strategy could only be optimised under exposure could be kept within the which trajectory correction manoeuvres case when it comes to the coordination the constraints given by the spacecraft constraints given by the spacecraft and can be made with solar electric of mission analysis activities in Europe. capabilities, it was a logical decision to payload requirements.

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LISA Pathfinder orbits before departure from Earth

This example shows nicely that the capabilities to expand and maintain the system overview provided by ESA software to the latest standards. experts, including spacecraft, mission, operations, and ground segment, is Mars Sample Return invaluable when it comes to the Following ExoMars, the first Mars realisation of solutions that are often mission of ESA’s Aurora Programme, driven by a desire to improve the which is due for launch in 2013, and a propellant budget situation. technology demonstration mission due For the everyday work on Lagrange in the 2016 timeframe, the Mars Sample point missions, ESA specialists use the Return (MSR) mission is planned to LODATO software package that has its take place towards the end of the roots in the rapid prototype develop- coming decade. ment undertaken by them in the past. The most complex unmanned ESA LODATO was improved by Deimos mission ever, MSR will require two Space under contract with ESA, using Ariane-5 launches. One will launch a Artist’s impression of the Mars Sample Return Mission, showing software design guidelines. Mars orbiter and an Earth Return lift-off of the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) from the descent module – aerobraking to the target orbit Class V mission involving return of features a series of bottlenecks for which The results from educational Vehicle, the second will launch the around Mars; samples to Earth; there is no workaround. Mars entry and partnerships with academia have been Surface Element and Mars Ascent – rendezvous and capture of the – long duration: 5–7 years between first landing, sample collection, sample included in LODATO, so that the Vehicle (MAV). The Surface Element back to Earth and place it on an launched sample container; launch and sample return. launch, rendezvous and capture, sample rendezvous problem at the Lagrange will probably involve a rover and atmospheric entry trajectory. – safe Earth return and precise Since the sheer magnitude and container sealing, and Earth return and points can be treated, as well as lunar possibly a drill for sample extraction. Among the numerous technical insertion into a narrow re-entry complexity will result in a mission cost targeting all involve single points of flybys and navigation aspects. From an After collecting about 500 grams of soil, challenges inherent to MSR are: corridor; that is too high for a single agency to failure with no chance for a second try. insider’s point of view, it pays to have rock and atmosphere samples, the MAV – targeted soft-landing of a large – compliance with stringent planetary shoulder, MSR is likely to be a Failure to execute any of these steps the competence for new developments in will launch into a low Mars orbit where module on the Mars surface; protection requirements to avoid multiagency endeavour. Current studies exactly as planned will result in a total mission design software within ESA, the orbiter will gather the sample – automatic, accurate launch from the forward and backward conta- focus on a NASA/ESA cooperation. loss of the mission. while also using industrial and academic container, seal it hermetically, carry it Martian surface into low Mars orbit; mination – MSR is by definition a More than most missions, MSR The challenges also extend to mission

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LISA Pathfinder orbits before departure from Earth

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need to be addressed at a fundamental extensively to optimise spacecraft design. level. Early identification and proactive This valuable contribution is coordinated mitigation of any mission risk are the with ESA’s work and integrated in the keys to meeting the challenging schedule. Consolidated Report on Mission Conversely, failure to address a technical Analysis (CREMA). The responsibility issue in a timely fashion is likely to raise for the CREMA remains with the ESOC the likelihood of delays or cost overruns mission analysis group in order to and expose the project to political risk. maintain coverage and optimality of the MSR is not a standalone mission; it entire system, including platform, will enable Europe to act as an equal payload, ground segment, launcher partner in even more challenging future service and operations. projects, such as manned planetary Direct industrial support is used for missions. As stated, mission analysis well-defined, specialised, offline study should be seen and conducted as an tasks which do not need frequent integral part of global mission design. In interaction with the projects. Study view of the complexity, optimising the contracts are also used to develop new involvement of all available mission methods and tools, when universities analysis capabilities is essential. The long focus on the conceptual work and Timeline chart showing possible outbound and return transfers and environmental conditions preparation phase and mission duration industry focuses on the implementation. and the need for a global, long-term view Working groups are a useful platform after losing the Comet Wirtanen present their work for feedback, to get an mandate that ultimately ESA retains full to harmonise the work of several ESA opportunity and, recently, the mission overview on the ongoing activities, to control of the key aspects, of which and non-ESA experts in the case of definition for the Cosmic Vision create awareness of the available mission analysis is one. complex, urgent or critical problems, missions to Jupiter and Saturn. expertise and, last but not least, establish such as the Rosetta lander mission Recurring workshops dedicated to good personal contacts, which are crucial Summary analysis, the Rosetta mission redesign mission analysis enable the partners to for our cooperation to function. e While remaining responsible for the mission analysis of ESA’s projects, the ESOC mission analysis team shares the work with industrial partners, academic researchers, other groups in ESA and, Artist’s impression of the latest concept for the ExoMars rover, now ready for the next phase of development, Phase-B2 occasionally, other agencies. The industrial contribution is either indirect, in the frame of a system design study or analysis. The design of the interplanetary analysis of the effect of natural orbit spacecraft procurement contracts, or transfers and the Mars operational phase perturbations and identification of direct, in the form of a study contract. is driven by compliance with the possible mission risks and problems. For Usually a Mission Analysis Guidelines numerous technical requirements. These each of these tasks, considerable know- document is produced as input to include arrival at Mars at least six how is present within ESA and industry. industrial system design studies, to avoid months before the start of the dust storm The key to success, especially in view of a complete mission analysis being season, a minimum stay time of six the fairly tight schedule, is to make the performed by the contractor. This is cost months and no superior conjunctions at best possible use of the available efficient, in particular for parallel studies. Mars approach or during surface expertise. As only a limited number of companies operations. MSR stands out from ‘usual’ missions can afford to maintain a sufficiently A typical mission analysis product is in several ways. Firstly, to a deeper extent broad mission analysis expertise, this the timeline shown on the next page, than with other projects, MSR mission allows a much larger number of which presents the possible transfers in analysis is linked with programmatic and companies to make an offer, thus correlation with these mission systems aspects. Furthermore, it requires improving competition. Benefit is taken requirements and allows the project to profound knowledge of the Martian from the contractor’s available expertise make a proper selection. The individual environment, the scientific goals and the by inviting the company to review and mission analysis tasks comprise launch political situation. The extraordinary list enhance the mission analysis guidelines. window optimisation, interplanetary of technical challenges has already been Often, the prime contractor of a navigation, Entry, Descent and Landing mentioned. In combination with the spacecraft procurement or one of its (EDL) optimisation, aerobraking, maxi- unprecedented mission cost, the mission major subcontractors has significant misation of the data relay capabilities, also faces significant political risks. Both mission analysis expertise and uses it

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Phoenix

Peter Schmitz, Olivier Reboud, Thomas Ormston & Mattia Mercolino Mission Operations Department, ESA Directorate of Operations and Infrastructure, ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

ith the landing of the US Phoenix spacecraft scheduled for 25 May, W NASA has requested the assistance of ESA’s Mars Express, in orbit around Mars since December 2003, as one of three orbiters used to monitor the dramatic arrival at the Red Planet.

Landing on Mars is one of the most difficult tasks any spacecraft can undertake. In the past, efforts to explain failed landings have sometimes been hampered by a lack of data from the atmospheric entry, descent and landing phase. Since the summer of 2007, specialists at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) have been designing and testing a new communications mode that will allow Mars Express to support the Phoenix mission. Under the new ESA/NASA 'Network and Operations Cross-support Agree- ment’, NASA requested support from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) for its first Mars Scout Mission, Phoenix. This mission was launched on 4 August 2007 and is expected to land on the Red Planet on 25 May 2008.

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Phoenix

Peter Schmitz, Olivier Reboud, Thomas Ormston & Mattia Mercolino Mission Operations Department, ESA Directorate of Operations and Infrastructure, ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany

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Operations and Infrastructure Phoenix

‘Delta-DOR’ taken on the baseline New Norcia – Delta-DOR as a tool for the navigation of interplanetary Robledo has been foreseen. The first spacecraft is based on a simple but quite effective operational attempt to have a fully concept. It uses two widely separated antennas (whose interoperable delta-DOR measurement connecting line is known as the baseline) for between two agencies has two objectives: simultaneous tracking of a transmitting probe in order to validating the interagency delta-DOR measure the delay in the signal arrival time between the capabilities in an operational environ- two stations. The measurement of this time delay is ment and cross-checking results obtained named Differential One-way Range (DOR). with ESA antennas only. This represents a huge improvement in the ability of both Theoretically, the obtained delay value depends only on agencies to support deep-space missions. the geometry of the system, that is, on the position of the A total of five test passes (plus the one two antennas and of the source being tracked. However, carried out on 1 December 2007) are in real cases, this delay will be affected by several error foreseen for this option. The data, sources. Delta-DOR corrects these errors using a quasar as a calibration source. This is possible since the quasar’s collected either at ESA or at DSN position (its direction) is extremely accurately known, stations, are transferred to ESOC to be typically to better than 1 nanoradian. processed by the ESA delta-DOR correlator. Reduced data are then A delta-DOR measurement is directly related to the converted into CCSDS standard format component of the angular separation between the and transferred to JPL for orbit spacecraft and quasar, parallel to the baseline between MELACOM 70° footprints (pink) pass over the Phoenix lander during Mars Express (yellow line) nadir over-flight determination purposes. the two antennas. As two angles are required to define a direction, full exploitation of delta-DOR calls for Phoenix Support by Mars Express measurements from two different baseline orientations – Delta-DOR tracking of a deep-space probe and of a nearby quasar from DSA-1 (New Norcia, Rosetta’s flyby of Mars in early 2007. – support from a mixed ESA-DSN In 2007, NASA requested the use of the closer to orthogonal the better. Australia) and DSA-2 (Cebreros, Spain). The effects of common error sources between The technique demonstrated high-level baseline. Mars Express to support the Phoenix spacecraft and quasar observations are cancelled by the quasar tracking. performance, meeting requirements that The support from the ESA-only lander during two critical phases, the For Phoenix navigation with delta-DOR, NASA’s Deep were based on a 1 nanosecond baseline is made of 19 delta-DOR passes Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) and Space Network (DSN) uses the baseline between the measurement accuracy (corresponding – plus a test pass carried out on subsequent on-surface characterisation Goldstone and Canberra complexes. Since the ESA baseline and can be used to improve navigational baseline (New Norcia to Cebreros 35 m deep space accuracy. Analysis carried out beforehand by JPL to a spacecraft position uncertainty of 1 December 2007 – starting on phase. During EDL, Mars Express will antennas) is almost perfectly orthogonal to the DSN one, it demonstrated that use of the ESA baseline would improve 4.5 km at 1 astronomical unit). 25 January 2008 and occurring with record RF signals emitted by the probe in complements angular results obtained using the DSN-only the uncertainty in Phoenix orbit determination by 15%. After these successful operational increasing frequency as the Phoenix open loop (‘Canister mode’), which will campaigns, ESA has developed a Entry Descent and Landing (EDL) phase provide NASA with valuable information software data translator that is capable approaches. The last ESA-only delta- on Phoenix’s behaviour while it descends of processing not only data coming DOR is foreseen on 23 May 2008, one through the Martian atmosphere. Throughout the journey to Mars, gap’ in spacecraft communications solution accuracy. In order to achieve from its stations, but also from NASA day before the last Trajectory Correction Once Phoenix has landed on Mars it ESOC has provided support for critical between US tracking stations in Madrid the desired level of precision, a heavy DSN or other astronomical institutions, Manoeuvre and two before EDL. will undergo a 10 Sol (Sol = Martian day) Phoenix mission phases, such as ground and Goldstone. use of a technique known as ‘delta- thus enabling the possibility of delta- Together with the ESA-only baseline characterisation phase, when Mars station tracking support during the DOR’ is foreseen. Delta-DOR has DOR interoperability with other space support, a limited number of passes to be Express will act as a communications launch and early orbit phase, delta- Phoenix Delta-DOR Navigation Support already been used operationally by ESA agencies such as NASA or JAXA and DOR (Differential One-way Range) Phoenix navigation has very stringent to support Venus Express before Venus extending the number of possible Mars Express MELACOM antenna spot-pointing footprints over the Phoenix lander during the nominal mission ranging support during Mars approach, requirements in terms of orbital orbit insertion in 2006 and before baselines to be used. communications support during entry, The new system has been validated descent and landing and post-landing with NASA by using Venus Express data relay support through Mars ESA Delta-DOR interoperability concept using software data translator to ensure data compatibility among different agencies orbiter as a target that was tracked Express. simultaneously by one ESA and one DSN antenna on several occasions Phoenix Launch Support during June–July and September– After the successful launch of Phoenix October 2007. on 4 August 2007, the ESA Kourou Thanks to the new data translation ground station provided tracking capability, ESA can now exercise a full support to the NASA project. Kourou is interoperable delta DOR with NASA. the only station able to guarantee The delta-DOR support to NASA 24-hour coverage during this critical foresees two scenarios: mission phase by bridging the ‘Atlantic – support from ESA baseline only;

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relay between the lander and Earth. The will be used for communications to Phoenix EDL event, the MER objective of this on-surface support is to command the lander and/or relay transmitted a sequence of RF tones that assist NASA in determining Phoenix’s science data to Earth. simulated the RF signature of Phoenix health and to demonstrate Mars Express during the descent and were recorded in relay capabilities should they be needed In-flight Tests and Preparation MELACOM ‘Canister’ mode. later in the mission. In this respect, Mars The principle of a test campaign On board Mars Express, ‘standalone’ Express could complement the between Mars Express and the Mars tests (without the rovers) were also communications coverage of Phoenix, Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and conducted to determine whether other which is nominally supplied by the Opportunity was decided in April 2007. Mars Express instruments interfere with NASA orbiters Mars Reconnaissance This was to provide operational the frequency spectrum of the Orbiter (MRO) and Mars Odyssey confidence for Mars Express–Phoenix MELACOM receiver channel. (ODY). Thanks to its elliptical orbit, communications because the rovers both Dedicated interference tests were Mars Express can, in some mission carry the same CE505 model of UHF conducted to verify that neither AOCS phases, provide longer periods of contact radio transponder as Phoenix. (Attitude and Orbit Control System) with Phoenix than MRO or ODY. The beginning of the test campaign units nor payloads like the HRSC (High was hindered by a severe dust storm on Resolution Stereo Camera) or SPICAM Bringing the Two Missions Closer Mars between mid-July and mid-August (Spectroscopy for Investigation of One of the key issues to meet NASA’s 2007, leading to the cancellation at short Characteristics of the Atmosphere of request was a proper phasing of the Mars notice of three tests due to excessive Mars), which are planned to operate Express orbit, allowing the ESA atmospheric dust levels affecting the during the EDL event, would generate spacecraft to track the descent module power situation of the rovers. Fortun- adverse effects on the RF spectrum with an optimised visibility. By taking ately, the weather at Mars improved, while MELACOM is scanning in advantage of the Mars Express orbit allowing a series of 12 tests with both ‘Canister mode’. change to an 18/5 resonance orbit rovers. A total of 900 commands were Those interference tests have shown, (planned for scientific reasons), the phase sent and 145 Mb of lander communi- for instance, that the MARSIS (Mars Artist’s impression of Phoenix on the surface of Mars of the orbit has also been changed with cation data were successfully relayed to Advanced Radar for Subsurface and minimum additional fuel consumption. Earth via Mars Express during duplex Ionosphere Sounding) instrument can If needed, the phase may have to undergo links utilising the CCSDS Proximity-1 operate together with MELACOM, but ASPERA (Analyser of Space Plasmas – transfer to ESOC for final checks and Phoenix and the ability to meet the Mars last-minute tuning one week before Mars protocol. In addition, to prepare for the that severe interference is generated by and Energetic Atoms), resulting in an uplink in the next available ground lander’s requirements will provide arrival, when the final entry trajectory exclusion rule for science planning which station pass; excellent proof that Mars Express can, parameters of Phoenix are known. prevents both instruments from – execution on board Mars Express, i.e. in addition to being an excellent science During EDL, the recorded data will Waterfall diagram processed by ESOC: MELACOM recording in ‘Canister’ mode of mock Phoenix EDL tones transmitted by Opportunity operating together. forwarding of rover telecommands orbiter, also act as a Martian be secured by a copy stored on board MER-B (28 August 2007) The main objectives of this intensive and reception and recording of rover communications relay and support Mars Express in a dedicated area of its test campaign in 2007 were successfully telemetry during the over-flight; future Mars surface missions such as Solid State Mass Memory, and then achieved: – transfer of the recorded data to NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory or dumped three times to Earth to avoid – health check of the MELACOM ground in the next available ground ESA’s ExoMars. any data gap caused by potential ground transponder which had not been station pass; In any case, the intensive test station problems, bad weather switched on for 20 months; – retrieval of the telemetry data from campaign with the Mars Exploration conditions or network issues. The EDL – definition and set-up of operational the ESOC archive by JPL for analysis. Rovers and the support to Phoenix was data would be of highest importance in interfaces between JPL and ESOC, a great opportunity to involve several a contingency situation when Phoenix being able to cope with different Following the Mars Express/MER test agencies and mobilise various would not have landed as expected, planning cycles between Mars campaign in 2007, seven follow-on tests competences within ESA that were making the analysis of the sequence of Express and Phoenix; were carried out between Mars Express required to work together, such as radio tones transmitted by Phoenix – insertion of the MELACOM and the Opportunity rover in early 2008. Flight Dynamics, Mars Express Flight during EDL critical for investigations. pointing requirements and resource The objectives were to test the RF link Control, Mission Planning and Project In the seven days after the EDL, allocation into the medium-term performance while Mars Express was Scientist teams, the RF and Signal ESOC has booked each over-flight of planning cycle by ESOC, three performing a dedicated ‘lander pointing’, Processing team, Mission Control the Phoenix landing site above 10° months before start of activity; targeting the MELACOM antenna System Software support, ground elevation, so that the Mars Express – generation of the MELACOM towards the rover during the over-flight station and navigation teams. It also Lander Communications (MELACOM) operations request by ESOC one in order to optimise the RF link budget established a fruitful partnership with system will be ready to support any month before start of activity; and improving the return link efficiency. our NASA JPL colleagues from the contingency plan decided at any time – generation of the MELACOM MER and Phoenix projects. We thank during this week. Assuming Phoenix command files by JPL up to two days Phoenix and Beyond all of these groups, and hope it is just lands nominally, some of these passes before onboard execution; Success in the Mars Express support to the beginning. e

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ESA Procurement

Stefano M. Fiorilli ESA Procurement Department, Directorate of Resources Management, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

SA is entering more and more cooperative undertakings with other E organisations, whether providing assistance in procurement, or in jointly developed space systems and infrastructures. This role acknowledges ESA’s expertise as a public procurement agent, but challenges us to maintain and adapt our procurement processes to suit both internal and external needs.

Introduction Procurement is the channel for ESA both to implement our mandate assigned to us by Member States and to secure the means required for such implementation. Indeed, within the classical ESA institutional frame, the Director General proposes programmes to the Member and Cooperating States which, in turn, give mandate to the Director General to implement them within defined technical, financial and Signature of procurement contract schedule boundaries. for Sentinel-1 with Thales Alenia Space, To implement the programmes, the at the Paris Air Show,18 June 2007. Director General concludes contracts From left to right: Volker Liebig, with European industry and research ESA Director of Earth Observation, Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, institutions that conduct the studies, and Pascale Sourisse, President and develop the satellites and build the CEO Thales Alenia Space. infrastructures. As such, procurement is

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ESA Procurement

Stefano M. Fiorilli ESA Procurement Department, Directorate of Resources Management, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

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Resources Management ESA Procurement

organisation, while preparing the classically pursued by previous ESA organisations for ensuring swift and procuring space systems and infrastruc- ground for other, dedicated programmes. In both cases, the choice timely handling of these invoices. tures lies in the volume of the procure- organisations to take over the operations has been made to entrust ESA with the Regular Bilateral Review Groups must ments it has conducted over 30 years, of the space systems developed. responsibility of conducting the be accommodated for the two and the fact that they all involved Whether in the field of procurement, irrespective of the organisations to review the changes to developments that were at the forefront telecommunications or meteorology, particular funding arrangements the contract, being proposed by industry of the existing technologies, and that they ESA would be in charge of the prevailing, but with adjustments to the or by one of the two organisations, and expanded in a timespan that saw procurement for the development phase usual ESA procurement rules so as to to decide on the allocation of their costs substantial evolution in the industrial (the ‘prototype’ satellite), while the make the procurement compatible with between them. landscape. This has led to the devising of procurement for the operational phase the rules applicable to EU public In all cases however, it is essential for procurement approaches aiming at the (operation of the prototype and, procurements. the efficiency of the procurement that completion of such ambitious and non- sometimes, procurement of the Recently, an assistance agreement was those bilateral exchanges do not affect standard projects within controlled sche- recurrent satellites) would be retained by concluded between ESA and Spain’s the empowerment of the ESA Project dules and financial envelopes, through these organisations, respectively Eutelsat Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Manager to act as sole customer vis-à- tailored risk management schemes. and Eumetsat. Industrial (CDTI). According to that vis industry, and to be perceived as such ESA, in dialogue with the European In a second stage, and mainly for what agreement, the Agency provides by all stakeholders. space industry, is in constant evolution concerns the cooperation with assistance to CDTI for the purpose of All these implementation modalities on this aspect of the procurement Eumetsat, the two organisations realised the procurement of the SEOSAT/ are put in place in Project approach and is in a position to put its that grouping the procurement of the Ingenio satellite, which is exclusively Implementation Plans between ESA and experience at the disposal of its own ESA and Astrium signing the contract for Sentinel-2 Earth Observation satellite. From left to right: Karl Trauernicht, German Ministry of Transport, Evert Dudok, President of Astrium Satellites, Volker Müller, Astrium Contracts Dept., Volker Liebig, ESA Director for Earth prototype and – at least some of the – financed by the Spanish government. the third-party organisation, allowing customers. Observation, Jonas Amnéus, ESA Contracts Dept., Valère Moutarlier, European Commission, Head of GMES Bureau and Uwe Minne, recurrent satellites would allow Taking into account that particular ESA to efficiently fulfil its two Because of the non-standard, often Director of Earth Observation & Science for Astrium (Astrium) achieving economies of scale. Therefore, context, the industrial contract(s), mandates: being the customer of pioneer, nature of space projects, their and in spite of the fact that, for instance although fully funded by CDTI, will be industry and satisfying the operational cost-estimation is difficult. Also based at the centre of ESA’s daily operations. tion, Industrial Policy and Financial in the case of Meteosat Second placed by ESA, but they will secure needs of its own customer, the third- on the experience gathered over the Each year, the largest part of our budget Control, going through Technical Generation (MSG), the prototype would delivery to and ownership by CDTI of party organisation. years and within the framework of is spent on contracts in the Member and Monitoring, Cost Engineering and be mainly financed by ESA and the two all results thereof. systematic and – as far as comparable – Cooperating States for research or Auditing. recurrent models entirely by Eumetsat, Risk Management data, ESA conducts parametric cost project-related activities. The efficiency In parallel to this internal evolution, the two organisations agreed that ESA Visibility to the Financing Organisation and The specificity of ESA’s experience in estimations that can contribute to of the procurement process then greatly ESA has maintained a constant would award one single contract to Management Autonomy to ESA impacts on ESA’s overall functioning. interface with not only European industry, covering the three satellites, As suggested, one of the first Artist’s impression of Sentinel-2 in orbit Both the public and international industrial and academic actors, but also with ESA thus acting as Eumetsat’s peculiarities of procuring in cooperation nature of the process means that its intergovernmental and national organi- procurement agent for the purpose of with another organisation is that the efficiency is measured primarily against sations. As far as these organisations are the part of the contract covering the two subject of the procurement is not, or not its achievement in the most effective use concerned, ESA has been acting as recurrent satellites. In the case of the exclusively, financed by the ESA of the European taxpayer’s money. The procurement agent for, or joint customer MetOp series of satellites, and while the Member or Cooperating States, but, in procurement process has developed with, the other organisations (also basic framework was rather identical to whole or partly, by that other around boundaries that are important for referred to as ‘Third-Party Organisa- the one of MSG, the agreement between organisation. It is therefore only normal satisfying specific goals, such as: tion’), such as Eutelsat, Eumetsat, the the two organisations foresaw that they that, irrespective of the extent of the maximising competition and securing its European Commission and national would both sign the contract with procurement mandate given to ESA, fairness, and transparency in the decision governments. industry covering the development, sufficient visibility is granted to the process towards contract awards. What is the specific added value that manufacture, test and delivery for financing organisation on the progress Today’s ESA procurement process is ESA offers to these third parties? What launch of the three satellites. of the procurement. the result of practices that have applied responsibilities and challenges does this To affirm ESA’s role as the ‘Space The experience shows how important to a variety of programmes over a period role entail for ESA? To what extent does Agency of Europe’, and in line with the it is for the organisations to clarify the and that have seen major changes in the the experience of such joint under- Framework Agreement between ESA modalities of such visibility. Special industrial and programmatic landscapes. takings reinforce a customer-oriented and the EC, the last years have seen the separate treasuries must be put in place These practices have led to procurement culture in ESA? These issues are now two organisations cooperating on two in the ESA financial books to becoming multidisciplinary and going explored. major programmes, i.e. Galileo and accommodate the financial instalments well beyond the setting-up of contract GMES (Global Monitoring Environ- paid by the third-party organisation and clauses. Procurement thus encompasses Which Cooperations? ment and Security). In both cases, the that will eventually allow ESA to pay a combination of techniques and Procuring in cooperation with other programmes aim at ultimately providing the contractor’s invoices when justified dimensions starting from, indeed, the European organisations was initially services that have been recognised as by achievement of the technical definition of Technical Requirements seen as a natural way for ESA to act strategic by the Union and that go much milestones. Clear procedures must also and Cost Estimation to legal formula- within its mandate of developing an beyond the objectives that had been be put in place between the

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requirements, including the closing of When procuring in cooperation with those technical trade-offs that are other organisations, ESA tailors the inherent to the feasibility studies. above-described process, so as to allow, Even when such progressive and at the same time, these organisations to systematic consolidation of require- benefit from its competencies and to ments is pursued, the very nature of the fully involve them in all steps. space projects makes it unavoidable to The process described above does not still face risks during the manufacturing only apply to the selection of prime and development phases. The ESA contractors, but also to the one of the procurement approach in that area subcontractors. ESA has over the years pursues the separate identification, in developed a so-called ‘Best Practices for the contract, of those risks covered by a the selection of subcontractors by prime dedicated financial margin and those – if contractors in the frame of ESA’s major any – which, typically because of their procurements’ (‘Best Practices’). The nature or potential magnitude, remain Best Practices are based on the concept outside of the industrial contractor’s that ESA guarantees, by its presence in commitment. This proactive approach the process, that the principle of fair must provide funding third-party competition is applied also to the organisations with the same subcontractors selection process. Under transparency on the reality of industrial Best Practices, ESA is given full visibility Volker Liebig, ESA Director of Earth Observation, and Pascale Sourisse, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, signed the contract for Sentinel-3 Earth Observation satellite on 14 April 2008 in Paris. Sentinel-3 will provide crucial data for information services to the commitments to the one that is being – and right to participate to – the European Union and its Member States as part of GMES provided to the Member/Cooperating Invitation/Request for Quotation pre- States within the regular institutional paration by the prime contractor, its validating those estimations or and, during the latter, to maximise, as ESA framework. evaluation process, its selection of the quotations submitted by industry and far as possible, the initiation and tenders, including the right to perform providing the basis of estimated maintaining of competitive, parallel Prime Contractor and audits on the prime’s overall procedure. financial envelopes. During the contracts with industry. These Subcontractor Selection In conducting the Best Practices, ESA Preparatory Phases of the preparatory phases must allow the Given the international public nature of has put at the disposal of the European Programme/Project, pre-feasibility and generation of a detailed set of the ESA procurement process, the space industrial community dedicated feasibility studies not only cover the requirements documents (management internal rules that govern the tools, like EMITS (European Mail technical scope of their intent, but also, requirements and tasks, deliverable item preparation of the Invitations to Invitation to Tender System), that indeed, produce cost estimations that list, system requirements, Ground Tender/Request for Proposals, their ensures the publication in line of all are based on the design assumptions Segment Interface Requirements, publication, and the evaluation of the invitations to tender. they have produced. Product Assurance Requirements, industrial offers, as well as the decision Within the regular institutional ESA A central concept in the overall ESA Documents Requirements List, of contract award are characterised by a framework, the Best Practices have, with project management culture is the one of Interface Control Documents, etc.) that strong formalism, which aims at time, evolved towards also including a Artist’s impression of Sentinel-3 in orbit ‘Phasing’. ‘Phases’ are not only will form the contractual baseline for the securing the fairness of the competition function of implementing tool for important in terms of sanctioning the development, manufacturing and at each stage. The process is, however, specific ESA Industrial Policy consi- depending on the third-party organi- ‘CORDIS’ (Community Research and reaching of cardinal technical commissioning phases, document the based on a strong technical presence derations, like geographical return or sation’s wishes and/or constraints, to Development Information Service). milestones towards the manufacturing industrial contractor commitment for that, being it at the stage of the share of the work between prime either put EMITS at their disposal, or to Finally, the Industrial Policy consi- and operation of a satellite (e.g. Pre- these phases and, in the case of fixed requirements definition or at the one of contractors and non-primes, etc. ensure a parallel publication of the derations that have contributed to the feasibility Study, Feasibility Study, price arrangements (see below), the assessment of the industrial offers, Even when the funding third-party Invitations to Tender/Requests for ESA procurement process over the years Preliminary Design Review, Critical constitute the reference against which mobilises specialised ESA engineers and organisation does not subscribe to any, or Quotations through both EMITS and have allowed generating data and Design Review, Acceptance Review and contract modifications will be assessed scientists at both system and sub-system to the same considerations of Industrial other means. An example of this is information that benefit today the third- Commissioning Review), but they also and the bearing of their financial level, and that constitutes the very core Policy, ESA organises the subcontractor provided by the Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 party organisations cooperating with guide the process of what must be a consequences will be allocated. of ESA’s added value. This technical selection process so as to safeguard the and Sentinel-3 satellites developments in ESA: industrial competitiveness at large, consolidation of the requirements, the From the above, it results that, competence is not only represented by Best Practices’ role of a management the GMES programme. Given that part mapping of national and European identification of the risks, their irrespective of the programmatic and ESA’s dedicated project team, since the tool, allowing the end customer to keep of the space element of the programme competencies, industrial networks, etc. management and progressive (but never funding arrangements made with the latter benefit also from the detailed visibility, to the extent desired, on the would be deemed to be funded from the complete) mitigation. third-party organisation, ESA arti- expertise of the ESA Technical process followed by the prime to EC Frame Programme 7, the relating Contract Management and Monitoring Based on its experience, ESA culates procurement approaches around Directorate, that is in a position to constitute its consortium, without Invitations to Tender for subcon- Detailed and focused technical compe- promotes approaches, also for third- the principle of conditioning the start of provide support in all areas and impairing the absoluteness of its contrac- tractors are currently published not only tence does not only determine the party procurements, dedicating suffi- the development and manufacturing technologies concerned by satellite and tual commitment at end-system level. through the ESA EMITS, but, in tendering phase of the ESA procurement. cient funding to the preparatory phases phases to the consolidation of the space infrastructure development. Furthermore, ESA is in a position, parallel, through the dedicated EC tool, It is also at the centre of the contract

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management and monitoring performed complex, innovative, precursor space by industry, it is seen that to be obligation of the satellite manufacturers by ESA customer, it being in the frame of satellites and infrastructure). sustainable by the latter it must contain will consist in bringing to the not-yet its own programmes or for the benefit of This has led to the progressive a sufficient margin to accommodate launched satellites, at their expense, all those of third-party organisations. development of clauses and practices, unforeseen events. This would, in turn, corrections necessary to avoid During the entire timeframe of the including all aspects of the contract. As is plea for the fixed price to be concluded reoccurrence of the defect on these not- development, and without taking over the the case for its own procurements, ESA for portions of the development where yet launched satellites. However, such financial and contractual responsibility pursues, in contracts covering third-party such risks are reasonably foreseeable clauses are of a very onerous nature for that must and does remain the one of the procurements, clauses that secure the and measurable, or, as suggested above, industry, and ESA’s practice has industrial contractor, ESA puts in place timely and performing delivery of the end keep the unforeseeable or immeasurable therefore been to associate them with a the tools allowing a close technical product, within the agreed price. The risks out of the fixed price. limitation of the financial liability to monitoring of the work progress, at all contractual areas that are more primarily The cost-reimbursement price foresees which the contractor would be exposed critical levels of such undertaking and of concerned by these three elements are the the reimbursement of the allowable under their application. the industrial consortium. price-type, the guarantees, and incentive/ costs incurred by the contractor, plus a As suggested here, third-party This technical monitoring takes the penalty schemes. profit, that can be either fixed or linked organisations cooperating with ESA for form of regular progress reports from, The three types of prices commonly to the achievement of schedule, costs or the purpose of their procurement very and progress meetings with, industry, practiced by ESA in its contracts are the performance objectives. By its nature, it often have stringent operational needs which allow the keeping abreast of the fixed price, the ceiling price and the cost- thus implies a much stronger and and constraints. ESA is committed to real status of the project, reinforce the reimbursement price. While the ceiling systematic implication of ESA in the proposing industrial contracts that serve technical and schedule control of those price is by nature and as its name administrative management of the such reality. To do so, clauses contri- elements that are on the critical path, indicates a price subject to refinement project, and it would provide, if not a buting to the timely and performing and impose redirections and additional ‘within its ceiling’ at a later stage of the protection against, at least a better completion of the undertaking are of The contract and cooperation agreement for construction of the MSG-4 satellite being signed at ESA Headquarters in 2004 by Jean- investigations where judged necessary. contract and when uncertainties have visibility on the elements eventually key importance. For many years, the Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, Lars Prahm, Eumetsat Director General, Pascale Sourisse and Volker Liebig The strictly contractual tools have, been clarified, different schools of generating costs overruns. standard way of dealing with that aspect also, been developed and adapted over thought continue to coexist on the Whatever the price retained, however, of the contract was to agree on financial rated under ESA contract, but ESA and adaptability has sometimes led us to the three decades of ESA’s operations, respective merits of fixed price and cost it looks obvious that none of them penalties, to be paid by the industrial its Member/Cooperating States have the touch on the very fundamental principles with a view to match the particular reimbursement price. could make up for an insufficient contractor – in fact subtracted from the right to use the data for their own of public procurement: ESA has context in which contracts are placed Since the fixed price is essentially not financial envelope. It is therefore agreed price – in the event of late of purposes, often including the right to concluded contracts that were at the and to serve the particular reality these subject to any refinement, irrespective of essential to invest time, skills and non-performing delivery. grant sub-licences. centre of public–private partnerships, contracts cover (development of the actual evolution of the cost incurred competencies in the accurate cost- Over the years, the contracting parties Depending of the nature of the deviating from the classical governmental estimation exercises that are leading to took the measure of the not optimal cooperation with the third-party contribution to space developments. MSG-2 was launched on 21 December 2005 from Kourou, French Guiana. Two more MSG satellites should guarantee continuity of the definition of such financial effect of such a negative exclusively organisation, the contract placed by All these experiences have made ESA service through to around 2018. MSG-3 is in storage, and is planned to launch early 2011. MSG-4 is planned for a launch not earlier envelopes, and ESA pursues constant sanctioning approach. In an attempt to ESA will foresee adjustments to such procurement develop into much more than 2013 improvements in these domains. deal with the issue in a more positive and regime, and provide for either a share of than a process. They have contributed to The concept of ‘guarantee’ takes a effective manner, they have developed the rights between ESA and the third- make it into a combination of different resonance in the context of mixed incentive/penalty schemes. The party organisation or even the granting multidisciplinary skills, which are all space satellite or infrastructure principle of such schemes is that part of to the latter of increased, exclusive geared at reaching the same goal: procurement than it has in the field of the agreed price, including sometimes rights, for instance in the case of full conducting and completing complex ordinary consumables: it does not part of the nominal profit of the funding by the third-party organisation. technical undertakings in time, within appear feasible to pursue replacement of industrial contractor is put at risk and budget and to an uncompromised level an in-orbit faulty satellite as would be may be lost, nominally earned, or Conclusions of technical standard. the case for, e.g. a non-functioning car. multiplied, depending on the reaching of For more than 30 years, the ESA As such, today’s ESA procurement is a Contracts have adapted to that reality, criteria that can be of calendar (achieving procurement process has constituted the robust and flexible tool that is in a and, as an example, the obligation of acceptance and/or delivery of the satellite formal and concrete way for the organi- position to integrate contexts other than satellite manufacturers under guarantee on or before a given date) or technical sation to interface with the European our internal ones, and that can thus be clauses may take the form of them (achieving technical parameters after a space industry and research organisa- used by our partner third-party investigating and providing, at their defined timeframe in-orbit) nature. tions, thereby implementing the mandate organisations for satisfying their expenses, ground-segment based Another aspect of the procurement derived from the ESA Convention. operational needs. remedies: engineers would, from Earth where ESA strives to adapt itself to the In doing so, the process has had to At the same time, with the ever- and thanks to software ‘patches’ try to operational needs of its partners is the adapt to the evolving landscapes it renewing challenges that these new correct the defect observed or to regime of Intellectual Property Rights applies to, to implement the Industrial realities represent, ESA finds a mitigate its effects. (IPRs). Within the regular institutional Policy decided by Member and nurturing and dynamic element that will When the contract covers a series of ESA framework, the industrial Cooperating States, while securing also contribute to the constant satellites, the guarantee clause may take contractor retains IPR on the Europe’s presence in space and improvement of our service to Europe the form of a ‘retrofit’ obligation: the information/intellectual property gene- guaranteeing its access to space. This and to its citizens. e

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Expander Demonstrator

Jérôme Breteau & Jean-Noël Caruana Future Launcher Preparatory Programme, Directorate of Launchers, ESA HQ, Paris, France

he technical difficulties encountered by other spacefaring countries in similar T ‘expander-cycle’ engine projects show how demanding it is to master this kind of technology. So the achievements of ESA’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) Expander Demonstrator Project, including several European ‘firsts’, are essential contributions to the development of future cryogenic upper-stage engines.

Introduction In launch vehicles, one of the key enabling technologies is the propulsion system, but this is complicated to acquire and takes a long time in development. This is especially true for upper-stage engines, where use of cryogenic propellants such as liquid hydrogen and oxygen and reignition capability are essential in order to reach high-energy orbits with heavy payloads. Upper-stage engines also operate in specific conditions (vacuum, microgravity) that are difficult to reproduce on Earth, and involve significant development risks that have to be mitigated.

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Expander Demonstrator

Jérôme Breteau & Jean-Noël Caruana Future Launcher Preparatory Programme, Directorate of Launchers, ESA HQ, Paris, France

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In 1998 ESA, CNES and Arianespace project called the ‘Cryogenic Reignitable (TRL) of the engine and its decided to develop an enhanced Upper Stage Engine – Expander components, currently estimated cryogenic upper-stage for the Ariane-5 Demonstrator’. between 3 and 5, depending on the launcher in order to respond to the subjects under study, must be raised to rapid evolution of the global Project Objectives level 6 (prototype test in a relevant commercial market towards more heavy The main aim of the FLPP Expander environment), in order to properly assess payloads. In recognition of the quick Demonstrator Project is to supply the risks, cost and duration of a further emergence of this new commercial need elements allowing a sound, informed development phase up to qualification and the comparatively long decision about the next steps in the (TRL 8). The definition of Technology Readiness Levels used by ESA, NASA and many other agencies and companies worldwide development time of a propulsion development of the cryogenic reignit- Most engine components have already system, it was decided to select a two- able upper-stage engine. More precisely, reached a TRL of 5 and are close to step approach to increase Ariane-5’s in- the implementation of this objective achieving the target of TRL 6. The most the operating domain (thrust level, gaseous hydrogen environments, (including reliability, projected mass and orbit delivery capability. requires detailed studies of the engine’s significant issues to process are linked to propellant mixture ratio, propellant especially regarding ‘embrittlement’ performance, production cost, develop- The first step was the development of operating domain and assessment of its component life duration and per- feeding conditions); and tightness; and ment duration and cost). an adaptation of the existing Ariane-4 design through extensive, full-scale formance assessment or behaviour in – nominal performance of the engine, – reignition experience for the engine. This exercise is initiated at an early H10 propulsion system for a new upper- engine testing in hot-firing conditions. operational conditions (pollution, exploration of the operating domain stage of the launcher design because stage called ESC-A. The second step This will make it possible to increase transient conditions, etc.). The Tech- (thrust, mixture ratio, regimes of One task of the FLPP Expander experience and theory show that an involved the development of an our knowledge and understanding of nological Readiness Levels of some turbopumps); Demonstrator Project is to overcome the overall optimised design is not necessarily adaptation of this stage to create the expander-cycle engine operations and innovative components, like the Nozzle – characterisation of the accuracy and contingencies encountered in the assembly of optimised subsystems. ESC-B version with a new cryogenic technologies, yielding propulsion data Extension Deployment system or the stability of engine operating production or testing, and to prepare The highest performance engine, optimal engine, the ‘Vinci’. The initial ESC-B for launcher system optimisation, in igniter, are lower compared to other conditions; solutions applicable at a further stage. from a propulsion point of view, might flight was planned in 2006, following on addition to the proper development and engine technologies and require – first experience for endurance of not be the best global solution due to from the introduction of ESC-A. safeguarding of the relevant European dedicated subsystem technology tests if integrated technologies in the Data supply for trade-off at stage and specifications and constraints at a higher However, although Ariane-5 ECA competencies in cryogenic propulsion. It they are to be improved. operating domain; system levels system level. There is a continuous entered operational service, a should be noted that the development of There are many more significant – characterisation of the mechanical Propulsion systems are highly integrated exchange of data between the engine and combination of factors including a the Vinci engine, before it was inter- technological steps in the FLPP dynamic behaviour of the complete with the design of rocket stages and the the launcher system throughout the downturn in the commercial market rupted, had just reached a stage that Expander Demonstrator Project that engine; overall launcher system. Preliminary entire preliminary design process, starting delayed and then stopped the allowed the Expander Demonstrator contribute to the improvement of the – assessment of mechanical and launcher system optimisations for with high-level performance data, such as development of the ESC-B stage and the Project to gain direct experience at the engine TRL. These are: thermal loads sustained by the engine potential development are performed in the following: Vinci engine. engine hot-firing test level. – definition of an optimised starting during operation and between boost parallel during the demonstration phase. – thrust level; At the same time, launch system and shutdown sequence with respect phases; They rely upon the FLPP elements and – mixture ratio; studies within FLPP showed clearly the Assessment of operating domain and to progressivity, duration and – chill-down and thermal control studies related to important system – specific impulse; need for a versatile, high-performance, design maturation propellant consumption; optimisation, in view of reignition parameters, such as the impact of – restart capability; evolved cryogenic upper-stage engine The Technological Readiness Level – verification of engine stability over capability; multiboost missions, or elements of the – thrust-to-weight ratio; capable of delivering payloads to all – mastering of high-pressure and warm propulsion system design criteria – physical interfaces; kinds of orbits, ranging from Low Earth Orbit up to exploration missions in deep Expander closed-cycle engine: how does it work? The expander thermodynamic cycle is a ‘closed space. A high-performance upper-stage Expander Demonstrator integration (SNECMA Moteurs) cycle’, meaning that the propellants flow together engine appeared to be a central element through the thrust chamber, hence maximising the for the future launcher scenarios of the specific impulse, an indicator of engine FLPP, and a cryogenic expander engine performance. The combustion chamber pressure offered high expectations in terms of is higher than the tank pressure (~60 bars performance and reliability. compared to 2–5 bars). This pressure rise is It became quickly obvious that the ensured via two centrifugal turbopumps driven by availability of a set of expander-cycle turbines installed on the pump shafts. upper-stage engines offered a unique opportunity to progress in the The turbines are activated by the flow of high- preparation of upper-stage engines for pressure gaseous hydrogen obtained by all future launcher configurations. circulating the hydrogen pump discharge flow It was, therefore, decided at the end of around the hot combustion chamber walls. After 2005 to transfer the management and being heated up in the combustion chamber jacket, the hydrogen flows existing assets of the former Vinci through the turbines and is injected into the combustion chamber. Then, mixed with the liquid oxygen flow, it combusts and produces the hot-gas flow development to the FLPP in order to that provides the rocket engine’s thrust. form the basis of a demonstration

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In 1998 ESA, CNES and Arianespace project called the ‘Cryogenic Reignitable (TRL) of the engine and its decided to develop an enhanced Upper Stage Engine – Expander components, currently estimated cryogenic upper-stage for the Ariane-5 Demonstrator’. between 3 and 5, depending on the launcher in order to respond to the subjects under study, must be raised to rapid evolution of the global Project Objectives level 6 (prototype test in a relevant commercial market towards more heavy The main aim of the FLPP Expander environment), in order to properly assess payloads. In recognition of the quick Demonstrator Project is to supply the risks, cost and duration of a further emergence of this new commercial need elements allowing a sound, informed development phase up to qualification and the comparatively long decision about the next steps in the (TRL 8). The definition of T development time of a propulsion development of the cryogenic reignit- Most engine components have already system, it was decided to select a two- able upper-stage engine. More precisely, reached a TRL of 5 and are close to step approach to increase Ariane-5’s in- the implementation of this objective achieving the target of TRL 6. The most the opera ydrogen environments, (including reliability, projected mass and orbit delivery capability. requires detailed studies of the engine’s significant issues to process are linked to propellant mixtur egarding ‘embrittlement’ performance, production cost, develop- The first step was the development of operating domain and assessment of its component life duration and per- feeding conditions); ment duration and cost). an adaptation of the existing Ariane-4 design through extensive, full-scale formance assessment or behaviour in – nominal perfor xperience for the engine. This exercise is initiated at an early H10 propulsion system for a new upper- engine testing in hot-firing conditions. operational conditions (pollution, exploration of stage of the launcher design because stage called ESC-A. The second step This will make it possible to increase transient conditions, etc.). The Tech- (thrust, mixture ra the FLPP Expander experience and theory show that an involved the development of an our knowledge and understanding of nological Readiness Levels of some turbopumps); oject is to overcome the overall optimised design is not necessarily adaptation of this stage to create the expander-cycle engine operations and innovative components, like the Nozzle – characterisation of ed in the assembly of optimised subsystems. ESC-B version with a new cryogenic technologies, yielding propulsion data Extension Deployment system or the stability of epare The highest performance engine, optimal engine, the ‘Vinci’. The initial ESC-B for launcher system optimisation, in igniter, are lower compared to other conditions; ble at a further stage. from a propulsion point of view, might flight was planned in 2006, following on addition to the proper development and engine technologies and require – first experience f not be the best global solution due to from the introduction of ESC-A. safeguarding of the relevant European dedicated subsystem technology tests if integrat ade-off at stage and specifications and constraints at a higher However, although Ariane-5 ECA competencies in cryogenic propulsion. It they are to be improved. system level. There is a continuous entered operational service, a should be noted that the development of There are many more significant – ated exchange of data between the engine and combination of factors including a the Vinci engine, before it was inter- technological steps in the FLPP d the launcher system throughout the downturn in the commercial market rupted, had just reached a stage that Expander Demonstrator Project that entire preliminary design process, starting delayed and then stopped the allowed the Expander Demonstrator contribute to the improvement of the – or with high-level performance data, such as development of the ESC-B stage and the Project to gain direct experience at the engine TRL. These are: the following: Vinci engine. engine hot-firing test level. – definition of an optimised starting . – thrust level; At the same time, launch system and shutdown sequence with respect – mixture ratio; studies within FLPP showed clearly the Assessment of operating domain and to progressivity, duration and – – specific impulse; need for a versatile, high-performance, design maturation propellant consumption; – restart capability; evolved cryogenic upper-stage engine The Technological Readiness Level – verification of engine stability over the – thrust-to-weight ratio; capable of delivering payloads to all – – physical interfaces; kinds of orbits, ranging from Low Earth Orbit up to exploration missions in deep Expander closed-cycle engine: how does it work? space. A high-performance upper-stage The expander thermodynamic cycle is a ‘closed cycle’, meaning that the propellants flow together engine appeared to be a central element through the thrust chamber, hence maximising the for the future launcher scenarios of the specific impulse, an indicator of engine FLPP, and a cryogenic expander engine performance. The combustion chamber pressure offered high expectations in terms of is higher than the tank pressure (~60 bars performance and reliability. compared to 2–5 bars). This pressure rise is It became quickly obvious that the ensured via two centrifugal turbopumps driven by availability of a set of expander-cycle turbines installed on the pump shafts. upper-stage engines offered a unique opportunity to progress in the The turbines are activated by the flow of high- preparation of upper-stage engines for pressure gaseous hydrogen obtained by all future launcher configurations. circulating the hydrogen pump discharge flow It was, therefore, decided at the end of around the hot combustion chamber walls. After 2005 to transfer the management and being heated up in the combustion chamber jacket, the hydrogen flows existing assets of the former Vinci through the turbines and is injected into the combustion chamber. Then, mixed with the liquid oxygen flow, it combusts and produces the hot-gas flow development to the FLPP in order to that provides the rocket engine’s thrust. form the basis of a demonstration

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Launchers Expander Demonstrator

Industrial Organisation Under the leadership of SNECMA Prime, which is responsible for project management, planning, quality, costing and control, as well as propulsion system engineering, a set of subcontractors from a wide range of European countries is involved in the FLPP Expander Demonstrator Project, representing the highest competence in cryogenic propulsion. This organisation, in place and operational, ensures a low level of project risk in the execution of the activity. The project is supported by 11 ESA Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands) and ensures a large and efficient industrial organisation.

The Achievements: European ‘Firsts’ The FLPP Expander Demonstrator Project is structured into various evaluation testing and simulation – pump inlet propellant conditions and maintain a high level of motivation efforts. It encompasses engine tests as constraints; through advanced demonstration well as subsystem tests, with both levels – dynamic environment; projects that employ cryogenic of testing complementing one another. – lifetime/burn duration. propulsion specialists and maintain a Tests at engine level are best suited to buffer of highly skilled engineers able reveal performance limitations or The DLR P4.1 test bench in Lampoldshausen, Germany These contribute towards the supply to solve any difficult technical issues for unforeseen interactions between sub- and maintenance of complete pro- the benefit of the entire launcher systems. Tests at subsystem level pulsion mechanical, thermal or thermo- activity. In this respect, FLPP is one of (combustion chamber, turbopumps, a cumulated firing time exceeding 4000 half the output of a nuclear power reservoir to cool down and condense the dynamic validated models. the major contributors for safeguarding etc.) are more focused on fine seconds. The fifth test campaign is plant. This necessitates the use of several engine exhaust gases. During the tests cryogenic liquid propulsion com- functional characterisation, technology ongoing, and the overall activity is high mass flow steam generators to more than 450 engine parameters are Safeguarding European Competencies petence in Europe. demon-stration, further software tool progressing normally. However, signi- operate the vacuum ejectors, plus a huge recorded and monitored to ensure safe The cryogenic propulsion technologies validation and investigation of ficant tests remain to be logged to reach condenser and underground water testing conditions. currently used for commercial launchers shortcomings. the typical qualification values for this require highly skilled engineers and An expander demonstrator engine running in a hot-firing test, Out of a total of four, two test kind of engine of approximately 60 000 technicians in a wide range of early 2008 (ESA/DLR/SNECMA) campaigns have been performed up to seconds of operating time during 180 specialities. These competences are now in the FLPP and they have already tests. Engine Global Testing specific to space transportation yielded notable results, namely, the first Full-scale hot-firing tests are certainly – 35 engine tests propulsion and are only obtained after reignition in Europe of a cryogenic the most complex ground testing – 10 tests to adjust engine chill-down several years of practice and experience engine, the demonstration of the viability activities in the launcher sector, – 6 tests with partial start-up in these domains. In addition, some of the high-pressure expander-cycle comparable to in-flight tests. The – 19 tests with complete start-up, 6 of them with reignition specific liquid-propulsion competences design, with massive power extraction complete test sequence necessitates the – Validation of closed-loop control in system engineering can be from the combustion chamber, as well as mastering not only of the tested – 3 tests with a composite nozzle cone safeguarded only through the operation the operation of a large-scale and long- equipment but also of the test bench. of complex integrated demonstrators. duration vacuum test cell. The P4.1 vacuum test bench is unique in This is a significant investment for More specifically, four test campaigns Europe. It allows near-vacuum (a few Europe’s future and represents a have been completed under vacuum mbars) ignition and steady state tests of strategic asset for operational launcher conditions at the DLR P4.1 test cryogenic engines of several tens of tons services. It is, therefore, important to bench in Lampoldshausen (Germany), of thrust, representing power dissi- 4110 seconds cumulated firing time with 5 engines safeguard these competencies and totalling 35 tests with six reignitions and pation exceeding 420 MW, equivalent to

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Launchers Expander Demonstrator

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as well as the duration. In addition, the achievements of the demonstration the limited quantity of hardware phase and did not identify any fosters the fulfilment of the expander ‘showstoppers’ for the continuation of demonstration objective of design the activities. maturation by forcing the intensive use of the few available units. The Activities in 2008 testing of five engines has already For 2008, the contracted FLPP Expander revealed some marginal aspects of the Demonstrator activities ensure contin- design, and, as FLPP is still at an early uity in the P4.1 test campaign with the stage of this engine’s hot-fire testing, hot-firing test of two complete engines. may reveal more in the future. This third year of FLPP activity will Difficulties encountered in the course permit further exploration of the of testing and manufacturing are the engines’ capabilities and the first object of roadmaps to find solutions if validation of focused design improve- Subscale combustion chamber (Astrium GmbH) they are serious enough to challenge ments. the major goals of the Demonstrator A complete engine dynamic test Project. campaign will also make it possible to The Expander Demonstrator Project finely characterise the engine behaviour Conclusion also fosters focussed engineering in and validate the mechanical model, The Expander Demonstrator Project is order to prepare the integration with a representing an important milestone now well advanced, resulting in many cryogenic reignitable upper-stage for towards future launcher applications. useful elements for possible improve- View inside P4.1 Test Bench with Expander Demonstrator (DLR /SNECMA Moteurs) several potential launcher applications. Using the same approach, the effect of ments of existing launchers and new The baselines of these engineering microgravity on engine operation will be developments for future launchers. The activities are the functional, thermal Expander Demonstrator mechanical test configuration (SNECMA introduced in the modelling and its maturation of the design and the The test sequence starts with the test This significant amount of testing and mechanical models that are to be Moteurs) impact will be checked. The year 2008 assessment of the engine capabilities have cell emptying to reach near vacuum experience at engine level is required in further improved with regard to physical will also feature subsystem testing, such made significant progress and showed the conditions. Then, prior to ignition, the order to investigate the chill down suitability, prediction ability, and as full-scale combustion chamber tests technical viability of the expander cycle engine is chilled to cryogenic propellant sequence, adjust the ignition criteria interconnectivity or versatility. In this preliminary design, design justification to be performed at the DLR P3.2 test concept. temperatures (i.e. –250°C for liquid and transient sequences, and assess way, they will be a more valuable or test analysis. bench, or similar subscale tests at It is important to highlight the hydrogen and –180°C for liquid oxygen) the thrust and mixture ratio limitations, asset for engine trade-off analysis, The expander cycle and the reignition the P8 Research test bench, both at technical achievements that, for the first in order to avoid thermal shocks during function are the major uncharted fields Lampoldshausen. time in Europe, have been delivered in a the very short start-up sequence. When of the demonstration. Priority in the At subsystem level, several upgrade relatively short timeframe, namely all the desired conditions for ignition are A schematic showing elements of the P4.1 Test Bench engineering effort is being given to studies will be continued, with eventual sustained closed-cycle operation, high- achieved, the start-up sequence is increasing and consolidating the prototype manufacture. At the same pressure expander-cycle operation and initiated through a precise sequencing of models’ Technology Readiness Level in time, subsystem tests, such as water cryogenic engine reignition. the opening and closure of the engine these areas. Significant progress has testing of a liquid oxygen turbopump in In Europe, the FLPP Expander valves and igniter activation. This been made on thermal, mechanical and diphasic conditions, or testing of Demonstrator Project contributes ensures that the turbomachinery is safely functional system models in steady state components such as bearings, are significantly to the safeguarding of the started, followed by ignition of the and transient phases. For example, the planned to investigate operations in off- corresponding competences. During the propellant in the combustion chamber. constant use of transient system design conditions and to validate limited last two years of the FLPP Expander The nominal steady state is then reached simulation was one of the major factors definition upgrades. Demonstrator activities, several of the in less than two seconds, with a total test contributing to the success of the first In a classical approach, the complete lessons learned have been capitalised duration of several hundreds of seconds. engine tests, by limiting the number of batch of simulations is performed in upon, whether in terms of operation of Different operating conditions can be tests needed to establish reliable start parallel in order to achieve the a complex integrated engine test bench tested, thanks to proportional bypass and shutdown sequences, as well as by validation, accuracy, prediction, and such as P4.1 or in terms of expander- valves equipped with electric actuators avoiding any major functional problems data supply objectives of the Project, as cycle specificity. in the engine. At the end of the test, the during the tests. well as to support the corresponding test As a common foundation for several engine is shutdown in a controlled way The year 2007 ended with an campaigns. future launcher configurations, the and purged of remaining propellant to exhaustive review of the technical status A second technical status and results FLPP Expander Demonstrator will start the simulation of the stage ballistic and results of the Expander review is foreseen at the end of 2008 to continue to yield technology achieve- coast phase. Then reignition in vacuum Demonstrator Project, with the monitor the progress of the activities, ments and advancements in the years to is activated, repeating the first test participation of more than sixteen contribute to risk mitigation and come, and will enable efficient transi- sequence, for a second boost before test experts from the entire European provide independent technical analysis tions towards development applications termination. propulsion community, who recognised of any issues encountered. as well as innovative perspectives. e

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Programmes In Progress

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 PROJECT JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJ FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND COMMENTS SPACE TELESCOPE LAUNCHED APRIL1990

ULYSSES LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1990 LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1995 SOHO OPS EXTENDED UNTIL 31 DECEMBER 2009 HUYGENS LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1997 LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1999 Programmes XMM-NEWTON OPS EXTENDED UNTIL 31 DECEMBER 2012 CLUSTER RE-LAUNCHED MID-2000

INTEGRAL LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2002

MARS EXPRESS LAUNCHED JUNE 2003

SMART-1 LAUNCHED SEPTEMBER 2003

DOUBLE STAR TC-1 LAUNCHED DECEMBER 2003

SCIENTIFIC TC-2 LAUNCHED JULY 2004 PROGRAMME ROSETTA LAUNCHED MARCH 2004

VENUS EXPRESS LAUNCHED NOVEMBER 2005 in Progress HERSCHEL/PLANCK LAUNCH 15 DECEMBER 2008 LISA PATHFINDER LAUNCH MID-2010

GAIA LAUNCH DECEMBER 2011

JWST LAUNCH JUNE 2013

BEPICOLOMBO LAUNCH FEBRUARY 2014

Status mid-May 2008 SOLAR ORBITER LAUNCH MAY 2015

METEOSAT-5/6/7 M5 LAUNCHED 1991, M6 1993, M7 1997

ERS-2 LAUNCHED APRIL 1995 OPS EXTENDED TO MID-2011 LAUNCHED MARCH 2002 ENVISAT POSSIBLE EXTENSION BEYOND 2010 MSG-2 MSG MSG-3 LAUNCH 2011, MSG-4 LAUNCH 2013

METOP METOP-A LAUNCH OCTOBER 2006, METOP-B 2011, METOP-C 2015 CRYOSAT LAUNCH FAILURE OCTOBER 2005 CRYOSAT-2 LAUNCH MARCH 2009 GOCE LAUNCH AUGUST 2008

SMOS LAUNCH APRIL–JULY 2009 PROGRAMME ADM-AEOLUS LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2009 EARTH OBSERVATION EARTH SWARM LAUNCH 2010

EARTHCARE LAUNCH END-2012

SENTINEL-1 LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2011

SENTINEL-2 LAUNCH OCTOBER 2012

SENTINEL-3 LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2012

ARTEMIS LAUNCHED JULY 2001

ALPHABUS

ALPHASAT LAUNCH JUNE 2012

SMALL GEO SAT. LAUNCH 2011 COMMS./NAV. PROGRAMME GNSS-1/EGNOS OPERATIONS START 2008

GIOVE-A GIOVE-B GALILEO GIOVE-A LAUNCHED DECEMBER 2005 GIOVE-B LAUNCHED APRIL 2008, IOV 2009/2010 PROBA-1 LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2001

PROG. PROBA-2 LAUNCH OCTOBER 2008 TECHNOL.

COLUMBUS LAUNCHED FEBRUARY 2008

ATV FIRST LAUNCH MARCH 2008 ATV-2 PLANNED MID-2010 NODE-2 & -3 & CUPOLA LAUNCHES OCTOBER 2007 & APRIL 2010 CUPOLA WITH NODE-3 APRIL 2010 ERA LAUNCH NOT BEFORE END-2009

MELFI 1 EDR/EUTEF/SOLAR MELFI 2 ISS BARTER & UTIL. PREP. EDR/EUTEF/SOLAR WITH COLUMBUS

FOTON-M2 TEXUS-42 MAXUS-7/TEXUS-43 TEXUS-44/45MASER-11 MAXUS-8 MARES PFS EML-1 TEXUS 44/5: FEBRUARY 2008 TEXUS 46: MAY EMIR/ELIPS MASER-10 EMCS/ TEXUS MAXUS-6 PEMS FOTON-M3 PCDF -46 2009 MAXUS 8: APRIL 2009 MASE 11: APRIL 2008 MSL MFC BIO, FSL, EPM with COLUMBUS

ASTRONAUT FLT. DE WINNE, MAY 2009 & EXPLORATION PROGRAMME & EXPLORATION AURORA CORE HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT, MICROGRAVITY HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT, EXOMARS LAUNCH MID-2013

ARIANE-5 OPERATIONAL

VEGA FIRST LAUNCH DECEMBER 2008 PROG. SOYUZ AT CSG FIRST LAUNCH MID-2009 LAUNCHER

DEFINITION PHASE MAIN DEVELOPMENT PHASE STORAGE

LAUNCH/READY FOR LAUNCH OPERATIONS ADDITIONAL LIFE POSSIBLE

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Programmes In Progress

INTEGRAL LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2002

MARS EXPRESS LAUNCHED JUNE 2003

SMART-1 LAUNCHED SEPTEMBER 2003

DOUBLE STAR TC-1 LAUNCHED DECEMBER 2003

SCIENTIFIC TC-2 LAUNCHED JULY 2004 PROGRAMME ROSETTA LAUNCHED MARCH 2004

VENUS EXPRESS LAUNCHED NOVEMBER 2005 in Progress HERSCHEL/PLANCK LAUNCH 15 DECEMBER 2008 LISA PATHFINDER LAUNCH MID-2010

GAIA LAUNCH DECEMBER 2011

JWST LAUNCH JUNE 2013

BEPICOLOMBO LAUNCH FEBRUARY 2014

Status mid-May 2008 SOLAR ORBITER LAUNCH MAY 2015

METEOSAT-5/6/7 M5 LAUNCHED 1991, M6 1993, M7 1997

ERS-2 LAUNCHED APRIL 1995 OPS EXTENDED TO MID-2011 LAUNCHED MARCH 2002 ENVISAT POSSIBLE EXTENSION BEYOND 2010 MSG-2 MSG MSG-3 LAUNCH 2011, MSG-4 LAUNCH 2013

METOP METOP-A LAUNCH OCTOBER 2006, METOP-B 2011, METOP-C 2015 CRYOSAT LAUNCH FAILURE OCTOBER 2005 CRYOSAT-2 LAUNCH MARCH 2009 GOCE LAUNCH AUGUST 2008

SMOS LAUNCH APRIL–JULY 2009 PROGRAMME ADM-AEOLUS LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2009 EARTH OBSERVATION EARTH SWARM LAUNCH 2010

EARTHCARE LAUNCH END-2012

SENTINEL-1 LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2011

SENTINEL-2 LAUNCH OCTOBER 2012

SENTINEL-3 LAUNCH NOVEMBER 2012

ARTEMIS LAUNCHED JULY 2001

ALPHABUS

ALPHASAT LAUNCH JUNE 2012

SMALL GEO SAT. LAUNCH 2011 COMMS./NAV. PROGRAMME GNSS-1/EGNOS OPERATIONS START 2008

GIOVE-A GIOVE-B GALILEO GIOVE-A LAUNCHED DECEMBER 2005 GIOVE-B LAUNCHED APRIL 2008, IOV 2009/2010 PROBA-1 LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2001

PROG. PROBA-2 LAUNCH OCTOBER 2008 TECHNOL.

COLUMBUS LAUNCHED FEBRUARY 2008

ATV FIRST LAUNCH MARCH 2008 ATV-2 PLANNED MID-2010 NODE-2 & -3 & CUPOLA LAUNCHES OCTOBER 2007 & APRIL 2010 CUPOLA WITH NODE-3 APRIL 2010 ERA LAUNCH NOT BEFORE END-2009

MELFI 1 EDR/EUTEF/SOLAR MELFI 2 ISS BARTER & UTIL. PREP. EDR/EUTEF/SOLAR WITH COLUMBUS

ASTRONAUT FLT. DE WINNE, MAY 2009 & EXPLORATION PROGRAMME & EXPLORATION AURORA CORE HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT, MICROGRAVITY HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT, EXOMARS LAUNCH MID-2013

ARIANE-5 OPERATIONAL

VEGA FIRST LAUNCH DECEMBER 2008 PROG. SOYUZ AT CSG FIRST LAUNCH MID-2009 LAUNCHER

DEFINITION PHASE MAIN DEVELOPMENT PHASE STORAGE

LAUNCH/READY FOR LAUNCH OPERATIONS ADDITIONAL LIFE POSSIBLE

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Programmes In Progress

result in an increasing Earth off-pointing angle exotic stars in the Universe. Known as Ulysses and the loss of telemetry after about a week. neutron stars, the composition of these Integral extremely dense stellar objects has always been something of a puzzle. Now, XMM- The third northern solar polar pass was Newton has revealed that they almost The peer review process of the proposals completed on 15 March. In spite of the SOHO certainly resemble over-sized atomic nuclei received in response to the Announcement of reduced data rates following the X-band whereas other postulated exotic models Opportunity AO-6 for Integral open time ‘Key anomaly in mid-January and the transition to containing uncommon particles, such as Programme’ observations was completed in an S-band mission, key parameters Barely three months after SOHO observed pions, kaons or quarks (quark star), can be January 2008. The TAC recommended Key characterising the solar wind, magnetic field the first active region of new Solar Cycle 24 excluded. Programmes were approved by ESA’s and energetic particles continued to be on 4 January 2008, old Solar Cycle 23 Director of Science. The Announcement of measured. The picture that emerges shows returned in late March, when three big active Astronomers worldwide have reacted very Opportunity AO-6 for Integral (standard) great similarity to that observed in 1995, regions with magnetic polarity of the old positively to the announcement of the open time observing proposals and for during the first northern polar pass, with the cycle appeared. This suggests that currently symposium on ‘The X-ray Universe 2008’ proposals on targets associated with the spacecraft immersed in the fast solar wind there are two solar cycles in progress at the taking place in Granada, Spain, 27–30 May above six Key Programmes, opened on flowing from the Sun’s northern polar same time. 2008. Abstracts for more than 350 10 March as scheduled. coronal hole. contributions, either talks or posters, have Solar Cycle 24 has begun, but Solar Cycle 23 been submitted. Efforts to delay hydrazine freezing will has not yet ended. Strange as this sounds, it continue in the coming months. It is very is perfectly normal. Around the time of solar Mars Express difficult to estimate exactly when the minimum – i.e., new – old-cycle spots and hydrazine will freeze since predictions are new-cycle spots frequently intermingle. Cluster based on thermal modelling rather than Eventually Cycle 23 will fade to zero, giving A neutron star/quark star interior. In a neutron star (left), the quarks that comprise the neutrons are confined inside the neutrons. In a Several important scientific papers about actual temperature measurements in way in full to Solar Cycle 24. Based on this quark star (right), the quarks are free, so they take up less space and the diameter of the star is smaller (NASA/CXC/M.Weiss) Mars were published over the last two telemetry. However, a projected mission latest spate of ‘old’ activity, solar physicists The electron diffusion region at the heart of months. The first one reported the detection operations end date of 1 July 2008 has been think that the next solar maximum probably the reconnection process can be 100 times of dust haze in Valles Marineris, observed by agreed. It is possible that operations could will not arrive until 2012 larger than previously expected, revealed reconnection process is a prime scientific 12-hour orbit. In May the power on board the HRSC and OMEGA. The haze appeared continue beyond that date but it is also scientists at the University of California objective and these results show that the spacecraft will increase and full orbit thinner after three days and disappeared in possible that the mission will end earlier. (Berkeley) (Phan et al.) in Physical Review probability to observe the electron diffusion instrument operations are planned. nine days. It was limited to a 2-km layer at Letters. This study used a combination of region is greatly enhanced. Once freezing occurs, it may be possible to Cluster observations and numerical XMM-Newton Perspective view of Hebes Chasma obtained by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Hebes thaw the fuel again for a while by switching off simulations. For the first time, the The 15th Cluster/Double Star workshop was Chasma is located at approximately 1° South and 282° East. The HRSC obtained image data on 16 September 2005 with a ground instruments but the science mission will simulations could use a box large enough to held in Tenerife on 9–15 March 2008 and resolution of approximately 15 m/pixel (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)) essentially be over. When thawing is no longer XMM-Newton has given astronomers and observe this phenomenon. This has an attended by around 120 people. The possible, the loss of manoeuvrability will physics a valuable new insight into the most impact on future missions where the workshop incorporated the first Cluster Active Archive (CAA) school which aimed at providing the attending community with an in Continuum image, magnetic map and He II 304 Å image showing three big active regions of old Solar Cycle 23 on 27 March 2008, almost three months after the first active region of new Solar Cycle 24 depth overview of the CAA data products and was observed by SOHO on 4 January 2008 (SOHO/MDI, SOHO/EIT, ESA, NASA) tools. A refereed proceedings book is being compiled.

Double Star

After the recovery of Double Star TC-2 in November 2007, the instruments were switched on and acquired data in December 2007 and January 2008. Instrument operations were then interrupted during the eclipse season starting end January until end March. In April, data return has started slowly with a data return of 4 hours per

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Double Star

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the bottom of the canyon. This is a very A test of the asteroid flyby scenario was Further new data include detailed multilevel good example of a multi-instrument study. successfully run in the second half of March. maps of atmospheric circulation, improved The ground segment has been upgraded to understanding of the polar phenomena The second paper was about atmospheric support the new TM bit rates, both at ESA (including vortex dynamics), three- water vapour above the Tharsis volcanoes, and NASA stations. This will guarantee a dimensional thermal structure maps of the observed by OMEGA. The most striking higher science data return for the mission. atmosphere, surface temperature and result is the increase of water vapour mixing emissivity maps derived from spectral ratio from the valley to the summit of By the end of March 2008, Rosetta was window infrared data, high-quality plasma volcanoes. The enrichment is possibly 65.3 million kilometres (0.43 AU) away from and magnetic field measurements, to generated by the local circulation Earth, and 211.65 million kilometres mention just a few of the many exciting characteristics of the volcanic region. A third (1.41 AU) away from the Sun. The spacecraft topics. paper focused on a good comparison is now in Near Sun Hibernation Mode until between model and ultraviolet emissions of July 2008 when it will be reactivated to Many of these results are now being written + CO2 and CO during the summer season at execute a payload check-out in preparation of up for papers to appear in two dedicated northern mid-latitudes. the flyby phase at asteroid 2867 Steins with issues of a major journal. The first issue is closest approach on 5 September 2008. expected to appear mid-2008. The total number of papers for these two issues is Rosetta expected to reach about 60. Venus Express

The Rosetta mission is proceeding nominally COROT and according to plan. Both the spacecraft A very successful Science Working Team Herschel spacecraft fully integrated at ESTEC Test Centre in the Planck spacecraft at ESTEC Test Centre during the spacecraft balancing campaign and the ground segment are operating workshop with about 60 participants was final preparation for environmental testing flawlessly. After the second Earth swingby, held 3–8 March in La Thuile, Italy. Most COROT has been in orbit for more than one the spacecraft went into a three-month cruise scientific fields were addressed during the 11 year and has in the meantime acquired more phase with a passive payload check-out topical sessions and many new results were than 40 000 light curves with unprecedented travelling through the stellar body and are published in the 1 April issue of and finally the 3.5 m-diameter Herschel successfully executed in early January 2008. presented. length and photometric precisions as precise carrying information from the central parts. Astrophysical Journal and were presented at telescope. Now the system is fully The final trajectory correction manoeuvre as 1 part per million for the brightest objects. the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in integrated and prepared for the upcoming

after the Earth swingby was performed on Sulphur dioxide (SO2) has now been detected Literally thousands of new eclipsing binaries Belfast on 2 April. mechanical test campaign. 21 February 2008. also above the clouds and at a fairly high Several hundred extrasolar planet candidates and variable stars – some with unprece- temporal and spatial variability. This is of are being followed up from space and the dented small amplitudes – have also been The Planck flight model has completed the Several configuration changes took place great interest for determining possible ground, and the first confirmed new discovered. first integrated system test, followed by the following the evolution of the Earth and Sun present volcanism, however no conclusions extrasolar planets have been reported in Herschel/Planck radiated EMC test in the anechoic chamber in distance. All operations were conducted have been drawn yet. Possible alternatives scientific journals. The lightcurves of dozens the test facilities of Thales Alenia Space in according to plan. A new TM modulation could include dynamical (transportation) of objects belonging to several different Cannes and the system validation test. As scheme with higher TM bit rates was effects and/or chemical cycles not yet classes of stars are being analysed for the Hinode The development of both Herschel and part of the EMC test, the alignment of the validated and is now successfully used. accounted for. acoustical variations caused by waves Planck spacecraft has made very good Planck telescope was verified by a focus progress. Both flight models are now in the position measurement at operational The formation of the slow solar wind has acceptance test phase. frequencies (at 320 GHz). After completion of The ‘eye of the hurricane’ on Venus, as seen by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on board Venus Express. These pictures show a region in the venusian atmosphere about 60 km from the surface, at a wavelength of about 5 μm. In the first image (left), the dipole assumes an eye-like shape and from here until the last image, it is possible to see how its shape evolves rapidly been debated for many years. Now evidence the testing in Cannes, Planck was shipped to in a span of only 24 hours. The second image is taken 4 hours after the first of the series, and the third after one complete Venus Express orbit. Here the vortex has become more circular and less of persistent outflow at the edges of an With arrival of the Herschel flight model at ESTEC for a fine balancing exercise in April elongated. The yellow dot in the image indicates the location of the south pole (ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA/Univ. Oxford) active region (measured by the EUV Imaging ESTEC at the end of 2007, the cryostat 2008. Spectrometer on board Hinode) has been evacuation and bake-out started. Shortly found by a team of scientists led by afterwards the cryostat was cooled down The ground segment development on the L.K. Harra from the Mullard Space Science and the liquid helium tank filled. In parallel, mission operation side in ESOC has Laboratory, UK. They identify these regions the functional testing started with demonstrated a well-advanced development with the source regions of at least part of the verification of the spacecraft and the commanding the spacecraft during the slow solar wind. instruments. As major functional test the system validation tests on both spacecraft integrated system test was started and the that went very successfully. The measured Doppler velocities range system validation test completed. After between 20 km/s and 50 km/s and are some final close-out activities on the With the acceptance test campaign under consistent with a steady flow seen in spacecraft, Herschel was ready for the way, the programme is moving well towards Hinode’s X-Ray Telescope. The results integration of the solar array, the sunshade the launch date at the end of 2008.

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project entered Phase-C/D during which the The Instrument Science Requirements Review The definition phase will be performed in LISA Pathfinder spacecraft will be built and tested. The were successfully completed for all Mercury 2008 and 2009 and will culminate in a contractual coverage for this phase has been Planetary Orbiter payload. Subsequently, the System Requirements Review. The intensively negotiated with the prime related Experiment Interface Control Docu- spacecraft baseline design relies heavily on The LISA Pathfinder development is in contractor Astrium with a view to sign the mentation has been updated and signed for all the reuse of technology and equipment from progress despite some delays in the contract in late spring 2008. Despite these experiments. The experiment performance is the BepiColombo project. schedule. The main engineering activities are negotiations, the normal work continues. demonstrated as compliant with the scientific related to the finalisation of the spacecraft objectives, with overall payload resources Many proposals were received from Europe design, in preparation for the spacecraft One of the major achievements in this period being marginally within allocation. and USA in response to the Solar Orbiter CDR. Most of the subsystems have already was the start of the production of the optical Payload Announcement of Opportunity had their own subsystem CDRs and many bench, also known as the ‘torus’. This 3 m- A short-term workplan was agreed with the released in October 2007. They have been equipment suppliers have delivered their diameter torus consists of 17 different and Principal Investigators, including Instrument under scientific and technical evaluation by flight models. complex elements, brazed together to form a Preliminary Design Reviews (IPDR) in the both ESA and NASA. When the selection The LISA Technology Package Central Assembly mounted inside lightweight structure carrying all mirrors and period March 2008 to Autumn 2008. The JWST NIRSpec Fore Optical Assembly Qualification Model after process is completed, the spacecraft The science module FM structure that was the LISA Pathfinder science module flight structure under the entire focal plane assembly while still BELA and MIXS experiment definitions are successful testing at Sagem, France definition will be adjusted to take into damaged during the static test has been vibration test at Astrium GmbH in Friedrichshafen meeting the extremely demanding stability progressing, with a more robust/compact account the detailed payload complement as repaired and will be used in the summer requirements. Meanwhile, the first element is laser design and a more elaborate optical selected. together with the propulsion module tested at EM level and the flight models are ready for sintering. design respectively. and for the refocus mechanism mirror. The structure for a combined acoustic test and being manufactured. All the LTP Electrical main issue is the cryo-deformation of the Solar Orbiter will be built by ESA and separation test. A new FM structure is being Models (ELM) have been built and delivered The implementation of the science ground The PDR for the Mercury Magnetospheric optical components. Recovery from launched by NASA. It will carry a significant built by Oerlikon Space (CH) to be used for to Astrium GmbH for the Real Time Test segment moves ahead as well. The first Orbiter (MMO) was completed successfully problems with contamination and damage of number of US payload contributions. The flight. The onboard software development is Bench. The LTP schedule is however driven meeting of the Steering Committee of the in March 2008. the flight bearings for the filter and grating measurements performed by the instruments proceeding. Two test set-ups (Real Time Test by the mentioned critical subsystem and Data Process and Analysis Consortium wheel mechanism is ongoing. Several on Solar Orbiter will be coordinated with Benches), one at Astrium GmbH for Drag affects the overall programme schedule. (DPAC) has taken place. Its immediate task mitigations actions are ongoing to keep a those performed by NASA’s Inner Free Attitude Control (DFAC) and one at will be to staff the project office overseeing positive schedule margin. Heliospheric Sentinels, to be launched two Astrium Ltd for the other system tests, are The launch is expected to take place in the the implementation by the distributed years later proceeding in parallel initially with electrical second half of 2010. national centres. JWST The MIRI Verification Model completed the units and later with flight units until first cryo-test campaign successfully. ‘First In parallel, technology development activities spacecraft flight model integration. The JWST Mission PDR and the Non- light’ was seen by both the imager and are ongoing in several key elements such as Advocate Review have been passed spectrograph. Both the MIRI Cooler PDR and a Sun-filter window, detectors, polarisers and The two European micropropulsion Microscope BepiColombo successfully. The JWST project can therefore the imager qualification review were passed sun sensors. technologies (needle indium thrusters and slit formally enter the Implementation Phase. successfully. The cryo-cooler is developed by caesium thrusters) continue their challenging The tight cost constraints imposed for the JPL. The contamination control cover flight development to prove the readiness of the Testing on the T-SAGE accelerometer is A major mass increase was identified by the project for 2008–10 have been eased, thus and spare models have been successfully technologies. Problems are solved and ongoing at ONERA with good results. CNES BepiColombo team in the frame of the eliminating the need to further delay system delivered. LISA progress is made: in particular for the slit has initiated the procurement of the payload planned design freeze in preparation for the activities. The overall programme is therefore FEEP, a test of the complete thruster assembly structure, and completed the microdisturb- PDR. Detailed system design activities stabilising and the launch date remains The JWST/Ariane-5 Launcher Interface was performed successfully, from lid cover ances analysis on the MLI. In the micro- revealed severe mass problems. Further- unchanged, June 2013. Control Document is in the final review The Mission Formulation activity performed opening to priming and continuous nominal propulsion area, following a joint ESA/CNES more, subcontractor proposals contained process. Signature is planned for June. by Astrium GmbH is proceeding well and the thrust. However also in this area the status review, it was recognised that a mass values higher than allocated on system Significant progress has been made on the contract is approaching completion in July advancement has been less than planned, decision cannot be made now on the thruster level. A mission ‘Tiger Team’ was set up to ESA-developed NIRSpec infrared spectro- 2008. The mission architecture is being mainly due to difficulties intrinsic to uncharted technology to be adopted for Microscope: address this issue in detail. The Tiger Team graph. The optical bench qualification model finalised and requirement specifications are technologies. It is now expected to select the objective criteria have been defined for reported that to satisfy all mission proof-load testing has been successfully Solar Orbiter being prepared. All the material will be technology suitable to the needs of LISA selecting between FEEP and cold-gas requirements an Ariane-5 launch was completed and the flight optical bench subject to the Mission Design Review to be Pathfinder only towards the end of 2008. micropropulsion, with identification of the needed. The impact on the programme will manufacturing has been completed. The held in June. tests required to fulfil these criteria. be addressed by the Science Programme cryogenic performance test of the input Building on the two parallel study contracts, For the LISA Technology Package (LTP), after Committee in June. Three Mirror Anastigmatic mirror assembly placed with Alcatel Alenia Space and EADS Technology activities are ongoing in the field completion of the system CDR, the work is was passed successfully with wave-front Astrium, in which the Heat Shield technology of pointing mechanisms; a new invitation to focused on the critical subsystems, e.g. The work on key technologies is continuing errors well within specification. These two breadboards were tested successfully, the tender for the Optical Bench has recently caging mechanism, electrode housing and Gaia in parallel with the selection of contractors milestones qualify the mechanical and optical Solar Orbiter Phase-B1 was initiated in been issued and an update of the technology Data Management Unit software. Other for, in particular, multilayer insulation, solar design philosophy of NIRSpec. March 2008. This Definition Phase is being plan has been prepared to reflect the results subsystems previously causing concern, like arrays including blocking and shunt diodes, performed by an industrial team led by of the Mission Formulation. This input will be the electrostatic suspension front-end Following the successful close-out of the high-temperature rotary joint and high gain Intensive work with breadboard models Astrium Ltd and includes Astrium GmbH and merged with that of other Cosmic Vision electronics, have now been successfully Preliminary Design Review (PDR), the Gaia antenna. continues for the grating and prism mount Thales Alenia Italy. candidate missions to prepare a general

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coordinated plan. All technologies required and working practices established between recorded pyrotechnic shocks were in line by LISA will be at least at TRL 5 at the time the ESA and industrial teams. with the equipment qualification limits. of start of the Implementation Phase for the L1 mission, at the end of 2011. Overall the satellite activities are proceeding The satellite was moved to Thales Alenia well and on schedule. Similarly the ground Space’s Compact Antenna Test Range and Cooperation with NASA in the system segment upgrade from the original CryoSat the arms unfolded for the Radiofrequency engineering area is producing good results. mission is complete and the full system is Autocompatibility Test. This test confirmed A costing exercise for the US part has undergoing testing, called the Ground previous element-level tests with no recently been completed and results Segment Overall Validation, which will interference identified between the platform presented to NASA HQ on related to potential demonstrate its readiness to support the and the sensitive payload. However, a minor respective roles and responsibilities of the mission after launch. payload internal interference was observed in partners. one specific mode of one of the X-band The launcher to be used for CryoSat has transmitters. Currently both projects are preparing the GOCE inside the Large Space Simulator at ESTEC changed from a Rockot to a Dnepr. This was required material and documentation for the driven by the limited availability of Rockot The satellite level test programme is now Astro2010 Decadal Review, performed by the successfully with exchange of commands/ launchers in the required time period. Even basically complete with only a few remaining NRC on NASA mandate. telemetry between ESOC and the satellite with this change, a delay to November 2009 activities (mass properties, propulsion protoflight model in ESTEC. (from March 2009) is necessary to allow for system leak test, multilayer insulation repair) preparation of the launch vehicle. This before satellite storage until to launch. The ALADIN primary mirror during inspection at Astrium Toulouse Several Launch and Early Operations Phase means the satellite will spend time in storage GOCE simulations have been performed in ESOC before the launch campaign. As the Russian launch service provider is further stages of the transmitter laser characterisation tests demonstrated good involving industry and ESA engineers. They experiencing production bottlenecks for the assembly, the amplifier section and the performance of the unit. were organised in the two teams that will third Breeze KM stage, a launch of SMOS is harmonic section generating the ultraviolet After completion of the environmental test carry out the 24-hr satellite operations during now expected from 15 April to 15 July 2009. laser beam, could be operated in vacuum at The satellite platform programme at Astrium campaign, the full satellite functional test the first few days after the launch. SMOS full energy for the first time. A certain amount Ltd continues nominally. A ‘micro-vibration campaign was also completed, leading to the of beam shift of the output beam is as yet test’ confirmed the compatibility of the fibre- Flight Acceptance Review held in A GOCE press day took place at ESTEC on unexplained and needs further investigation. optic gyroscope with the vibration levels March/April. The satellite is ready for 3 April to advertise the flight readiness of the The Thermal Vacuum Test at satellite level, ADM-Aeolus generated at satellite level by the reaction shipment to the launch site. One issue satellite and ground segment, and to provide with folded antenna arms, was passed During the course of the preparation for wheels. related to the loss of some telemetry packets the opportunity to brief the press before without any significant problem. The antenna further vacuum tests an anomaly at the level during switch-over between the nominal and shipment of the satellite to the launch site in arms were suspended beneath the antenna The first flight model of the transmitter laser of the master oscillator occurred, which redundant command and data management Plesetsk. zero-g jig and deployed one by one, using assembly of the ALADIN instrument was prevented the continuation of the vacuum units (the central on-board computer) was live pyrotechnic firings. This campaign was installed in a thermal vacuum chamber at test sequence. Investigations into the causes Swarm reported recently and will be fixed prior to successfully completed with only one end- Galileo Avionica Firenze’s premises. First of the output beam shift and the master shipping the satellite. of-travel sensor needing realignment. The operational tests of the laser in vacuum oscillator anomaly are in progress. CryoSat-2 showed some unexpected performance The major elements of the mission are in Due to a recent failure of the ‘Breeze’ upper variations of the laser output energy and The ALADIN optical bench assembly has progress. The procurement activity has stage rocket on the Proton launcher, SMOS satellite with Rockot launcher adaptor beam characteristics. These effects were been fully completed and a comprehensive been completed with the adjudication of the however, the Russian State Commission had CryoSat-2 is almost fully integrated, only investigated and could be pinned down to a set of performance and optical Level 1b processor contract and the selection put on hold all activities related to the Breeze missing two items of equipment and the solar larger than expected air-to-vacuum shift of programme, including Rockot launches. As a arrays. The solar arrays are needed later in the the transmission characteristics of an Analysis of the plasma potential around Swarm spacecraft confirming potential of the spacecraft is below 2V. With this, the electric field consequence, GOCE is facing a delay in the programme and will be installed just before optical element inside the laser master measurement performances can be achieved Rockot launcher readiness of probably three shipping the satellite for environmental testing oscillator. An alternative supplier of the months, putting back the launch date at IABG in mid-July 2008. System testing has optical component was found and accordingly. proceeded to plan, with the major milestone characterisation tests at ESTEC confirmed being the full testing of the main payload, the that the air-to-vacuum shift of the The Ground Segment Readiness Review was advanced SIRAL radar. This test represented a replacement part is negligible. successfully completed at the end of full system demonstration, with captured data February. All ground segment facilities have being fed through the CryoSat ground After reassembly and realignment of the been accepted and subject to overall segment. The first System Validation Test was transmitter laser assembly a new sequence of validation. The time until launch will be used also performed in March, where the satellite vacuum tests was started which confirmed to fine-tune the operational configuration of was in contact with ESOC to validate the nominal operation of the laser master the various facilities. A final series of System command and control system. This test went oscillator. With the achievement of nominal Validation Tests was also performed smoothly, thanks to the excellent preparation performance of the master oscillator the

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heavy ions. The transistors on MetOp-B and MSG-3 Modules). Astrium GmbH is responsible for Following contract signature for the first MetOp-C HRPTs will be replaced by Mitsubishi Both MSG-3 and MSG-4 are in intermediate the SAR instrument and antenna, and Astrium satellite model between ESA and prime transistors, once they successfully pass their storage at Thales Alenia Space, Cannes, Ltd is responsible for the SAR electronics contractor Astrium GmbH on 17 April 2008, radiation testing. MetOp-A instrument awaiting the restart of the AIT campaign in subsystem. The Phase-B2 has started in May phase B2 activities are intensifying in two performance is excellent. Level 1B products spring 2010 to prepare MSG-3 for its launch, 2007 and will culminate with the PDR starting directions: the consolidation of the baseline from GOME-2, ASCAT and GRAS are declared currently foreseen for early 2011. MSG-4 is in May 2008. The completion of the industrial satellite design, including ground segment operational. still awaiting its completion of the MSG-4 team through competitive Invitations to and launcher external interfaces, and the Pre-Storage Review. The MSG-4 launch is Tenders will be finalised soon. organisation of about 65 platform and MetOp-B and MetOp-C planned not earlier than 2013. payload instrument procurement actions. The Although the MetOp Payload Modules PLM-1 multispectral instrument constitutes the and PLM-3 are in long-term storage, there project critical path and a number of are still some AIT activities to be performed Sentinel-2 procurements related to the two instrument that require dismounting of the instruments Sentinel-1 detection chains have already been finalised for repair, recalibration and/or alignment, to (detectors, filters). The Sentinel-2 Payload be performed in blocks. Block activities on Sentinel-2 is the optical multispectral Instrument and System PDR should start in PLM-1 (MetOp-B) were finished, with the Sentinel-1 is a mission carrying a Synthetic mission of the GMES space component September 2008. The Satellite FAR is PLM-1 re-entering storage, and block Aperture Radar (AR) in C-band in response programme ensuring continuity and further scheduled in July 2012, with a launch on activities on PLM-3 just started. The MetOp to user requirements issued by the European development of the SPOT/Landsat land Vega (back-up launcher Rockot) in October Service Modules are kept in hard storage at Commission and to ensure continuity of observing missions (vegetation and human 2012. Astrium Toulouse’s premises, waiting for the radar observation initiated with ERS-1/2 and settlement). This mission is based on the restart of AIT activities in 2009 for a planned continued with Envisat ASAR. Weighting concurrent operations of two satellites flying MetOp-B launch in 2011. about 2.3 tons, it is scheduled for launch at on a unique sun-synchronous orbit with a the end of 2011 and is designed for a 7-year separation of 180°. This orbital configuration, Sentinel-3 lifetime (with consumables for 12 years of combined with the very wide 290-km operation). instrument swath, provide a 5-day revisit Tropical Cyclone Sidr was the fourth named storm of the 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. The storm formed in the central part of the Bay of Bengal, and quickly strengthened to reach peak sustained wind speeds of 215 km/h. The storm made landfall near MSG between +83° and –56° latitude. A versatile The signature of the phase B2-C-D-E1 Bangladesh on 15 November causing large-scale evacuations and thousands of casualties. The MetOp-A AVHRR image shows Sidr a few The industrial team is led by Thales Alenia set of 13 observation and calibration bands contract on 14 April represented the official hours before landfall (Eumetsat) Space Italy as prime contractor (responsible ranging from VNIR to SWIR provide a range start of the Sentinel-3 development phase, Meteosat-8/MSG-1 for the spacecraft and the Transmit-Receive of spatial resolution between 10 m and 60 m. even though the Phase-B2 industrial kick-off On 1 February, the Meteosat-8 spacecraft already took place mid-October 2007 and the of the MGSE contractors. The satellite The AIT activity preparation initiated during again experienced an event similar to that of technical activities have been proceeding at a consortium is now complete. the last quarter with the development of the May last year. In the light of this, an object Artist’s impression of Meteosat-9/MSG-2 in orbit, spinning at 100 rpm pace. Real-time Test Bench for the satellite software impact is no longer considered probable. Development/manufacturing reviews are going and interfaces verification is in progress. The Investigations into other causes are ongoing During the past months, few trade-offs took on for all satellite units and instruments. The EFI and ASM instrument CDR are now but are so far not conclusive. The place following the recommendations raised magnetic signature of the optical bench as respectively scheduled for June and performance of the imaging service has not during the proposal evaluation period and measured by the Niemegk magnetic September 2008. Rockot and Dnepr are suffered from this: the satellite experiences expressed at the kick-off. At platform level, the observatory confirmed that the magnetic confirmed as viable launchers for Swarm, larger thermal gradients during eclipse nights, structural configuration has been revised signature of the SIC mast supporting the following the completion of a preliminary but all parameters remain in the nominal area. resulting with a selection of a compromise vector magnetometer (VFM) sensor head is coupled load analysis. The ground segment configuration containing the best elements not compatible with the Swarm mission PDR for the definition of the operation facility The dynamic disturbances of the satellite spin from the Prima concept and from the performance need. Astrium implemented a and the payload data processing and archiving axis were eliminated by using a different Phase-B2 Sentinel-3 configuration derived back-up solution where the mast supporting centres is now scheduled for September. setting of the thermal control system. The from the Proteus concept. The power sub- the VFM sensor head will be in carbon fibre spacecraft was moved to 9.5°E, the same system architecture has also been discussed while the support of the star tracker (STR) will orbital location that was used by the first to ensure compliance with the ESA/ECSS remains in SIC material. generation, to continue the rapid scanning requirements. The maximum power point Metop service (producing one image between 15°N tracking boost technology has been selected The mechanical, thermal design and and 70°N every five minutes). as a baseline power management approach, manufacturing dossier of the structure has together with a reconfiguration concept matured significantly. The CDR for the MetOp-A Meteosat-9/MSG-2 implemented in hardware through the structure is planned for April this year. The HRPT anomaly investigations concluded Meteosat-9 is Eumetsat’s nominal operational on-board computer. A significant step forward has been achieved the root cause to be the CLY-38 transistors. satellite at 0º longitude (Meteosat-8 is its by all parties for the definition of the interfaces Dedicated tests in ESTEC and Louvain back-up). Satellite and instruments All support specifications have undergone a between the EFI instrument and the satellite. revealed the sensitivity of these transistors to performance are excellent. preliminary review involving ESA, having

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reached a status for which they can be used availability has also remained very high May 2004 Qualification Flight preliminary analyses of as a good basis for all procurement activities. during the combined ATV/Envisat operations, the Lares mission are ongoing to prepare the The execution of the procurement tasks exceeding 99.0%. ATV will be supported for safety submission data package and to through competitive Invitations To Tender the entire duration of its mission, until the confirm the possibility to tune the first represents the main effort in this phase of planned deorbiting in August 2008. Artemis mission as required for Vega launcher the programme. Approximately 100 is currently the baseline data relay system for qualification. procurement contracts are required to obtain the subsequent ATV flights. the remaining satellite and support equipments and to complete the industrial This important operational achievement set-up. Most of them are planned during the comes in the wake of an exceptional 2007, in Soyuz at CSG 12 months duration of the Phase-B2. The which Artemis proved the solidity of the February 2005 first offers were received and are currently system architecture and of the potential for under evaluation. data relay satellite systems. The CDR of the Mobile Gantry took place from 26–29 February. The production was The first major programme review is the The first flight of the Italian CIRA Unmanned supervised on a day-to-day basis. So far, a PDR, planned for August 2008. This is about Space Vehicle (USV) took place on 24 two-week delay was reported and corrective the same time that the PDR of the four February 2007 when the USV was lifted by a actions were requested to meet the planned Sentinel-3 instruments will take place. stratospheric balloon to an altitude of 20 km target of delivery at the end of August in and then released over the drop zone off the French Guiana. eastern coast of Sardinia. The vehicle fell, reaching a speed of Mach 1.05, and was Soyuz Launch Site activities were conducted Artemis tracked by the Artemis S-band steerable February 2006 in line with a final acceptance review planned antenna. Telemetry data were relayed to the at the end of August. Equipment factory Artemis Mission Control Facility in Redu, acceptance test is in progress and the On 1 April 2008, Artemis completed its fifth Belgium. The experiment was considered a Service Cabin is confirmed arriving on the year of in-orbit operations and will reach success by CIRA, with over 80% of the first ship. seven years in orbit in July. original telemetry data received and processed during the flight. A second flight is A Soyuz consultation committee took place Artemis has recently fulfilled another now foreseen in October 2008. in French Guiana on 27 March to important mission objective with the data demonstrate the readiness of the European relay support to the ATV Jules Verne during launch site to the Russians. the initial stages of its journey to the ISS. At February 2007 05:46 UTC, 9 March 2008, the first telemetry Vega link with Jules Verne was established as planned, to be followed by the first FLPP telecommand at the next orbital pass. One of Industrial activities relevant to the additional the propulsion burns of the ATV was slice of Vega development declaration, in performed with a telecommand sent through particular the Zefiro motor recovery plan, the The Expander Demonstrator has been tested Artemis, due to a gap in the TDRSS Zefiro-9A and the testing of the AVUM for a period of over 4000 s in total, including The FLPP Expander Demonstrator engine on teststand P4.1 at Lampoldshausen, Germany coverage, demonstrating once again the engine, as recommended by the System six reignition tests, which is a first-ever interoperability of the European space CDR, were successfully negotiated. achievement in Europe for a cryogenic engine. infrastructure. The first development model of the AVUM propellant tank, manufactured according to February 2008 Within Main Stage Propulsion activity, on 7 February from the Kennedy Space The docking of ATV to the ISS marked the the new welding procedure, has been pre-burner tests were performed successfully Human Spaceflight, Center (KSC). Flight STS-122/1E also carried beginning of a new operational phase for assembled and successfully tested at burst with two more European ‘firsts’: highest ESA astronauts H. Schlegel (D) and Artemis. In fact, Envisat operations, which pressure. The Qualification Review of the combustion pressure and highest mass flow Microgravity and L. Eyharts (F) to the ISS. had been suspended due to mutual Interstage 0/1 was achieved during the per injector. Coupled pre-burner and main incompatibility with ATV during the free- Steering Board on 7 February. combustion chamber tests have also been Exploration On 11 February, the 7 m-long, 12.8 tonne flying phase, have been resumed fully. As a performed. Columbus module was attached to the consequence, the dual Ka- and S-band On 27 March, the second-stage motor for Harmony (Node-2) module of the ISS. After steerable reflector of Artemis is constantly Vega completed a static firing test at the An industry day was organised in ESTEC on International Space Station external payloads were successfully deployed tracking the two spacecraft from orbit to Salto Di Quirra Interforce Test Range in 5 February gathering together all parties to After months of hard work by NASA and Columbus was attached to Harmony, orbit. Thanks to a very carefully planned Sardinia, Italy. This was the second and final A sequence of photos showing the development of the Soyuz share knowledge of the important volume of engineers, ESA’s Columbus laboratory was on-orbit commissioning tasks were performed onboard duty cycle, Artemis system firing test for the Zefiro-23. launchpad at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) results produced under this programme. launched in the cargo bay of Shuttle Atlantis by the crew. On 20 February, Space Shuttle

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Columbus Control Centre, Columbus docked to ISS/Node-2 Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

Atlantis STS-122 landed at KSC, Florida, Guiana. The rendezvous and docking of the The Columbus payload hardware: the multi- were installed on Columbus’s external returning Schlegel back to Earth. ATV occurred with the ISS as planned on user payload racks Fluid Science Lab (FSL), accommodation sites during the Flight 1E’s 3 April 2008. Biolab, European Physiology Modules third EVA on 15 February 2008. Both have On 9 March 2008 the first of ESA’s (EPM) and the European Drawer Rack both been turned on and are now operating Automated Transfer Vehicles, ATV Jules On 11 March, Space Shuttle Endeavour (EDR) were activated. EuTEF and SOLAR well. Verne, was launched into a low Earth orbit by (STS-123) lifted off at 07:28 CET (06:28 UT) an Ariane-5 ES launcher. This was the from KSC, on a 16-day mission to the ISS. culmination of more than 11 years of This mission continued ISS assembly, development and production. The lift-off carrying aloft the logistics module of the occurred at 05:03 CET (04:03 UT) from Japanese Kibo laboratory and a Canadian Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French remote-controlled high-precision robot, called ‘Dextre’ or the Special Purpose A still from a video camera on the ISS showing the ATV docking Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM). Endeavour returned to Earth with Eyharts on 27 March.

Space Infrastructure Development and Exploitation Following the docking of Columbus to Node-2 on 11 February, the Columbus Control Centre (Col-CC) operations teams took charge of activating the Columbus systems on 12 February. Despite some early Turning the Kourou night into day, problems, Columbus activation was the launch of Ariane-5 ES carrying ATV Jules Verne SOLAR deployment successfully completed on 14 February 2008.

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Columbus Control Centre, Columbus docked to ISS/Node-2 Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

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power generation subsystems. Therefore there was no effect on the nominal operation of the spacecraft.

The Launch Early Operations Phase (LEOP) activities were nominal. The ATV collision avoidance manoeuvre was demonstrated on 12 March. On 27 March, orbit burns were initiated from ATV-CC to move the ATV from its parking orbit and, on 29 March, Demo Day 1 was successfully conducted to bring the ATV to within 3.5 km of the ISS and demonstrate its capability to perform navigation using relative GPS. On 31 March, Demo Day 2, the ATV manoeuvred to within 11 m of the ISS, demonstrating its guidance and navigation capabilities using its optical sensors. All systems performed nominally and docking occurred on 3 April 2008.

SOLAR mounted outside Columbus SPERO The ‘Study on a Columbus external platform ATV Control Centre, Toulouse, France capability for small payloads’ (SPERO) is ongoing with industry. A Call for Interest for small payloads using the SPERO platform has been released on 12 March to more than WAICO Run#1, was started in the Biolab on 2008 respectively. The 48th ESA Parabolic launched to the ISS on 7 February on board 3000 addresses all over Europe. 28 February by astronaut Eyharts. Flight Campaign was performed in March. Space Shuttle Atlantis. The new contract for the 2008 and 2009 65 letters of interest have been received from A significant software bug in the SOLAR Sun- drop tower campaigns at ZARM/Bremen (D) During STS-122, Eyharts supported the industry, universities, research institutes and tracking algorithm forced the first solar has been signed. So far, three drop-tower docking of Columbus, first at the controls of national space agencies. Proposals cover observation period to be skipped. The SOLAR experiment campaigns, with 35 drops in total the Station’s robotic arm, to extract the various areas of research: exobiology, Coarse Pointing Device software patch was have been undertaken in 2008. European module from the Shuttle’s cargo astrophysics, Earth observation, materials uploaded and the parameters optimised. All bay, and later by activating the motorised science, technology demonstrators, robotics, instruments have now been commissioned, The MULTIGEN-1 – Batch 1-A bolts from inside the Harmony Node-2 to etc. This result confirms the overwhelming are active and are providing science data. (Multigeneration Plant Growth in Space) secure the junction. He then assisted the interest in developing SPERO. The EuTEF science programme has started. experiment was completed aboard ISS in the third spacewalk of the mission by operating European Modular Cultivation System the station’s robotic arm. ATV Production The Foton-M3 post flight activities continued (EMCS) during week 46. The dried-out plants The ATV Production Readiness Review (1.2) nominally in the first quarter of 2008. The have been returned to ground with Schlegel performed the second of the three is due to be concluded on 17 April, releasing data download from the TELESUPPORT STS-122/1E mission. ANITA continues to STS-122 spacewalks (Schlegel’s first ever the ATV02 system integration and ATV03 mass memory device was completed and the operate flawless in the US laboratory Destiny spacewalk) on 13 February with fellow EuTEF mounted outside Columbus equipment procurement. The ATV-2 launch is data distributed. A full mission report was and provides invaluable ISS atmosphere astronaut Rex Walheim of NASA. He also scheduled for the second quarter of 2010. received from TsSKB-Progress The Foton composition data. coordinated the other two spacewalks during The ATV rack design has been optimised and Co-ordination Board meeting and Post Flight the mission, supporting the Columbus The Col-CC operations teams are settling into took control of the vehicle and conducted an qualification tests are currently running Review (PFR) were held 10–14 March at The Long-Term Medical Survey (LTMS) module’s transfer from the Shuttle payload routine operations after the intense operations almost perfect mission, leading to a specta- without any problems. ESTEC. The progress of the Polizon scientific prototype device has been shipped to bay to the ISS, plus the transfer of two of the STS-122/1E mission. The relocation of cular Demonstration Day 2 on 31 March. experiment evaluation was presented and the Concordia for testing on site. The final payload suites, SOLAR and EuTEF, to the the EXPRESS-3 and MSG Payload Racks from Utilisation experiment samples from the TUBAF experi- presentation of the Technologies for external platforms on Columbus. the US Destiny laboratory to the Columbus During the launch, a degradation of a thermal The ISS Increment 16 experimental ments were handed over to the Russian Psychological Support (TPS) took place on laboratory was performed nominally during blanket occurred which means that more programme has been running since October experimenters. 11 January. Both ESA astronauts participated in the Increment 16. heat would be lost to space than originally 2007 with four long-term experiments in outfitting and commissioning of the Columbus designed for. However, there was additional human physiology (ETD and Immuno) The TEXUS-44 and TEXUS-45 sounding Astronauts laboratory. Commissioning of the European After the launch of ATV on 9 March, the ATV power available to compensate for this heat and radiation research (Matroshka and rockets were successfully launched from As members of the STS-122 crew, ESA laboratory will be finalised by the resident ISS Control Centre (ATV-CC) operations teams loss, with the perfect functioning of all the Altcriss). The first Columbus experiment, Esrange, in Sweden on 7 and 21 February astronauts H. Schlegel and L. Eyharts were crew of the Expedition 16 and 17 increments.

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Programmes In Progress

power generation subsystems. Therefore there was no effect on the nominal operation of the spacecraft.

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In Progress

Eyharts had joined the ISS Expedition 16 crew as Flight Engineer for 33 days, but when Endeavour docked with the ISS on 13 March he swapped crew assignments again, this time with NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, and joined the crew of STS-123 for the return to Earth.

As a qualified mission specialist in robotics, Eyharts contributed to the STS-123 assembly mission as operator of the Station’s robotic arm alongside Reisman and Bob Behnken, another NASA mission specialist. Together, they added a new module to the ISS – the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module, Pressurised Section (JLP) – and supported the assembly and activation of the Canadian- built Dextre robotic telemanipulator.

ESA officially announced that astronaut F. De Winne (B) will be a crewmember of Increment 20/21 starting in May 2009, with A. Kuipers (NL) as his back-up. De Winne and Kuipers started Japanese Experiment Module system training at JAXA in January. Kuipers continued his Russian Onboard Segment training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, Moscow, in February and March. STS-122 and Expedition 16 crews including Hans Schlegel and Léopold Eyharts inside Columbus (NASA)

Exploration Eyharts with one of two plaques bearing 800 names and signatures of people from ESA, Astrium and consortium companies who ExoMars – The Enhanced Mission contributed to the Columbus project (NASA) An ExoMars (full 2 metre) drilling test has been successfully completed. Phase-B2 has been kicked-off to cover the prime and the core contractors. All main Phase-B2 contracts have been negotiated successfully. The Pasteur Payload accommodation and the Sample Processing Distribution System (SPDS) design are under review to improve the bio-barrier designs. A dedicated Humboldt payload design meeting was held in the ESTEC Concurrent Design Facility, resulting in agreements on instrument layout and deployment methods.

The ExoMars Instrument Multilateral As if in a scene from a science Agreement (IMA) was endorsed at the Human fiction movie, Schlegel moves Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration along a truss section of the ISS Programme Board on 12 February. in the darkness of a ‘night’ part of an orbit. Taken during Schlegel’s 6 hr 45 m spacewalk, The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Cooperation this image gives an impression Agreement was ratified by Council (Russian of the scale of the ISS (NASA) Partners Agreement still pending). The

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In Progress

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Programmes

ESA/NASA LOA was signed by the NASA Partner on 21 March. Generally, the project is moving towards a system PDR at the end of 2008.

Core Element The activities of the International Mars Exploration (IMEWG)/iMARS Working Group have further progressed with a refinement of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission concept. A working meeting took place in Windsor (UK) on the 18/20 March. The preparation of the 8 July IMEG meeting and the MSR conference (9/10 July) is progressing well, and the iMARS Preliminary Report is under preparation. On the same subject, a Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA) between ESA and NASA/JPL has been signed to allow more detailed engineering work to be performed on the single MSR mission elements.

The proposal for the High-Velocity Re-entry Demonstration activity (CP20) has been received and is under evaluation.

The updated Systems Requirement Review (SRR) Data Package for ARES has been The latest (Phase-B2) ExoMars rover concept received and reviewed.

An ITT for a Pressurised Lunar Rover Study Integrated Project Review have been cosmodrome, will be used as the design has been published. The deadline for completed. ESA has negotiated an acceptable baseline. It is assumed that the flight tests proposals is 14 May after an extension of the proposal for the complete Phase C/D with the will be conducted in 2015, with the first bidding period. industrial prime contractor, with a target manned launch to be performed in 2018. launch in June 2010, assuming a start of the GSTP Interim Technology Phase full development in June 2008. All the In view of the experience of the parties All of the International Berthing Docking payloads have completed the Critical Design involved, the Russian side will be responsible Mechanism (IBDM) activities are progressing Review, and the Qualification Review shall be for the design and development of the crew well. In the GSTP-funded interim technology completed by autumn 2008. (re-entry) capsule, while the European side phase, the mechanical design and ground will be responsible for the design and verification activities of the IBDM are nearing CSTS development of the service/propulsion completion with Verhaert (B). For the As a result of the trade-off analysis on module. At the same time, RSC Energia will European Berthing Docking Mechanism vehicle system concepts, Roscosmos and be in charge of the overall integration of the (EBDM), two units of the new hook design ESA, together with their respective CSTS development activities. have been completed and a stiffness test has industries, have arrived at the conclusion that been conducted. The avionics and simulation the new crew transportation spacecraft must By October 2008 it is planned to complete activities have progressed as planned. All the be based on the cone-shape body option. the preparation of documents that will define electronic hardware has been built and the technical and programmatic aspects of the unit tested. The software has been The parties have agreed to proceed with a vehicle concept, which will enable the parties completed, tested and preliminarily deployed detailed design phase of the advanced Crew to make decisions on launching the CSTS to the target processor. Space Transportation System (CSTS). It has project activities. An intermediate system been concurred that as this takes place, a concept report will be prepared in June 2008 The industrial activities for the closure of the Russian launch vehicle of 18-tonne payload to be reviewed jointly by ESA and technical issues raised by the EXPERT capability to be launched from the Vostochny Roscosmos. e

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News In Brief

Ariane-5 ES Launch of ATV Jules Verne

When the new Ariane ES most populated parts of Europe, Atlantic Ocean, ESA’s new launched ATV Jules Verne into then a second boost over the tracking station in the Acores, the expected orbit with high Pacific Ocean to circularise the tracking stations in Adelaide and precision on 9 March 2008, it orbit at 260 km, then separation Dongara in Australia and was not just another perfect of the ATV Jules Verne in this Invercargill in New Zealand. In Brief launch of Ariane-5 – it was orbit followed by a full orbit in something very special and order to perform a braking boost This launch not only marked frontier-breaking, opening up new and a destructive reentry over the Ariane’s first mission to the perspectives for Europe. Pacific Ocean. International Space Station (ISS), establishing Europe as a major The mission was the most In order to monitor the Ariane-5 partner in the ISS collaboration, complicated ever undertaken by ES ATV mission, the most but it also opened up new any Ariane launch vehicle: a first comprehensive tracking network aspirations and opportunities for boost of the upper stage over the ever established for an Ariane Ariane-5 in terms of missions Atlantic Ocean to reach an launch had to be deployed. It needing reignition, such as for elliptical orbit, followed by a employed telemetry reception the deployment of the Galileo ballistic phase flying over the from Kourou, a vessel in the constellation. e

The Ariane-5 ES-ATV launcher poised at Ariane Launch Complex No.3 (ELA-3) at the Guiana Space Centre. On board is Jules Verne, ESA’s first Automated Transfer Vehicle for the ISS

Lift-off of the Ariane-5 ES-ATV launcher from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s Spaceport, in Kourou, on 9 March 2008

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News In Brief

Ariane-5 ES Launch of ATV Jules Verne

The Ariane-5 ES-ATV launcher poised at Ariane Launch Complex No.3 (ELA-3) at the Guiana Space Centre. On board is Jules Verne, ESA’s first Automated Transfer Vehicle for the ISS

Lift-off of the Ariane-5 ES-ATV launcher from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s Spaceport, in Kourou, on 9 March 2008

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Jules Verne Boosts ISS Orbit

ESA’s ATV Jules Verne was used of dry cargo, including food, Jules Verne are scheduled for Progress and ATV can provide this for the first time to raise the orbit clothes and equipment, as well as 12 June, 8 July and 6 August. high level of reboost. ATV is unique of the International Space Station additional supplies of water, due to the quantity of fuel available on 25 April. A 740-second burn oxygen and fuel. Since then, the “The Station’s altitude naturally for such manoeuvres.” of the ATV’s main engines European resupply spacecraft decreases with atmospheric drag. successfully lifted the altitude of was in dormant mode attached to Until now this has been compen- ATV Jules Verne is scheduled to the 280-tonne ISS by around the docking port on the Russian sated for by performing a reboost remain docked to the ISS until early 4.5 km to a height of 342 km Zvezda module. using the Russian Progress, the August. At the end of its mission, above Earth’s surface. Space Shuttle or by the ISS itself,” loaded with up to 6.5 tonnes of The reboost set up the ISS for the explains Alberto Novelli, ESA’s material no longer required by the The reboost manoeuvre came arrival of Space Shuttle Discovery Mission Director at ATV-CC. ISS, Jules Verne will undock and just three weeks after Jules Verne on the STS-124 mission to deliver “Today, ATV has successfully then burn up completely during a successfully docked with ISS on the Japanese Kibo laboratory. demonstrated that it too is able to guided and controlled reentry high 3 April 2008 delivering 1150 kg Further reboost manoeuvres using perform this vital function. Only over the Pacific Ocean. e

Backdropped by the blackness of space, ESA’s ATV Jules Verne approaches the ISS on 31 March 2008, for its ‘Demo Day 2’ practice manoeuvres. It moved to within 11 m of the Zvezda Service Module in a rehearsal for docking (NASA)

Yuri Malenchenko (RUS), Expedition 16 flight engineer aboard the ISS, used a digital still camera to record several images of the ESA’s Jules Verne ATV during a the rendezvous test on 29 March 2008. Malenchenko took these photos while the ATV sat about 3 km from the ISS during the first of two demonstration days in the lead up to a first ISS docking attempt on 3 April (NASA)

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News In Brief

Jules Verne Boosts ISS Orbit

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ESA to Select New Astronauts Hubble Finds First Organic Molecule on Extrasolar Planet

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made the first ever detection of an organic molecule in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star. This breakthrough is an important step in eventually identifying signs of life on a planet outside our Solar System.

Under the right circumstances, methane can play a key role in ‘prebiotic’ chemistry – the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life as we know it. Although methane has been detected on most of the planets in our Solar System, this is the first time any organic molecule has been detected on a world orbiting another star.

The planet now known to have methane and water is located 63 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula, HD 189733b. It is so massive and so hot though that it is considered an unlikely host for life. However this observation is proof that The ESA Astronauts in 2008 spectro-scopy can eventually be done on a cooler and potentially habitable Earth-sized planet ESA’s human spaceflight activities Denmark, Finland, France, new intake of men and women to The final appointments will be orbiting a dimmer red dwarf-type have entered a new era and it is Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the European Astronaut Corps to officially announced in 2009. The star. now time for ESA to seek out new Luxembourg, the Netherlands, undertake missions to the ISS and selected candidates will then join talent to join the European Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, beyond,” said Daniel Sacotte, the European Astronaut Corps and The discovery comes after Astronaut Corps for future Switzerland and the United ESA’s Director of Human begin basic training at the extensive Hubble observations in Artist’s impression of the extrasolar planet HD 189733b ESA/NASA/UCL (G. Tinetti) manned missions to the ISS, the Kingdom) are welcome to apply. Spaceflight, Microgravity and European Astronaut Centre May 2007 that confirmed the Moon and beyond. Exploration. (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. existence of water molecules in “Europe has long been involved in the planet’s atmosphere, originally observed. The additional livestock and manmade sources highly unlikely that cows could We need to increase the size of exploration, even before the days ESA made its first astronaut The first step in the formal discovered in 2007 by ESA fellow contribution of methane is such as waste landfills and as a survive here!” ESA’s Astronaut Corps in order to of Christopher Columbus. After selection in 1978, followed in application will be online Giovanna Tinetti while at the necessary to fit the Hubble byproduct of energy generation. successfully accomplish our exploring Earth, space is the 1983 by the first Spacelab screening at Institute d’Astrophysique de Paris, data.” The ultimate goal of studies like present and future programmes, logical next step – and a new mission. Preparations for ESA’s www.esa.int/astronautselection France, using NASA’s Spitzer Tinetti is however quick to rule these is to identify prebiotic and have therefore decided to generation of explorers are Columbus laboratory project, e space telescope. Methane, composed of carbon out any biological origin of the molecules in the atmospheres of initiate the process of selecting needed to follow their illustrious meanwhile, involved a second and hydrogen, is one of the main methane found on HD 189733b. planets in the ‘habitable zones’ new astronauts. predecessors and embark for selection of astronauts in 1992. Tinetti, now affiliated to components of natural gas, a “The planet’s atmosphere is far around other stars, where those new worlds. I am therefore University College London, product of petroleum. On Earth, too hot for even the hardiest life temperatures are right for water Candidates from all 17 Member very pleased that at the beginning The overall selection process added, “Water alone could not methane is produced by a variety to survive – at least the kind of to remain liquid rather than States (Austria, Belgium, of 2009, we will be welcoming a starts on Monday, 19 May. explain all the spectral features of natural sources, but also from life we know from Earth. It’s freeze or evaporate away. e

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News In Brief

ESA to Select New Astronauts Hubble Finds First Organic Molecule on Extrasolar Planet

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Endeavour Brings ESA Astronaut Back to Earth Royal Opening for New ESTEC Labs

Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander officially opened the new laboratory building at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, on 8 April.

The Prince and other guests were impressed with the high-tech facilities, including the Propulsion Lab and the Concurrent Design The landing of STS-123 took place at 01:39 CET on 27 March, at the Kennedy Space Center shuttle landing strip at Cape Canaveral, Florida (NASA) Facility. Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven and ESA Director General After its 16-day STS-123 mission for access, together with Schlegel the resident ISS crew, Thomas space station, having already Jean-Jacques Dordain spoke about to the International Space Station and other crewmembers, he Reiter having spent six months flown to the Russian Mir station the importance of ESTEC for the in March, NASA’s Space Shuttle immediately started reconfiguring onboard in 2006. This was back in 1998. Netherlands, for Europe and for Endeavour safely returned to and activating the module. Eyharts’ second mission to a e European success in space. HRH Prince Willem Alexander looks at an operating Hall-effect thruster in ESTEC’s Propulsion Lab in April 2008 Earth with its crew of seven Eyharts remained on the ISS including ESA astronaut Léopold when Atlantis departed with Forty years ago the same week, Eyharts (F). Schlegel to return to Earth. De Winne is Next ESA Astronaut to the Prince’s mother, then HRH cooperation on an international Director of Technical and Quality the design of space missions and Princess Beatrix, officially opened space stage. ESTEC has since Management and Head of ESTEC. new technologies. Now they can Eyharts had been sent to the ISS As a qualified mission specialist Join ISS Crew ESA’s technical centre in played a leading role in over 80 “These laboratories are a drastic do so using the newest on the previous Shuttle flight of in robotics, Eyharts also Noordwijk. At that time, the successful spaceflight projects. improvement compared to the techniques and methods.” Atlantis on 7 February with contributed to the STS-123 opening was testimony to the faith old ones. Engineers and e another ESA astronaut, Hans mission as an operator of the With the Columbus put in the spaceflight pioneers of “ESTEC has to keep developing,” scientists from all over Europe Schlegel (D), and then he spent ISS’s robotic arm. Together with laboratory now attached the 1960s and in European said Michel Courtois, ESA come together here to work on nearly 49 days in space on a NASA astronauts Garrett Reisman to the ISS, ESA long- mission to dock and commission and Bob Behnken they added duration flights will be ESA’s Columbus laboratory. another new module to the ISS carried out more often. New Lunar South Polar Maps from SMART-1 – the Japanese Experiment The next ESA astronaut to On 10 February, shortly after Logistics Module, Pressurised go to the ISS will be Atlantis had docked with the ISS, Section (JLP) – and supported Frank De Winne (B) in Newly-released images of the lunar south-polar region obtained by Eyharts was inducted in the the assembly and activation of 2009. André Kuipers (NL) ESA’s SMART-1 are proving to be excellent tools to pinpoint suitable resident ISS crew, replacing the Canadian-built Special will be his backup. Frank De Winne study sites for potential future lunar exploration missions. NASA astronaut Dan Tani as a Purpose Dextrous Manipulator. member of the Expedition 16 From 2005, De Winne had been in training as back-up for Léopold SMART-1’s Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) has collected increment alongside NASA’s Eyharts spent 44 days on the ISS Eyharts on his ISS expedition and the delivery of Columbus. In January many images of the lunar south-polar region with unprecedented Peggy Whitson and Russian and devoted a large part of his 2008, De Winne was assigned as a prime crewmember of Expedition 19, spatial resolution. The images, obtained over a full year of changing astronaut Yuri Malenchenko. time to activation and checking of a long-duration mission to the ISS. seasons were used to study the different levels of solar illumination on the Columbus module and its the Moon’s surface. On 12 February, Eyharts became racks in order to be able start up Test-pilot De Winne joined ESA in 2000 and he flew on the Odissea the first astronaut to enter the actual science experiments inside mission to the ISS, serving as flight engineer on the updated Soyuz TMA “The SMART-1 south polar maps indicate very exciting targets for This mosaic of the lunar south pole is made of about 40 images taken by the Advanced Moon Imaging Columbus laboratory in orbit. He the laboratory. When he left the spacecraft during ascent, and on a Soyuz TM during reentry. science and future exploration, within travel reach from a rover or Experiment (AMIE) on board SMART-1 between December 2005 and March 2006. The images were wore a mask and goggles and ISS, he brought back with him humans at the south pole,” said Jean-Luc Josset, Principal taken from an altitude of 500 km, over more than 30 orbits, and cover an area of about 500 by 150 km at a resolution of 50 m/pixel (ESA/SMART-1/Space-X) carried a flashlight to check the the very first results of an During his nine days on board the ISS, De Winne carried out a Investigator for AMIE. laboratory’s status before the experiment carried on Columbus. programme of 23 experiments in the fields of life and physical sciences atmosphere was scrubbed and and education, including experiments in an important new research These high-resolution SMART-1 south polar mosaics were produced and space engineering at the Paris-Meudon Observatory. The images were the lights were turned on. As Eyharts was the second ESA facility designed and developed in Europe, the Microgravity Science analysed in study project for the design and operations of lunar polar presented by the SMART-1 AMIE team and collaborators at the 39th soon as Columbus was cleared astronaut to have become part of Glovebox. e robotic landers and rovers, by Marina Ellouzi, a Master’s student in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas in March 2008. e

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News In Brief

Endeavour Brings ESA Astronaut Back to Earth Royal Opening for New ESTEC Labs

Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander officially opened the new laboratory building at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, on 8 April.

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Earth Land Cover as Never Seen Before Students to Take Part in Sounding Rocket and Balloon Campaigns

Eight student teams from various same flights by the German Announcement of Opportunity, balloon flights are from: Luleå ESA Member and Cooperating Aerospace Center (DLR). while the other half is opened up University of Technology, Sweden, States have been selected to fly to students from all other ESA with Charles University, Prague, their experiments on future Three of the successful ESA- Member States and Cooperating and the Czech Technical University, sounding rocket and balloon sponsored teams will have the States by the Swedish National Czech Republic; the ‘Erasmus campaigns. opportunity to place their experi- Space Board (SNSB) through a Mundus’ Space Masters course, ments on the REXUS-5 and -6 collaboration with ESA. currently based at Luleå University An announcement of opportunity sounding rockets, to be launched of Technology, Sweden; the Scuola was issued by the ESA Education from Kiruna, Sweden, in March The three experiment teams di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Rome; Office in November 2007 for the 2009. The payloads developed by selected for the REXUS sounding the University of Rome ‘La REXUS and BEXUS programmes the other five teams will fly on rocket campaign are from: the Sapienza’, Italy; Romanian Space (Rocket/Balloon Experiments for the BEXUS-6 and -7 stratospheric University of Bergen, Norway, the Agency with Warsaw University of University Students). After balloons that will be launched University of Oulu, Finland and Technology, Poland. evaluation of the initial entries, from Kiruna in September 2008. the Finnish Meteorological the shortlisted teams were invited Institute; the Castor Space Club The next announcement of oppor- to present their proposals to Each flight will carry a payload of the Tampere University of tunity to fly experiments through experts from ESA and Esrange consisting solely of student Technology; and the Universitat the REXUS and BEXUS program- during a workshop in March experiments. Half of the overall Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain. mes will be issued in September 2008. The winners join six teams payload is available only to 2008. These flights will take place chosen earlier in the week for the German students through a DLR The teams selected for the BEXUS during 2009 and 2010. e

Galileo’s GIOVE-B Launched A composite of images taken by Envisat’s MERIS instrument, at a resolution of 300 m per pixel, over the whole globe A further step towards the deployment of Europe’s Galileo global navigation satellite system was made on 27 April 2008, with the launch of ESA’s second Galileo A new global portrait taken from managed ecosystems and model change and humanitarian permanent snow and ice. For In-Orbit Validation Element (GIOVE-B) satellite. space shows Earth’s land cover climate change extent and programmes,” said John Latham maximum user benefit, the map with a resolution never before impacts, are hailing the product of the Food and Agriculture is compatible with the UN Land Carrying the most accurate atomic clock ever flown into obtained. ESA, in partnership – generated under the ESA- Organisation (FAO). “The Cover Classification System space, the GIOVE-B satellite was launched into a with the UN Food and initiated GlobCover project – as GlobCover product will be the (LCCS). medium-Earth orbit by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Agriculture Organisation, ‘a milestone’. first freely available product at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by launch presented the preliminary 300m resolution and is therefore GlobCover, launched in 2005, is operator Starsem. Lift-off occurred at 04:16 local time version of the map to scientists “The GlobCover system is a a milestone product which will part of ESA’s Earth Observation on 27 April, and the Fregat upper stage then performed in March at the Second great step forward in our be fundamental to a broad level Data User Element. An a series of manoeuvres to safely deliver the satellite into GlobCover User Consultation capacities to automatically stakeholder community.” international network of partners its orbit at an altitude of about 23 200 km some 3 hours workshop in Rome, Italy. produce new global land cover is working with ESA on the and 45 minutes later. products with a finer resolution The map is based on project, including the UN Earth’s land cover has been and a more detailed thematic 20 Terabytes of imagery Environment Programme This 500 kg satellite was built by a European industrial charted from space before, but content than ever achieved in the – equivalent to the content of (UNEP), FAO, JRC, the European team led by Astrium GmbH, with Thales Alenia Space this map, which will be made past,” said Frédéric Achard of 20 million books – acquired Environmental Agency, the performing integration and testing in Rome. Two years available to the public upon its the EC’s Joint Research Centre from May 2005 to April 2006 by International Geosphere- after the highly successful GIOVE-A mission, this latest completion in July, has a (JRC). Envisat’s Medium Resolution Biosphere Programme (IGBP) satellite will continue the demonstration of critical resolution ten times sharper Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) and the Global Observations of technologies for the navigation payload of future than any of its predecessors. “Land cover data is an essential instrument. There are 22 Forest Cover and Global operational Galileo satellites. e requirement of the sustainable different land cover types shown Observations of Land Dynamics Scientists, who will use the data management of natural in the map, including croplands, (GOFC-GOLD) Implementation to plot worldwide land-cover resources, environmental wetlands, forests, artificial Team Project Office. The Soyuz-Fregat launcher carrying GIOVE-B lifts off from Baikonur on trends, study natural and protection, food security, climate surfaces, water bodies and e 27 April 2008

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News In Brief

Earth Land Cover as Never Seen Before Students to Take Part in Sounding Rocket and Balloon Campaigns

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Herschel Spacecraft Assembly Complete Successful Test-firing for Vega Motor

Zefiro-23 second firing test at the Salto Di Quirra Inter-force Test Range in Sardinia, Italy, on 27 March 2008 (AVIO Space)

The Herschel telescope resting on its cryostat at ESTEC, 16 April 2008 On 27 March 2008, the Zefiro-23 second- reached 930 kN, equivalent to nearly propellant upper module. It is approximately stage motor for Vega – Europe’s new small 95 tonnes of force. This was the second and 30 m high, and weighs a total of 137 tonnes launcher – successfully completed a static final firing test for the Zefiro-23, in which at lift-off. Vega will be able to carry a At the end of April, the Herschel telescope This powerful telescope will allow scientists the first time. Herschel will make it possible firing test at the Salto Di Quirra Inter-force over 24 tonnes of propellant was consumed 1500 kg payload into a 700 km altitude polar was connected to its payload and service to look deep into space, at long infrared to observe and study relatively cool objects Test Range in Sardinia, Italy. in 75 seconds with a flame temperature of orbit, but the launcher is also designed to modules, at ESA's European Space Research wavelengths. Herschel’s spectral coverage, everywhere in the Universe, teaching us over 3000ºC. serve a wide range of other scientific and and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in The which ranges from far-infrared to sub- much more about the birth and evolution of Ignition of the qualification model of the Earth observation missions. Netherlands, completing the assembly of the millimetre wavelengths, will be made stars and galaxies. solid-propellant rocket motor occurred at Vega is a single-body launcher composed of e entire spacecraft. available for space-based observations for e 13:15 CET. In just 14 seconds, the thrust three solid-propellant stages and a liquid-

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News In Brief

Herschel Spacecraft Assembly Complete Successful Test-firing for Vega Motor

Zefiro-23 second firing test at the Salto Di Quirra Inter-force Test Range in Sardinia, Italy, on 27 March 2008 (AVIO Space)

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Envisat Tracks Berg Break-up Cyclone Nargis Approaches Myanmar

On 1 March 2008 Envisat’s Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) instrument spotted a huge fissure running south to north through the massive A53A iceberg (visible at top right) drifting to the east of South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. ASAR is able to produce high-quality images of icebergs and ice sheets and is capable of differentiating between different types of ice because it is able to see through clouds and local darkness – conditions often found in polar areas

Envisat’s Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) sensor captured the break up of the A53A iceberg east of South Georgia Envisat captured Cyclone Nargis making Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The its way across the Bay of Bengal just south resulting two new bergs are around 30 km in of Myanmar on 1 May 2008. The cyclone length. As a reference, South Georgia Island is hit the coastal region on 3 May and approximately 180 km long devastated large areas of the country

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Envisat Tracks Berg Break-up Cyclone Nargis Approaches Myanmar

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ESA Brochures Proceedings of SeaSAR 2008, ADM-Aeolus – Science Report (April 2008) ESA Scientific & Technical 21–25 January 2008, Frascati, Italy P. Clissold (Ed.) European Astronaut Selection / Selection (April 2008) ESA SP-1311 // 121 pp Memoranda d’astronautes européens H. Lacoste & L. Ouwehand (Eds.) Price: 30 Euro A. Wilson (Ed.) ESA SP-656 // CD-Rom Assessment of Chemical Conversion ESA BR-271 // CD-Rom & Booklet // 88 pp Price: 40 Euro GOCE – ESA’s Gravity Mission (April 2008) Coatings for the Protection of Aluminium Price: 15 Euro ESA SP-1314 // CD-Rom Alloys – A Comparison of Alodine 1200 with Price: 10 Euro Chromium-Free Conversion Coatings (February 2008) K. Fletcher (Ed.) ESA STM-276 // 62 pp Price: 20 Euro Publications The documents listed here have been issued since the last publications announcement in the ESA Bulletin. Requests for copies should be made in accordance with the Table and Order Form inside the back cover

A full listing of ESA publications is available at www.esa.int/publications ESA Special Publications Proceedings of the 2008 Dragon Symposium Proceedings of FRINGE 2007, – Dragon 1 Programme – Final Results 26–30 November 2007, Frascati, Italy ISSI 2004-2007, 21-25 April 2008, Beijing, P.R. (February 2008) China (April 2008) H. Lacoste & L. Ouwehand (Eds.) Scientific Report H. Lacoste & L. Ouwehand (Eds.) ESA SP-649 // CD-Rom ESA SP-655 // CD-Rom Price: 40 Euro Multi-Spacecraft Analysis Methods Revisited Price: 40 Euro (February 2008) G. Paschmann & P.W. Daly (Eds.) SR-008 // 100 pp Price: 30 Euro

www.esa.int 78 esa bulletin 134 - may 2008 www.esa.int esa bulletin 134 - may 2008 79 PubsB134 6/5/08 1:10 PM Page 78

Publications New issues

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number 134 - may 2008

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