X-Ray Satellite Faces Its Final Showdown

NEWS X-ray satellite faces its final showdown

Rome. The completion of Italy's X-ray sat Alenia Spazio agreeing to pay L418.5 mil energy X-ray detector, says that SAX will be ellite, SAX, is hanging in the balance amid lion for the construction of SAX, a price that unique in its ability to provide a wide range continuing controversy over the improper excludes the cost of launch and ground ofmeasurements simultaneously. And Johan use of funding, major cost increases and operations. Remo Ruffini, former chairman Bleeker, director of the Netherlands Organi lengthy delays. Many scientists are com of ASI's science committee, says the total zation for Space Research, says it would be plaining that, even if a new launch date of cost is likely to be L 723 billion. a "disaster" if the mission was stopped. The 1995 is met, the satellite will already be At least part of the price rise can be Dutch instruments could not be used on outdated when it is launched. attributed to a redesign following the shuttle another project, and Holland's investment Initially planned in the early 1980s as the disaster in 1986, when it was decided to would therefore be wasted. country's first scientific satellite, SAX has move from NASA's shuttle to an expend According to Giuseppe Viriglio, deputy long provoked bitter arguments in Italy's able launcher. Colombo also argues that the manager in charge of operations at Alenia scientific community. It will carry detectors costs inevitably grew as the satellite was Spazio, development work on SAX is now for both soft and hard X-rays, and is in designed in more detail. complete. Mechanical stress and electrical tended to complement data obtained from Colombo must now decide whether to compatibility tests on two different models other X-ray satellites. should be finished by the end of the year, But many ofltaly' s space physicists have and the whole system ready for putting complained at the way the project- which together by next April. has already cost 300 billion lire ($US 184 Alessandro Bellini, managing director million) and whose final cost could be be of Alenia's subsidiary Laben, which is re tween L600 and L 720 billion - has been sponsible for the scientific instruments be absorbing an ever-increasing proportion of ing built by Italy, says that companies carry the country's space science budget. ing out the development contracts should Last year, for example, scientists from not be blamed for the delays in the pro the science committee of the Italian Space gramme, pointing out that these occurred Agency (ASI) complained that about two before the contracts were signed. thirds of the money allocated for basic If final verification tests are successful, research in the agency's budget in 1991 had Viriglio says the satellite will be ready for gone towards developing instruments for launch by April 1995. But, speaking SAX, and had not gone through established privately, many scientists feel that this date evaluation processes. is optimistic, particularly since the decision There are also suspicions that not all of not to build an experimental model of the the extra funds have gone towards paying satellite, apparently to save money, has, for increased development costs. No impro they claim, increased the risk of failure in priety has been proved. But Italy's courts the current engineering model. are already investigating allegations of Last February, former research minister financial irregularities and possible corrup Sandro Fontana ordered an investigation tion within the space agency ASI and the into ASI's handling of its research funds, main contractor for SAX, Alenia Spazio. including those allocated to the SAX pro Last week, ASI's former president, pay at least another L300 billion to let SAX gramme. A group of five 'wise men' - Luciano Guerriero, and director-general fly. Many scientists have doubts about including Colombo - concluded that de Carlo Buongiomo, along with the whole of whether it should proceed, even at this late laying the launch date beyond 1994 would the ASI board, were indicted under suspi stage. Salvatore Serio, directorofthe Palermo reduce the scientific impact of the mission cion of misusing L3 billion to fund, among Observatory in Italy, says that the range of unacceptably. other things, parties held by different politi X-rays that can be measured by SAX has In September, Colombo - who as re cal parties. Other indictments may follow. already been covered by several other re search minister is now having to look at the Italy's new research minister, Umberto cently launched X-ray satellites, including value of a programme with a launch date of Colombo, is reassessing the whole SAX the German ROSAT mission, the Japanese 1995-replaced the ASI board at the end of project. If he cannot be convinced that plans satellites Ginga and Asca, and the US-led its five-year term of office with a commis to complete the satellite within two years Gamma-Ray Observatory. sion headed by physicist Gian Pietro Puppi, can be achieved within an acceptable budget, "I feel very uneasy about SAX," Serio aided by officials from the Court of Ac he could order it to be abandoned. says, "Italy needs to evaluate very carefully counts and the State Council. Formal planning for SAX began in 1982. whether the science to be addressed is still One of the tasks of the new commission At that time, the launch date was put at 1988 worth the money we have yet to spend on it." is to analyse what has gone wrong or 1989, and the total cost estimated at Ll 00 Joachim Triimper, head of the ROSA T pro with SAX. A team of scientists was called million, shared equally by the Italian and gramme, claims that the project is being in two weeks ago to help with the analysis, Dutch governments. (One of its detectors is driven by industry and is no longer in the and a report will be completed by the end of being developed for the European Space forefront of X-ray astronomy. the year. Agency at its operations centre (ESTEC) in Stuart Bowyer, director of the Centre for The conclusions will play an important the Netherlands, and the satellite will also Extreme UV Astrophysics at the University role in Colombo's decision on whether SAX carry two Dutch wide-field cameras.) of California, Berkeley, also questions the should still go ahead - or whether, at a By 1988, when ASI took over the project value of the project. "It is hard to imagine total cost of US$400 million (considerably from Italy's National Research Council, the Europe, the US or Japan running this sort of higher than the more ambitious ROSAT, cost had risen to L478 billion, with a launch mission at the moment", he says. which cost $325 million), continuation date of 1992. The Dutch contribution had Those directly involved, however, con would be an excessive price for Italy to pay been limited to around US$35 million. tinue to defend its scientific worth. Arvind in its current economic situation. In July 1990, ASI signed a contract with Parmar, project manager of ESTEC's low Alison Abbott