No. 42 I JULY I 2019

“COLLABORATION BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SPACE AND NEW SPACE IS GOING to be very strong

JORDI PUIG-SUARI

FEATURE LATEST NEWS

EUROPEAN SUCCESS OF THE FIRST SATELLITE FEINDEF NAVIGATION SYSTEM 1 MOVING OFF THE LANDING PLATFORM

The ExoMars rover has a brand new control centre The epicentre of the action for directing Mars in one of Europe’s largest Mars yards. The Rover surface operations on Earth is at the ALTEC Operations Control Centre (ROCC) was inaugurated premises in Turin, Italy. From here, engineers and on 30 May 2019 in Turin, Italy, ahead of the rover’s scientists will work shoulder to shoulder at mission exploration adventure on the Red Planet in 2021. control, right next to a very special Mars yard.

The control centre will be the operational hub Filled with 140 tonnes of soil, the Mars-like terrain that orchestrates the roaming of the Europeanbuilt has sandy areas and rocks of various sizes that will laboratory on wheels, named after Rosalind Franklin, help rehearse possible mission scenarios. upon arrival to the martian surface on Kazachok, the Russian surface platform. Copyright: ALTEC

PHOTO: ESA

IberEspacio Tecnología Aeroespacial New Space projects in the commercial field. We are dedicating energy and innovation to offering a offering to innovation and energy field. dedicating are commercial We the in projects Space New technological contribution to creating advanced solutions based on a model constellation of nano nano of constellation model a on based solutions advanced creating to contribution technological / micro satellites that will transform the way that telecommunications work. telecommunications that way the transform will that satellites micro / - improving the tasks of earth observation through systems based on the “potential of the group” the of the on “potential based systems through observation earth of tasks the improving - - providing broadband communications, not only to areas of high density population but also the the also but population density high of areas to only not communications, broadband providing - capability, based on a constellation of nano / micro micro / nano of constellation a on capability,based satellites, will be: will satellites, systems that operate in low orbit is without doubt doubt without is orbit low in operate that systems miniscule, given that the units will end up disintegrating disintegrating up end will units the that given miniscule, in the atmosphere. the in launchers for this type of nano / micro satellites, will will satellites, micro / nano of type this for launchers allow for systems that are theoretically everlasting in in everlasting theoretically are that systems for allow providing a service. a providing - their endurance is less reliant on the resistance and durability of their components, more on the the on more components, their of durability and resistance the on reliant less is endurance their - - their coverage can range from zonal, or restricted to a precise geographical area, to global (in any any (in area, global to geographical precise a to restricted zonal, or from range coverage can their - - in their size and design (eg the type of materials), the cost of production and launching is much much is launching and production of cost the materials), of type the (eg design and size their in - traditional satellites will give way to constellations of nano and micro satellites for which the the which for satellites micro and nano of constellations to way give will satellites traditional capacities of the system are based on the group as a whole (model constellation). Replacing a a Replacing constellation). (model whole a as group the on based are system the of capacities single satellite with a network of smaller ones has a number of important advantages: advantages: important of number a has ones smaller of network a with satellite single sectors and expanding markets that encourages major efforts in Research and Development. It It Development. and in Research efforts major encourages that markets expanding and sectors also generates major investments (it is calculated that in 10 years it will be a market worth a trillion trillion a worth market a be will years it 10 in that calculated is (it investments major generates also dollars). can be said that this scenario is among those that Tecnobit – Grupo Oesía covers in the field of of field the covers in Oesía Tecnobitthat those Grupo – among is scenario this that said be can aeronautics. And in the case of deep space, it is precisely why the company has much to offer offer to much has company the why precisely is space, it deep of case the in aeronautics. And through its experience in both cases. both in experience its through standards set by international agencies like ESA and NASA), we also have the strategic desire to to desire strategic the have also NASA), ESAwe like and agencies international by set standards promote developments in the sector known as New Space. New as known sector the in developments promote (ADS) antenna array. These consisted of Control and Process Units (ICU), management system system management (ICU), Process Units and Control of array. consisted antenna These (ADS) and feed distribution units (PDU), etc. and diverse systems for micro-satellites. for systems diverse etc. (PDU), and units distribution feed and has enabled us to consolidate the company in the Space market with developments that follow follow that developments with market Space the in company the consolidate to us enabled has European Space Agency (ESA) regulations, as well as working on projects for benchmark benchmark for projects on working as well as regulations, (ESA) Agency Space European companies. successes following on from the extensive experience it has gained from decades of working on on working of decades from gained has it experience extensive the from on following successes flight electronics in the aeronautical sector. aeronautical the in electronics flight At present Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía is taking an active part in the development of major European European major of development the in part active an taking present At is Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía and its great endurance. great its and most remote ones. remote most Among examples of the future use of this type of of type this of use future the of examples Among - the generation of waste in these types of small small of types these in waste of generation the - This, together with the emergence of specific new specific of emergence the with together This, fact that the constellation can be maintained by assuming a level of repositioning that will cover will that repositioning level of a byassuming maintained be can constellation the that fact the “decommissioning” of parts of them by launching new ones to substitute them. substitute to ones new bylaunching them of parts of the “decommissioning” part of the planet) based on the number of components in the constellation. the in components of number the on based planet) the of part less, One foreseeable development of New Space bursting on to the scene is that in lower orbits orbits lower in that is scene the to on bursting Space New of development foreseeable One New Space emerged from Universities and Research Centres, and is now one of the technological technological the of one now is Research Centres, and and Universities from emerged Space New New Space focuses especially on systems that will operate in low orbits (LEO). In a way, (LEO).a In orbits it low in operate will that systems on especially focuses Space New In parallel with our activity in what is considered traditional or Classic Space (governed by the the by (governed Space Classic or traditional considered is what in activity our with parallel In Among its Space developments, Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía supplied all the electronics for the ELSA the for electronics the all supplied developments, Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía Space its Among We have the capabilities to develop equipment and solutions demanded by the sector, the by which demanded solutions and equipment develop to capabilities We the have Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía has been present in the Space sector since 2007 and has recorded various various recorded has and 2007 since sector Space the in present been has Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía THE NEWFRONTIERFORSTATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES ENCOURAGES MAJOR EFFORTS IN IN EFFORTS MAJOR ENCOURAGES AND EXPANDING MARKETS THAT THAT MARKETS EXPANDING AND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. DEVELOPMENT. AND RESEARCH THE TECHNOLOGICAL SECTORS SECTORS TECHNOLOGICAL THE NEW SPACE IS NOW ONE OF OF ONE NOW IS SPACE NEW IT ALSO GENERATES MAJOR MAJOR GENERATES ALSO IT “NEW SPACE”, “NEW SPACE”, INVESTMENTS TECNOBIT-GRUPO OESÍA PRESIDENT Luis Furnells EDITORIALEDITORIAL EDITORIAL 39 03 “New Space”, the new frontier for state of the art LATEST NEWS technology companies Luis Furnells. President. Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía

INTERVIEW 06 Jordi Puig-Suari “Collaboration between traditional Space and New Space is going to be very strong”

FEATURE 12 European satellite navigation system

OP-ED 21 BLACK HOLE Science correspondent at RTVE and Director of

SUMMARY the programme ASTRO24 INTERVIEW

SPACE OVER TIME 22 El Arenosillo A sentimental story by Álvaro Azcárraga

NEW SPACE 30 MADE IN SPAIN

32 LATEST NEWS • Sucess of the first FEINDEF • Hisdesat designates AIRBUS and THALES ALENIA SPACE to build SPAINSAT NG satellites • Preparing for the launch of UPMSAT-2 • CHEOPS: ready to fly MOMENTS • The first space walk for women will have to wait • Discover ESA, united space in Europe • El satélite español SEOSAT-INGENIO bajo la órbita de VEGA • Tenth anniversary of the pilot plant MELISSA • Black hole photo • Last image from the rover OPPORTUNITY on Mars • SMOS, MARS EXPRESS and JUICE: a mission in common • The Barbie version of astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti INFORMATION MEDIUM ON TEDAE’S SPACE COMPANIES:

Airbus DS, ALTER Technology, ARQUIMEA, Crisa (Airbus DS), DAS Photonics, NEW FLASHES Elecnor DEIMOS, DEIMOS Imaging, GMV, 39 INFORMATION ON TEDAE’S SPACE GTD, Hisdesat, Hispasat, HV Sistemas, COMPANIESCOMPANIES IberEspacio, Indra, PLD Space, SENER, Tecnalia, Telespazio Ibérica, Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía and Thales Alenia Space España

4 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 39 31 NEW SPACE MADE IN SPAIN

38 24 LATEST NEWS SPACE OVER TIME

06

12 21 FEATURE OP-ED

32

WRITING STAFF: EDITORIAL BOARD: LAYOUT: Silvia Beltrán, Oihana Casas, Teresa Alejos, Sofía Alfaro, Iñaki Latasa, Francisco Victoria Álvarez, Marcia Ismael Sánchez de la Blanca Lechón, Araceli Serrano and Arizaga, Torcuato Battaglia, (ART DIRECTOR), Rosana Antonio Tovar Oriol Casas, Raquel Chivato, Apruzzese, Raquel Arroyo Mireia Colina, David Manuel and Adrián Díaz COORDINATOR: César Ramos Fernández, Pilar García, Marta Jimeno, Sara Lanchas, Mar Quarterly edition - digital PUBLISHER: Begoña Francoy López, Cristina Pérez, Valentín and printed. Polo, Pedro Rodrigo, Lorena Legal deposit ISSN 2254- Santos, Lucía Senchermes, 9692 Lucila Taddei, Ignacio Tourné M-46591-2004 and Victoria Velasco Printed by Expomark 5 interview

Jordi Puig-Suari

THE FASTEST PROCESSES THAT I KNOW OF HAVE BEEN SIX MONTHS, FROM CONTRACT TO FLIGHT, SOMETHING THAT WAS UNTHINKABLE BEFORE.”

6 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 “Collaboration between traditional Space and New Space is going to be very strong”

Jordi Puig-Suari, aerospace engineer and professor along with Bob Twiggs- a concept satellite that is at Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University), revolutionising the Space sector, the CubeSat, and has been a lover of aircraft ever since he was little the new idea that people now have of him, known and aspired to designing a screw that flies before as New Space. he dies. He hasn’t done that, but he has invented –

to do it in international units, not in inches, so that students in the United States learn in HOW DID THE CUBESAT CONCEPT COME ABOUT? centímetres.

CUBESAT IS BASED ON THE IDEA of “democratization of Space”. I grew up in a country where at the time Space was inaccessible, and HOW LONG DID YOU TAKE IN MAKING THE look what’s happened there. I was speaking with FIRST ONE? a young guy from the Ivory Coast who is studying in South Africa and has built a satellite, something The idea of the standard came out at the end of that before would have been impossible and 1999. We had already spent six months thinking know that I am in part responsible for this about the idea of the 10 cm and there were people happening on a global scale. That someone in getting started, but we still did not know how we Vigo says: “Listen, at the University of Vigo we were going to launch parts of the standard. The make satellites and before nobody would have first 10 years were a test, changing ideas. So we’ve thought it.” For me the satisfaction is obvious. spent almost 20 years doing it and the first to be The concept goes back quite a few years. Bob launched were in 2003. The fastest processes that and I wanted to teach students how to create I know of have been six months, from contract to something that is very small and simple and flight, something that was unthinkable before. that can be used to launch satellites and do the With Cubesat the principal standard is 10x10x10 engineering systems and be present in the whole cm, plus the millímetres that separate them. process from design to launch. All this we noted Picosat is up to 1 kg and Nanosat up to 10 kg. down on a paper napkin that I think I still have a Minisat is up to a thousand and microsat up to a photocopy of, the one I sent to Bob to hang on to hundred. With the small ones, nobody thought we the idea. We first thought of making one up to a could do anything. But there are many satellites maximum of one kilo (a PicoSat is up to a kilo) of 20 or 30. That is much much smaller than one and we said that if we are going to make a kilo of 100 and nobody calls them micro – they are that is a litre. Then out came the numbers and nanosats. finally it was 10x10x10. What’s more, we wanted

7 interview

in sytems engineering. I wanted to make things, not do analyses. HOW DID TWO PROFESSORS HOW DID YOU ARRIVE AT WHERE YOU People were starting to talk about ARE NOW? nano-satellites, of making a chip FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS GET TO and putting it in the satellite. And COLLABORATE? Space was never on my options list that interested me a lot. I went to because in the ‘80s in Spain the idea the University of Arizona, where they It’s a very interesting story. Bob told of Space was scant. I started studying were making one of the smallest of me how he was making large satellites in Barcelona and an opportunity satellites. I came a cropper because but he wanted to do a project where arose for me in the United States, in the students kept on changing and he could add on a small satellite that Indiana. I finished my studies there we did not know when we were would be launched from the big one. and to validate my degree in Spain going to be able to launch what And he asked me: “Are you up for I had to do a master’s, so I stayed a we were working on. In Cal Poly an making the small one?” I dared to do few more years, giving classes at the aerospace school was starting up it because it was only batteries and it university, doing research. During and they wanted to hire someone to was going to be something very small my doctorate I was very interested set it up from scratch. The mentality - although it was a project that was at Cal Poly was “if you want to learn cancelled. I had already set up a team something, you have to do it”, and of students who, without me realizing I plunged into the project. Then I it, had started to come from other arms met up with Bob Twiggs, from the of engineering - manufacturacing, University of Stanford, and we mechanical, electronics -, attracted by began a project together. And what the others were doing. One day I that’s where it all began. had to tell them that the project had been cancelled because of a cut in the

budget, but the students didn’t give up and continued with the idea. That is where the students began to design the pit-boat. Finally they presented it for a student competition and came second, which is not bad. What Bob and I did was to standardize it. We didn’t have any more time or money, and we remained faithful to the idea from the very start. As a matter of fact people from the sector, including from NASA, have recognized that.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE NEW SPACE?

Everyone has his or her own definition but really it’s a philosophy. It’s not a technology, it’s not a device, it’s a way of making Space different. Assuming more risks, being more open to new technology that comes from other

MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42

8 industries, that don’t come from you can buy an onboard computer Space. It has been a tool for change. for CubeSat. They can even deliver it We started out trying to make Space to you via Amazon. IT LOOKS TO BE ALL PROS, BUT WHAT more agile, cheaper and to have a ARE THE CONS? greater presence in the commercial Space garbage is something that could sector, and the result was “New HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM be a problem and we have to solve it Space”. The idea that people usually TRADITIONAL SPACE? and do things well. Another is the level have is that it is Space companies of frequencies. If there starts to be a lot financed by investment from Silicon The fundamental one is the capacity of satellites there can be interference Valley, a thing that is more modern to accept risks. Now we say “it may and one has to think about how to and aggressive. Or, like Google and not work” but we try. In traditional handle it correctly. The same goes for Apple, that world translated to Space you are making perfectly security levels. Everybody can make Space. And that is a way of seeing structured spacecraft, but they are them and people who before didn’t it, but it overlooks the technological very big, very expensive and not have the capability to launch a satellite question in which there is also a many are made. So you spend 10 now do. Another thing that I don’t see change. years making a satellite that is half as a disadvantage but is a problem is of your career and it has to work. that with many of the regulations and Industry sees it as a problem. They processes for obtaining frequencies have the mentality that “you cannot the permits were designed when we WHAT IS THE SPECÍFIC TECHNOLOGY fly anything that has not flown.” So were launching three or four satellites. OF NEW SPACE? we cannot fly anything that is new The infrastructure, the number of The technology of New Space is and we stall. The commercial sector people you have working on it and to go “robbing” the best of all the of traditional Space was much more the requirements for documentation rest and taking advantage of Intel, aggressive than governments. are designed for much longer periods. Microsoft and Apple spending We have found that you can make a thousands of millions developing satellite faster than it takes to obtain new systems that we normally do the permits to launch it. As a matter not use in Space, because they were ARE TRADITIONAL SPACE AND NEW of fact this matter is speeding up on not designed for Space. But they are a global scale. It was seen that things super powerful and improving very SPACE COMPLEMENTARY? had to change, but governments are quickly. It happens that many years When we started all this those slow. back Space and the commercial who made CubeSats thought sector were more or less in step. But they could do everything with when the commercial sector started them. And those that made large to accelerate, Space did not invest satellites, on the other hand, sufficiently and we began to pick up thought that the small ones could SPACE GARBAGE IS ideas and technologíes from other do nothing. But neither of their SOMETHING THAT COULD fields. assertions was correct. CubeSats BE A PROBLEM AND WE or small satellites can do many things, but it is better to make it HAVE TO SOLVE IT AND DO bigger because you can do more DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU USE things, because we cannot do it all. THINGS WELL” TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD BE BOUGHT So the big satellite makers have accepted that there are things DIRECTLY FROM A SHOP? that, yes, you can do, and others That’s the way it is, even more you cannot. That is when they WHAT SORT OF THINGS ARE so because what people do is started to talk about a need for CUBESATS USED FOR? use specífic chips from other a combination. There has been a technologies, design a plate change in mentality and I believe In general terms a CubeSat does the specifically for Space and then this that collaboration is going to be same as other satellites: observation plate is on sale. Go into the web and very strong. of Earth, communications, scientific 9 interview

research, looking at the weather, you are an insurance company and a 3U (three unit) scientific CubeSat, going to Mars…the difference is that it there’s a flood and somebody tells you that can do some really interesting doesn’t do it in the same way. You have they had a house with a garage behind. things, the budgets work out at about smaller capabilities than you have with You ask yourself if it was there before a million dollars – that’s for three years larger satellites. They are made in less the flood, so you can call up the photo including its flight, data collecting time with less reliability and with less from the day before and check it out. and all the rest. So a satellite for a precision. If you are making an Earth The other important feature is that the million dollars does not compute with observation in the way they are done cost is lower. what we did before. And that is for a with large satellites, temporarily it is not scientific satellite, with all its scientific fast. For example, Planet is developing instruments. satellites that take photos at a lower resolution but produce a photo every WHAT SORT OF SCALES ARE WE day of any part of the world. It changes TALKING ABOUT? the potential of the application. It HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THESE takes photos even if nobody wants It depends. To understand this the cost them and has a data base in which of a CubeSat is a percentage of “x”, CHANGES TO THE AVERAGE PERSON? there is a photo of Earth every day. You which is the value of a large satellite. There are various aspects to the can even travel back to the past. If there As an example, the Marco A and Marco problem, one of which is that is much was a natural disaster in a spot where B satellites that went to Mars with more accessible. Many people talk nobody was taking photos – because it NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory cost of democratizing Space to a level at is very remote, poor – everybody would less than 50 million, dozens of millions which more people can do it. Today we be taking photos after the catastrophe. of dollars to launch two small satellites have many universities and we have But Planet will have photos from to Mars that didn’t do much. That’s to the students that are starting out and beforehand to make it possible to say it’s really between 7 and 10% of want to build a satellite, something compare the before and after scenes. the costs of the missions to Mars that that was unthinkable before. Moreover, And in the market place, if for example usually cost hundreds of millions. With satellites and Space applications

THE CHIPS, THE PROTOCOLS, THE SOFTWARE, ALL OF THIS IS MOVING ALONG SO QUICKLY AND IS WHAT BENEFITS ME WHEN I MAKE SATELLITES”

10 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 affect everybody and every day CubeSat – are in the connections than a technological one. Because and that is something that people between the electronics, the software, there they understand, they invest, are not aware of. Studies show that the mechanics and the power system. they take risks: students know how almost 100% of industry and other So the idea was to create systems to to set up a company. At the moment sectors of the economy benefit from link them all. On an educational level things are changing so rapidly and Space, from a GPS location to satellite they are projects that are not solely there are so many new ideas that photos. Practically everybody makes about Space, so they help you learn to nobody is very far behind. use of a satellite every day even if connect threads that normally are not they don’t know it. No longer is it just connected. We need to explain better the multinational companies that can that traditional universities have to access the services of satellites, and learn from some of these universities that has changed. that are starting to do it and are WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP proving very effective. BETWEEN 5G TECHNOLOGY AND NEW SPACE? WHAT SHOULD SPANISH What is important is that just a short UNIVERSITIES BE LEARNING FROM HOW MANY YEARS ADVANTAGE DOES time ago we started out on 4G and FOREIGN ONES? now we are on to 5G, and that is THE USA HAVE IN NEW SPACE? the technology that I am going to That is a very interesting question. use. The chips, the protocols, the Not that many, because New Space is Universities have always been software, all of this is moving along not very old. We have taken 20 years, developed on a level of departments, so quickly and is what benefits me but the first 10 passed in convincing schools, telecoms, industrials, when I make satellites. It’s not that mechanics…And many of the people about what can be done. In I use it in exactly the same way but I problems and difficulties in the real reality we are talking about five or six move at the same speed as they do. world – and which is why we started years. Yes, they have an advantage, but it is a philosophical one rather

CUBESATS AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

11 feature EUROPEAN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

European NAVIGATION satellite SYSTEM THE CENTRES IN SPAIN

GALILEO IS THE EUROPEAN UNION’S GLOBAL Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), providing precise information for location and for time, and has a significant positive impact for both European and global users. Its goal is to guarantee the EU’s autonomy in the field of satellite navigation and at the same time to help promote Europe’s industrial fabric in this rapidly expanding market and create a large number of high quality added value jobs.

12 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 “GALILEO COMPLEMENTS EXISTING OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION GNSS SYSTEMS: THE GPS FROM THE UNITED STATES, GLONASS FROM RUSSIA AND CHINA’S BEIDOU”

Galileo complements existing or under to rely on non civilian GPS and GLONASS signals. construction GNSS systems: the GPS from the With Galileo they now have a new and reliable United States, GLONASS from Russia and China’s alternative that unlike other programmes is under BeiDou. There are also various regional systems exclusive civilian control. [RNSS], the main ones being those developed for Japan and India. Until now GNSS users have had All these GNSS are inter compatible. That’s to say they don’t interfere with each other and are also interoperable, which enables users of standard GNSS receivers to use different systems at the same time. This enables them to benefit from a higher level of service and features, no matter which coverage area they are in.

The features of a GNSS can be evaluated using four criteria: precision, integrity, continuity and availability.

These features can be improved by using regional Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as Europe’s EGNOS [European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service], which increases both the precision and reliability of the information originating from the GNSS, correcting measuring errors in the signal and providing information related to integrity (that is, a guarantee of correction) of the original signal.

Spain’s Space industry is broadly represented in the European Union’s GNSS in both the ground and flight segments.

Galileo satellite separating in the final launch phase of a Soyuz probe

13 feature EUROPEAN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

CURRENT STATE OF THE EUROPEAN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM [E-GNSS]

The E-GNSS are two Germain-en-Laye, Paris) and various high performance serices programmes of the European Spain (San Martín de la Vega, on a global scale: Commission, that are managed Madrid); a Reference Service by the GSA, the European Agency Provider (GRSP) centre; a Time Open Service (OS) for Satellite Navigation Systems, Service Provider (TSP) centre；a based in Prague, and the ESA, the Search and Rescue Service High Accuracy Service (HAS) European Space Agency. Provider centre [SAR/Galileo Data Service Provider – SGDSP] located Authentication Service (of the in Toulouse (France); and the navigation message, OS-NMA, independent monitoring centre, and the signal ( SAS)) Galileo System Galileo Reference Centre (GRC), in Noordwijk (Netherlands). Public Regulated Service The start of the Galileo (PRS) System dates back to 1999 Terrestrial components of the when the European Commission system include infrastructure Search and Rescue Service presented the project as a major deployed right around the planet. (SAR) commitment by the EU. The first Currently there are: Galileo satellite – an experimental one – went into orbit in 2005 16 Galileo Sensor Stations with the first operational one (GSS), that receive and being launched in 2011. So far 26 send out in real time system satellites have been launched, 24 measurements and signal data of which are operative and two are (SIS) to the Galileo Control being tested. Centres (GCC).

The 30 satellites for the 5 Galileo Uplink Stations constellation will be complete by (ULS), that distribute and send the end of 2021, while the process out mission data to the Galileo for defining the second generation satellite constellation. is now under way. 5 Telemetry, Tracking & The ground structure is Control stations (TT&C), complex and includes two control that register and send out centres [GCC], in Germany telemetry data generated by (Oberpfaffenhofen) and in Italy the satellites and distribute (Fucino); a service centre for control commands to carry out Galileo users (GSC) in Spain maintenance operations in the (Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid); an in constellation. orbit test centre in Belgium (Redu- RSS); two security monitoring Once it is declared fully operative centres (GSMC), in France (St. (FOC) the Galileo system will offer

14 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 FIGURE 1- ARCHITECTURE OF THE GALILEO/ FOC SYSTEM [SOURCE GSA]

5 TT&C STATIONS USERS & SERVICES PROVIDES 9 MISSION UPLINK CONSTELLATION OF STATIONS 30 MEO SATELLITES

30-40 GALILEO EUROPEAN CONTROL SENSOR STATIONS CENTRES

There are also plans for providing December 2016. Since then the user services for distributing Emergency service centre located in Spain –GSC- has Warnings (EWS) and facilities for been publishing quarterly reports on the developing ‘safety-of-life’ (SoL) security performance statistics of both services. applications. The results show that the system has surpassed the goals specified for both The European GNSS Agency (GSA) services. (Source: Galileo Public Report announced the start of the Galileo © European Union, 2018”). System services for OS and SAR in

15 feature EUROPEAN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

EGNOS System

The EGNOS (European – and its operations were put in service provision contract. The Geostationary Navigation Overlay the hands of the company ESSP, contract runs until the end of Service), as we mentioned still the supplier for the EGNOS 2021. earlier, is the European regional service. augmentation system based Functioning of EGNOS and its on satellites (SBAS). It is used In 2011 the EGNOS Safety of Life services for enhancing features of the (SoL) service was declared open constellations such as the GPS after obtaining certification of the EGNOS augments the civil and in the future it will include that signal for its use in aviation. In signal GPS L1 (1575.42 MHz) of Galileo. EGNOS was set up and 2014 the European Commission (C/A), carrying out corrections in deployed to provide SOL (Safety delegated the operating of EGNOS the following sources that affect of Life) services for aviation, the to the GSA. the pseudo ranges of GPS: errors maritime sector and for ground in the positions of satellites, in transport. From 2022 it is expected that their clocks and errors introduced the new version of the system, from the ionosphere. EGNOS uses the GNSS currently in development measurements taken by high and known as EGNOS v3, will EGNOS messages are precision geo reference stations augment not only signals from retransmitted to users via two – known as RIMS (Ranging and the GPS system but also from geostationary satellites. The Integrity Monitoring Stations)- Galileo. information provided by EGNOS improves the accuracy and The EGNOS programme is reliability of the GNSS positioning “EGNOS MESSAGES ARE RETRANSMITTED TO USERS managed by two entities: at the same time as supplying a VIA TWO GEOSTATIONARY true message (information about SATELLITES.” The European Commission errors and the probability of them (EC): is the administrator of occurring). which are deployed all around the EGNOS system, which is Europe and north Africa. These owned by the EU. EGNOS also transmits a precise measurements are then passed time signal. EGNOS is designed on to a calculation centre where The European Space Agency to be interoperable with other they work out the correction (ESA): led the development Augmentation Systems based in differentials and the integrity of the EGNOS system in the satellites –SBAS-, such as WAAS messages. These are then past and is now the body from the US and India’s GAGAN. transmitted throughout the designated by the EC to design The coverage area for EGNOS is all coverage area using geostationary developments for the system. of Europe. At the moment, EGNOS satellites, augmenting the original provides three services: GNSS messages. The European GNSS (GSA) Agency: is in charge of managing 1. Open Service (OS): Its main The EGNOS the EGNOS programme, its objective is to improve the Programme operations and exploitation, as precision of the GPS signal. well as the development and The EGNOS Programme promotion of its services. 2. Safety of Life (SoL) Service: was launched by the European This service provides the Commission in 1994 and began European Satellite Services highest standards of features operating in 2001 with the 2.1 Provider (ESSP): The company for users of the security version of the system. In 2009 is the current supplier of positioning services and has the first EGNOS service was EGNOS services, ever since been designed to support announced –the Open Service OS the GSA awarded it the operations for the guiding in

16 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 and landing of civilian aircraft up Components of Land Earth Stations) and the to LPV[Localiser Performance the System communications network with Vertical guidance]. EWAN [EGNOS Wide Area • Space segment: is made up of Network]. It should be 3. EGNOS Data Access Service three geostationary satellites highlighted that within each (EDAS): This service provides that emit corrections and MCC is a Central Processing GNSS and EGNOS data via an information integrity in the Facility (CPF) which is the internet communication service L1 frequency band: two are calculating module for working in real time, as well as details of operational and one is testing. out corrections and the residual FTPP data. It is the only point errors that stem from them. of access to the EGNOS data • The land segment consists generated by the land based of a network of reference infrastructure. The service has stations (Ranging Integrity been available since 26 July Monitoring Stations, RIMS), 2012. two Mission Control Centres (MCCs), six NLES (Navigation

COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM

GEO GPS

SPACE SEGMENT SPACE NLES RIMS Navigation Ranging & Integrity Land Earth Monitoring Stations Stations USER SEGMENTS

EWAN (EGNOS WIDE AREA NETWORK)

GROUND SEGMENT Perfonmance Assessment PACF and Check-out Facility MCC Mission Control Application Specific Centres ASQF Qualification Facility

17 feature EUROPEAN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

GALILEO SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS IN SPAIN

Services Centre GNSS - GSC

Spain has the Loyola de Palacio GNSS (GSC) Service Centre which is located at the INTA complex in Torrejón de Ardoz, in the Comunidad de Madrid region.

This centre is the sole interface for all users at a global level of the Open Service (OS). It supports the SAR- Search and Rescue segment – that has been operational since December 2016, and which in the future will manage operations for the High Accuracy (HAS) and authentication (OS-NMA) services.

Operations oriented in support of the user community

The operation and maintenance services of the GSC are completely integrated in the processes of the system operator (GSOp, Galileo Service Operator). The GSC is the integrated service interface for Figures 2 - 3: Entrance to the GSC and front view of the GSC - INTA. the user community and covers the administration of the web portal, the user help line service, NMA) services through a physical roads, maritime, aviation and technical support and evaluation link at the centre. synchronization) through the of the service’s performance. It also promotion and development of informs users of manouevres and Operations and service processes applications and services. availability of the satellites (NAGU). implemented at the GSC are continually being updated, based Within the scope of the GSOp on the premise of maintaining contract, which was adjudicated to “THE GOAL OF THE GSC TEAM IS customer satisfaction and Spaceopal GmbH (JV Telespazio, TO IMPROVE THE POSITIONING increasing the quality of support DLR/Gfr), the Spanish companies OF GALILEO AS A KEY GNSS services for the user. and entities that provide services SYSTEM IN THE MARKET” for the GSC are:Telespazio Ibérica, The goal of the GSC team is INECO, ISDEFE, INTA, GMV, INDRA to improve the positioning of and Deimos. Developments for the Galileo Galileo as a key GNSS system in system are scheduled to include the market, promoting its services the incorporation of High Accuracy for incorporating new domains (HAS) and Autentication (OS- of user segments (e.g. railways,

18 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 The Galileo Security Centre - GSMC

The Security Monitoring Centre The infrastructure that the GSA has cryptographics and with central [GSMC] represents a critical piece been allotted by INTA is provisional, components of Galileo for of infrastructure within the Galileo with Spain committed to delivering a administering signals /messages system. Its objective is to oversee definitive GSMC installation, one that connected with satellites. the security of the system in line with is currently under construction near the bases of the programme and the current complex. Implementation of ‘joint action’ the satellite navigation services for instructions’: In the case of a users in the public sector. It has an This new centre represents an security threat to the European important role in managing access to opportunity and strengthens Spain’s Union or a member state deriving the Public Regulated Service [PRS], presence in a European Satellite from the operation or use of the one of the five services provided by Navigation System (E-GNSS) that system, or in the case of a threat Galileo, which is used by customers brings with it strategic advantages. to the functioning of the system in the security and defence sector These will improve the country’s itself, in particular resulting (Police, Customs, Defence, Civil positioning in the programme from an international crisis, the Protection, etc.). and should translate to a bigger board, by unanimous decision, participation by Spanish industry in will decide on the necessary Spain has received the backing of high value technological contracts instructions for the GSA and the the EU to host this centre which was and the consolidation of national concessionaire of the system. originally installed at Swanwick in the know-how and technology, especially United Kingdom.. As a consequence in the field of GNSS security services. Supplying the PRS service of Brexit, it was decided to transfer and Galileo with expertise and the facility, to keep it within the EU. The GSMC has the following capability analysis in the field of functions: security. The installations are located within the INTA complex of “La Marañosa” Monitoring security: The GSMC The Spanish companies and at San Martín de la Vega, near Madrid, monitors and takes action in areas entities that provide services are: and function as a support for the related to security threats and GMV, Indra, Deimos… GSMC Centre which is situated near alerts, and the operational state Paris. of the system’s components.

The provisionary installations Management of have now been handed over to PRS access at the GSA – the European Agency systems level: The for Satellite Navigation Systems. GSMC guarantees The event took place on 14 April, that the confidential presided over by the Minister of information related Defence, Margarita Robles. She to the Public was accompanied among others Regulated Service by the UE’s director of programmes (PRS) is properly for satellite navigation, Matthias administered and Petschke; the executive director of protected and that the GSA, Carlo deDorides, and the the Operations deputy director of Land Systems at Centre of Galileo INTA, General Manfredo Monforte. is not put at risk. Figure 4 - GSMC: visit of the Minister of Defence Mr Petschke said he was convinced The GSMC serves as an accompanied by the Director General of the National of the “high level of service” that interface with government Institute of Aerospace Technology, Lieutenant General José María Salom, and the Director of the GSMC the installations at INTA will offer entities (through located in France, Philippe Rosius. Source: Ministry of (http://www.defensa.gob.es/ platforms of computerized Defence. gabinete/notasPrensa/2019/04/ points of contact - POCP) DGC-190411.html). for the requests of key

19 feature EUROPEAN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

ESP – EGNOS Services Provision Centre

The EGNOS Services Provision Centre is based at Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) in a building within the complex of the ENAIRE Air Traffic Control Centre that borders the Torrejón Air Base.

ESSP SAS, which manages the EGNOS services, is a limited company which has its headquarters in Toulouse, where the Operations, Engineering and Security units are based. Figure 5: ESSP – The ENAIRE Air Traffic Control Centre on the road to the Air Base at Its Spanish subsidiary includes Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid. [Source: Google] the Service, Provision and Promotion units. ESSP has seven and some neighbouring regions. SD&A - [Service Development shareholders that are suppliers of Other countries that have already and Adoption]: Development air navigation services. implemented or are developing and adoption of EGNOS their own augmentation systems services, promoting its benefits The SBAS augmentation are the United States, Japan, India, in different segments of the services use GNSS measurements China, South Korea and Russia. market (Aviation, Maritime, registered by high precision SBAS is essential for applications Railways, Agriculture, where precision and integrity Cartography). are critical. In particular, SBAS is “SEVERAL COUNTRIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED THEIR OWN indispensable in situations where UPM - [User performance AUGMENTATION SYSTEMS [SBAS]. human lives are at risk or where monitoring]: Monitoring the EUROPE HAS DEPLOYED EGNOS GNSS is being used to provide performance, guaranteeing WHICH COVERS MOST OF THE a form of legal or commercial transparent information and EU AND SOME NEIGHBOURING guarantee. alert services on the outputs of REGIONS” EGNOS for its users, including For example, in the aviation NOTAM hazard notices for the sector, GPS does not meet the aviation sector. benchmark stations that are strict operational requirements deployed throughout the continent of the International Civil Aviation US - [User support]: To provide and in neighbouring regions. All Organization (ICAO) for use in EGNOS users with technical the error measurements from the important stages of a flight such asssessments via a 24/7 GNSS signals are transferred to a as the final focus. However, with assistance service, a web central computer bank where the the addition of SBAS, the ICAO site dedicated to helping the differential corrections are carried standards are met. Beyond the user and issuing notifications out and integrity messages are aviation sector, SBSS improves on the state of the service. generated. The data they generate and broadens the reach of GNSS Users are also kept up to is transmitted to the EGNOS applications such as precision date on improvements to and coverage area using geostationary agriculture, the management of developments of the service. satellites that augment the original vehicle fleets on the road and message from the GNSS system. geodesy, to name just a few. EDAS - [EGNOS DATA ACCESS SYSTEM]: Supplying registered Several countries have ESSP carries out the following users in real time via Internet implemented their own activities at the Torrejón service with GNSS data that has not augmentation systems [SBAS]. centre to support EGNOS users in been processed and with Europe has deployed EGNOS its different domains: messages from EGNOS. which covers most of the EU

20 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 op-ed BLACK HOLE “To the camera no… I am not talking to camera” a specialist researcher in biodiversity tells me when we start to set up the equipment for the interview. He catches me by surprise and I let out a little laugh of disbelief. “Afterwards you put in some 10 second comments and headline them however you want,” he continues. “I will tell you all you want, but not to camera”.

who regarded journalists as little more than halfwits. He decided the best thing to do was to give them the news already edited and would not allow them access to the sources (the researchers), or if he did CARLOS so reluctantly and well supervised. RUSCALLEDA The question is no better when seen from the other side. Doing scientific news has for many years SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT been like chasing neutrinos in a quantum world. AT RTVE AND DIRECTOR There was only one thing worse than interviewing a researcher; talking with a technician. Usually OF THE PROGRAMME you come out more confused and perplexed than ASTRO24 before you started your questions. Some colleagues go straight to the root of the problem. “Let’s see, you tell me this” – and, yes, they told the interviewee what he had to say - “and in less than 12 seconds”.

Fortunately Microsoft invented PowerPoint, This scene illustrates the distrust that many scientists started to emerge from their laboratories, scientísts and technicians still have towards the to present projects and give conferences, and media, especially TV. And it’s not an unusual they have ended up taking part in monologue reaction. At times we give them more than enough competitions and creating their own Youtube reasons to clam up in unison. channel. Parallel to this, the major institutions and companies set up press offices and the media If the radar on the Mars Express detects signs of began training journalists who specialize in science liquid water under the surface of Mars we headline and technology, offering courses and chats for it: “Lake of liquid water on Mars” when in reality it’s scientists to bring them closer to the reality of work a salty mud. Then NASA suspends the first space in a newsroom. And so with time and a few fits and walk led by women: “There are no clothes for them”; starts we have all been polishing the edges, ironing and if radio signals are detected at a billion and a out differences and overcoming mix ups. half light years away: “Extraterrestrial radio signals.” – (Put on some film clip says the boss, that always I think the essence of scientific communication goes down well.) Sometimes it’s an incendiary is clarity in its explanation. If before giving the OK scientist who lights the fuse. “Oumuamua could to your piece the editor asks you “So the lake is be an alien spaceship” says a leading researcher at líquid water?”, better that you bin it and start again. Harvard and everybody dives in. Scientists complain that we force them to renounce any complexity and to speak in metaphors for those Pieces of information like these that are treated that are not so gifted. I remember the problems lightly contribute to reopening the black hole of Peter Higgs had in explaining his famous boson. incomprehension between scientists and the I didn’t even try to; neither do I believe it’s my media that it has cost so much to close (and then mission. I settle for saying how he won the Nobel only part way). I knew a mathematician, head of Prize in 2012 and perhaps awakening the curiosity communication at a leading scientific institution, of a viewer, to keep him enquiring. 21 SPACE OVER TIME

El Arenosillo is a modern missile to equip the site and cover the first experimental centre in Huelva launches. The other, the Programme province. Previously known as for Long Term Cooperation with Cedea, it is accountable to the Sub- NASA, was for scientific experiments directorate for Experimentation and to be performed at the test field. Certification at Spain’s National With the short term programme both Institute of Aerospace Technology institutions recognized their mutual (INTA). interests in carrying out a cooperative project to glean weather information In 1966, NASA and CONIE – the from a high altitude above Spain National Comission for Space and to test and evaluate equipment Research – signed two agreements. and techniques for using survey One was called the Programme for rockets to carry out meteorological Short Term Cooperation with NASA, observations. El Arenosillo

It was from here that the future El 30 to 60 kilometres. What was expected Arenosillo, the one that we know today, from all this was to gather data that would was born. The Booster-Dart and Arcas provide information on the dynamics of type rockets would be the first to be atmosphere circulation for use in studying launched to obtain overview data on winds, meteorology and the atmospheres of temperatures and pressures at altitudes of planets.

FOTOS CEDIDAS POR MARIANO VÁZQUEZ VELASCO, AUTOR DEL LIBRO “DE EL ARENOSILLO AL CEDEA” “DE EL ARENOSILLO DEL LIBRO AUTOR VELASCO, MARIANO VÁZQUEZ POR CEDIDAS FOTOS

THE LAUNCH SITE OF EL ARENOSILLO WAS GIVEN THE GO-AHEAD TO BEGIN OPERATING ON 1 OCTOBER 1966, AND CARRIED OUT ITS FIRST LAUNCH UNDER THE ORDERS OF ÁLVARO AZCÁRRAGA ON 15 OCTOBER

22 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 At the end of 1964, studies the orders of Álvaro Azcárraga wind direction and speed as began to choose a place for on 15 October, with great well as the temperature of the the launch site and the types expectations and a satisfactory atmosphere in the test zones. It of rocket to be used and the outcome. That first launch was was a one stage craft, made up necessary equipment. These made with a Skua rocket, the of a solid fuel Judi engine and an were entrusted to INTA and the first in a family of survey rockets inert stretched body, the Dart. recently created Department built by the British BAJ. Over This carried the payload, as well of Advanced Studies, headed time its four models would be as a delayed pyrotechnic system by Segismundo Sanz Aránguez. launched from El Arenosillo. for initiating a cargo ejection, one They in turn tasked the job to the These rockets consisted of a that would separate the cargo aeronautical engineers Álvaro main motor, the Bantam, and – depending on the type being Azcárraga and Pedro Sanz- an accelerator system made up carried – between 90 and 115 Aránguez, who had completed of a variable number of booster seconds after the moment of their training in the United States motors, the Chicks, depending lift-off. and who relied on support from on the version used and the staff in other departments at activities it needed to carry out The first CONIE-NASA INTA. It was decided that the (at altitudes of between 70 and Cooperative Meteorological ideal area would be in the south 110 kms) with payloads of up to Programme envisaged the of Spain, based on the technical 15 kgs. With these four models launch of five Skua and 12 Judi- and operative conditions of the the direction of the rocket was Dart, with the aim of measuring project. The final setting chosen governed by the draft of the fins, the temperature and the speed was a forested area near the Pico which could not be modified. and direction of the wind in the del Loro hill, the Arenosillo gully, The first launch went up to an atmosphere at an altitude of and the beach at Mazagón in the altitude of more than 60 kms. between 20 and 70 kms (at province of Huelva. Then they did two more with that time meteorological interest Judi- Dart rockets that reached reached up to 70 kms). FIRST 55 kms. The Judi-Dart was the LAUNCHES first of the HASP (High Altitude The second Skua launch was Sounding Projectile) rockets not as satisfactory as the first. The launch site of El Arenosillo launched from El Arenosillo as Because of a mechanical fault was given the go-ahead to begin part of the first CONIE-NASA in the launch ramp it lifted off operating on 1 October 1966, and meteorological campaign. They on an unstable trajectory and carried out its first launch under could be used to ascertain crashed a few hundred metres

PREPARING THE SITE. LAYING OF CABLES AND FIRST CONSTRUCTION. PHOTO SUPPLIED BY ANTONIO GARCÍA LÓPEZ

23 SPACE OVER TIME

from the ramp. As it did so it passed suspended while a commission the causes. The launch ramp was between the control centre and was set up of weapons experts redesigned and two test firings radars, posing a big danger to the Victoriano López and Pedro were carried out at a British Army site staff and visitors that day. Sánchez, technical engineer Luis base in the Outer Hebrides islands Casado, and Mariano Vázquez off Scotland. Once these were After what happened, activities at Velasco who was seconded to successfully completed, launches the launch site were immediately the United Kingdom, to clarify restarted at El Arenosillo.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

After the first international presentation of data from El Arenosillo, in Prague, hundreds of launches were carried out. One of the major highlights that now forms part of its history was the placing in orbit of the satellite Intasat, the first from INTA and also the first that Spain put into Space, as El

Arenosillo became one of the receiving points for A SPECIAL DAY: scientific data. FIRST OFFICIAL LAUNCH, ISDE OCTOBER 1966

14 OCTOBER 1966, THE FIRST SKUA ARRIVES ON SITE

14 OCTOBER 1966, ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST SKUA. FROM LEFT: VICENTE CONTRERAS, FRANCISCO RABADÁN, ADOLFO ABAD, ÁNGEL DELGADO, JOSÉ A. CORTÉS AND JOSÉ MARÍA DORADO

24 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 “THE INSTALLATION IS STILL ACTIVE TODAY AND HAS GAINED GREAT IMPORTANCE FROM OTHER PROGRAMMES RUN BY INTA AND THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, FUNDAMENTALLY STUDIES OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND TRIALS OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT (RPA)”

UP TO DATE

In 1994 El Arenosillo stopped operating as a launch during the third quarter of 2019. Its objective is to base for survey rockets, at a time when the site provide scientific and commercial access to Space was already being redirected towards new paths to from Spain. ensure its continuity. The installation is still active today and has gained great importance from other One of the centre’s most painful episodes programmes run by INTA and the Ministry of Defence, happened in the summer of 2017 when a fire flared up fundamentally studies of the atmosphere and trials in the area known as La Peñuela de Morguer, leaving of unmanned aircraft (RPA). Under the new name nearly 8,500 hectares burnt and numerous cases of Centro de Ensayos (Test Centre) de El Arenosillo of material and environmental damage in the area (formerly CEDEA), it comes under the authority of the Doñana national park. It ended up affecting of the Institute’s Sub-directorate of Aeronautical the installations at the Experimentation Centre at Systems. El Arenosillo, especially the perimeter of the site, its monitoring systems, and the electricty supply, as Its latest activity includes one of the agreements well as burning various vehícles. It’s an episode from signed between INTA and PLD Space which will which El Arenosillo has now recuperated. enable the launch of the sub-orbital rocket MIURA

1 from the Experimentation Centre at El Arenosillo Guillermo Cayado

LAUNCH OF THE INTA 300B

DRONE (TARGET) AIRCRAFT

25 SPACE OVER TIME

El Arenosillo: A sentimental story By Álvaro Azcárraga

As this is one of the most notable president and secretary general degrees at prestigious universities, happenings in the history of Spanish went to two generals from the were picked to lead the project. Space activity it is useful to look back Corps of Aeronautical Engineers: the The technical development of the at how it all started. The agreements president of INTA, Rafael Calvo, and rocket went to Pedro Sanz, from in 1958 with the recently created the director general of the institute, the departament of motive power, NASA to establish tracking stations Antonio Pérez Marín. To understand and of the site to the author of this on Spanish soil were undoubtedly this it must be remembered that at article, from INTA’s Department of the first steps. But Spain wanted the time anything that flew came Equipment and Armament. The more and it joined up with another under the jurisdiction of the Air director of the programme was the 10 European nations at the Meyrin Ministry, including the crop spraying aeronautical engineer, Luis Pueyo, conference in 1960 for what would aircraft of the Ministry of Agriculture. one of the members of the Spanish become the European Space The Scientific-Technical Committee delegation at Meyrin, where the Research Organization and later the of CONIE took on the presentation European Space effort began. ESA. of a first truly Spanish Space programme, one that contemplated In the autumn of 1965, these two At the same time the process setting up a launch site for survey engineers were accompanied by began to set up a single point rockets and the development of an older one, Jorge Soriano, who of command in the sector, one a rocket capable of reaching the gave an air of authority to his young which led to the establishment of mesosphere with a reasonably sized companions. They made a journey Spain’s National Space Research payload. Not unexpectedly, two along the coasts of peninsular Commission (CONIE). This included young aeronautical engineers, not Spain (the islands were discarded members from all sectors with long back from the United States because of the logistical costs and an interest in Space. The posts of where they had obtained Masters the Mediterranean coast for the

VISIT TO NASA IN SEPTEMBER 1965: HAROLD E. TOLEFSON OF THE LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER, ÁLVARO AZCÁRRAGA, JOSÉ MARÍA GOYA AND PEDRO SANZ ARANGUEZ

26 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 mass tourism already building up there.) They finally chose a place in a national forest area near the Pico del Loro hill, the El Arenosillo gully and the beach at Mazagón in the province of Huelva. The unforseen incidents and the subsequent negotiations with the local authorities would make for a much longer article than this one. Suffice to say that INTA ended up being the owner of various hectares of land among sand dunes 30 metres above what was then an extensive yet empty beach. Apart from the scorpions, wasps and occasional snakes, there wasn’t even a road.

It was now that the real Space work began. Designing the site, putting up defences, munitions 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF EL stores, launch ramps, control ARENOSILLO, 1991: JUAN JOSÉ MARTÍN FRANCIA centres, weather tower, canteens, AND LUIS GUITART access. The buildings part was carried out with the support of the infrastructure section from the air ordnance depot at Seville. with the Max Planck Institute in The launch site at El Arenosillo The most important part, the Lindau, Germany, and with the was given the all clear for laboratory for calibrating and NASA establishment at Wallops operations on 1 October 1966 and electronics for the payloads, was Island, near Washington. carried out its first launch under put up in three weeks by a team my directions on 15 October, from the electronics section of This dual approach meant with great expectations and a the Equipment and Armament they had to have two separate pleasing outcome. The doubling Department at INTA, led by José launch teams to send out to up of launch teams finished a few María Dorado. Years later he would prepare in the countries that weeks later when Álvarez de León become the project director for were supplying the rockets. had to give up his post because the first Spanish satellite. One went to the United States, of problems with his wife’s health headed by Víctor Manuel Álvarez and I ended up responsible for de León, and the other to the both. “THE LAUNCH SITE AT EL ARENOSILLO United Kingdom, led by me. WAS GIVEN THE ALL CLEAR FOR The American team also looked A command system was set OPERATIONS ON 1 OCTOBER 1966 AND CARRIED OUT ITS FIRST after the radars, as they were a up under the Director of the LAUNCH UNDER MY DIRECTIONS technology transfer from NASA Department, Guillermo Pérez del ON 15 OCTOBER, WITH GREAT (They came from the time of Puerto, by the chief of the Flight EXPECTATIONS AND A PLEASING the Korean War, and the Spanish Experimentation section, Luis OUTCOME” technicians got an outstanding Martínez Carrillo. performance out of them!) At the same time they were Meanwhile, the European team After that first launch, using negotiating to run various was occupied with the payloads, a Skua rocket that reached an cooperative programmes for launch security, communications altitude of more than 60 kms, research in the upper atmosphere and meteorology. two more were carried out with

27 SPACE OVER TIME

TECHNICAL PERSONNEL FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY PREPARING FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE METEOROLOGICAL PROBE CARABELA IV FROM THE ARENOSILLO SITE, HUELVA. PHOTO: EFE

Judi-Dart rockets that reached 55 zone at sea when the rockets came Muniosguren, was fundamental. kms. The essential difference was down. This followed established He was also responsible for that the Skua, bigger and more security guidelines in accordance data processing and their timely sophisticated, carried a payload with international regulations (an interpretation in an era when that enabled it to measure winds article on security by this author was computer science was in its nappies. and temperature, while the US one published in the magazine Revista could only measure wind. This was de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica at the I’m telling all this to vouch for because the radar followed the end of 1966 or beginning of 1967) the immense job of work that was movement of illuminated shavings and obligatory NOTAM notices were carried out to get the launch site that were ejected at height while the filed to limit the use of airspace in operative, work that was possible Skua payload consisted of a cylinder the launch zone. thanks to the good health of all with a temperature gauge. Once those involved and the enthusiasm ejected it fell with a part metallic One of the basics was to calculate generated in knowing that history parachute, the movements of which the profile of the most probable was being made. were also tracked by radar. winds at the moment of launch. As these were not guided rockets Every story has its moments of Prior to any launch a test firing was they tended to lean against the drama and the second launch of made with JATO (jet assisted take wind. There were some general a Skua, in November 1966, is proof off) rockets that went up several limitations about what was the of that. Because of a mechanical admissible variation between what fault in the complicated launch “AFTER THAT FIRST LAUNCH, USING was measured beforehand with ramp, the rocket lifted off on an A SKUA ROCKET THAT REACHED AN meteorological balloons and what unstable trajectory. It crashed a few ALTITUDE OF MORE THAN 60 KMS, was probable at the time of launch. hundred metres from the ramp, but TWO MORE WERE CARRIED OUT WITH This gave rise to heated debates at not before having passed between JUDI-DART ROCKETS THAT REACHED the control centre. For the laymen the control centre and the radars. 55 KMS.” on the technical side at the launch It threatened serious danger for the it must also have produced a certain site personnel and the distinguished thousand metres. These enabled restlessness at times to see the guests that day, among them the us to check on the calibration of launch ramp pointing towards the chief of the Strait of Gibraltar air the radar and the optical aids in the city of Huelva when the wind was zone, Lieutenant General Ángel antenna, which permitted the radar from the east - only for the trajectory Salas Larrazábal. He later became to pick up the rocket in the initial to end up in the appropriate a regent for the Kingdom of Spain launch phase. The same radar also southern direction. Here the work of on the death of Franco, as one of served for monitoring the impact the site meteorologist, Luis Sánchez the triumvirate set up for the role.

28 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 the launch site! By the way, that Prague presentation helped us gain the respect of the then all powerful vice president of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, Dr Allia Massievitch and signalled the start of a possible Hispano- Soviet cooperation in the field of atmosphere research. That it didn’t happen – in my opinion – was because of US pressure.

From then on hundreds of launches were performed, dozens of working papers published, and Spain had the honour of being SETTING UP THE SECOND the international reference point PROTOTYPE OF THE INTA-300 for the mesosphere data (CIRA 1970), which is a not bad result for a job that cost 28 million pesetas It would certainly have made Barrameda, on land ceded by (some 12 million euros today) and history if the launch fault had Lieutenant General Infante de became a recognized benchmark proved to be more than just a Orleans, that permitted the right on the international scientific mere shock! angle filming of the trajectory of scene. the Nike-Cajun rockets that could Launch activities were reach an altitude of more than I have to express my admiration suspended sine die while a 150 kms. NASA also transferred and respect for the site personnel, commission made up of weapons a second radar to the launch for their dedication and their experts Victoriano López site, given the performance performance, not always in and Pedro Sánchez, technical obtained from the first (for two the best of working conditions. engineer Luis Casado, and this consecutive years they were the author, seconded to the United most precise of all the equivalent “THE YEAR 1966 PASSED AND MOST Kingdom to clarify the causes of NASA radars)；the site became OF 1967, WHILE NEW PROGRAMMES the fault, redesigned the launch a member of EXAMETNET, the WERE NEGOTIATED WITH TWO PARTNERS INITIALLY AND A MUCH ramp. Two test firings were US network for launch sites used MORE AMBITIOUS ONE WAS carried out at a British Army base to study the atmosphere；and CONCLUDED WITH THE FRENCH in the Outer Hebrides islands off launches began of French SPACE ENTITY CNES” Scotland. Once satisfied with the Centaur rockets. Above all, for us, results, launches were renewed were the preparations for the long at El Arenosillo. There were also awaited launch of the INTA 255. My gratitude goes to all the faults with the American Judi but This led Luis Martínez Cerrillo, authorities at INTA and CONIE with the ejection of the payload Luis Sánchez Muniosguren for their respect for the work of rather than the carrier. and me to spend the month of the two young engineers, without January 1968 in the frozen lands interfering more than when it was The year 1966 passed and of Point Barrow, Alaska, to refine strictly essential. Most of the time most of 1967, while new our operational capabilities with that was to defend us from the programmes were negotiated the Nike-Cajun. And later, to the jealousies of other parts of the with two partners initially and first international presentation establishment of that era. a much more ambitious one of data from El Arenosillo in was concluded with the French Prague, just a few months before Space entity CNES. This led to the Soviet invasion. That for us the installation of cinetheodolites really seemed like an adventure on the coast at Sanlúcar de – not those that happened at

29 new space

new space MADE IN SPAIN

SETTING UP IN THE FIELD of Aistech Space integrates its own applied to the development of Geospace Intelligence, Aistech satellites and aims to be 100 times a constellation of satellites for Space has emerged with the cheaper than traditional satellites observation, communications, mission of “democratizing” access by making use of the Cubesat and maritime and air control,” to knowledge of Space and offering standard. Sectors such as fishing, presented by the Galician Centre added value in the managing of agriculture and agro-forestry for Aerospace Innovation (CINAE) assets, Earth Observation and the figure among its potential clients and Aistech Space itself. tracking and monitoring of aircraft. in supporting precision agriculture It will do this via a constellation and forecasts for its development, Fruit of their work together is a of 25 nano satellites that will be the control of waste spills in open common platform design for all operational in 2020 with global seas and the control of fires. of the satellites in a constellation, coverage and will offer information They will also be able to locate with high quaily standards and with an average update time of 10 the position of ships and planes, deployable in multiple planet minutes. enabling the tracking of fleets orbits. To do this techniques of and the optimization of navigation Industry 4.0 are applied which AISTECH SPACE INTEGRATES ITS routes. allow for the creation of an automated assembly line (factory OWN SATELLITES AND AIMS TO Aistech Space works with leading of the future). investigation centres involved in BE 100 TIMES CHEAPER THAN the R+D of Space technologies Within the Mixed Unit (located with the aim of keeping very at the Centre for Aerospace TRADITIONAL SATELLITES BY close to its clients and offering Innovation at the Porto do them highly accurate, frequent Molle industry park at Nigrán, MAKING USE OF THE CUBESAT and quality data adapted to their Pontevedra), Aistech Space needs. In this way it will contribute focuses on the tasks of cargo STANDARD to improvements in decision integration while CINAE acts as its making and competitiveness, tecnological partner for missions It was founded under the umbrella efficiency and security levels. and platform. This Mixed Unit of the company incubator scheme is financially supported by the that the European Space Agency Into this context of Innovation and regional government agency, (ESA) inaugurated in 2014 at Development slots the creation in Axencia Galega de Innovación. the campus of the Universidad 2016 of the Mixed Research Unit Politécnica de Cataluña. called: “The factory of the future

30 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 “FAITHFUL TO ITS MOTIVATION FOR RESEARCH, IT DEVELOPS COMPLETE SPACE SYSTEMS (FROM START TO FINISH) THAT ARE ADAPTED TO THE NEEDS OF SOCIETY”

CINEA set out on its path in the to its motivation for research, CINAE develops complete small Space group at the University it develops complete space satellite platforms (hardware and of Vigo with the project systems (from start to finish) software), ground stations for Xatcobeo (2007). It continued that are adapted to the needs of small satellites and remote ones with Humsat and other society and incorporate services for passive telemetry, on board projects, cooperating with the in fields such as geolocalization computers for small satellites, National Institute of Aerospace and communications. software for ground station Technology (INTA), the Brazilian networks and communications Space Agency (AEB) and other This philosophy of work and sub systems for small satellites. universities and companies cooperation fits precisely with It also carries out consultancy from around the world with the the ECSS (European Cooperation work for small satellite projects, support of the European Space for Space Standardization) viabilty studies for missions and Agency (ESA) and the United standards, with the goal of offers cargo gauges for satellite Nations Office for Outer Space getting reliable results that servers, among many other Affairs (UNOOSA). Faithful mantain levels of excellence. solutions.

Araceli Serrano

31 latest news

were the Minister of Defence, SUCCESS OF THE FIRST Margarita Robles, and Pedro Duque, Minister of Science, Innovation and FEINDEF Universities who visited the different stands along with representatives of other ministries and institutions.

For Jaime de Rábago, president of TEDAE – which organized the fair with AESMIDE -“the result could not have been more positive for our industry and our companies. FEINDEF was born strong, and from the magníficent reception it had we are in no doubt that it will make a space for itself among the major international defence and security events. FEINDEF also achieved another of its priorities, in strengthening relations between industry and our Armed Forces and State Security Forces, for which The first International Fair for tables with prominent speakers we feel especially proud. All this Defence and Security, held in Madrid proving a big attraction. confirms that Spain had to have its at the end of May, amply surpassed own fair to present internationally the expected number of visitors with Members of the Administration our industrial capabilities and more than 10,000 professionals were out in force, among them the technological leadership.” attending. During the three day main promoters of FEINDEF at the event, the 150 exhibitors were able Ministry of Defence, Secretary of Work has already started on to present their most innovative new State for Defence Ángel Olivares and FEINDEF 2021, to consolidate it as products to 48 official delegations the Director General of Armaments an international benchmark event. from 32 countries. There were also and Materiel, Admiral Santiago some 30 conferences and round González Gómez. Also attending Guillermo Cayado

32 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 The Spanish operator of government satellites, Hisdesat, has picked a main HISDESAT DESIGNATES AIRBUS AND consortium of four companies - Airbus and Thales Alenia Space in both Spain THALES ALENIA SPACE TO BUILD and France – to build two SPAINSAT NG communications satellites to replace those currently in orbit, SPAINSAT NG SATELLITES Spainsat and Xtar-EUR. Airbus will act as lead partner in the consortium.

The SPAINSAT NG I and II will of the UHF and Ka military bands. which will maintain a public- be located in two different orbital Other Spanish Space companies private partnership agreement with positions and will operate in the X, will also be involved, leading to the Hisdesat. The new satellites will military Ka and UHF bands. creation of qualified jobs and an offer capacities to other Spanish important technological return for the government bodies, allies and friendly The first of the New Generation country. countries with bilateral accords, to satellites will be launched in 2023, the EU’s programme for government guaranteeing the continuity of secure The UHF band communications communications, “Govsatcom”, and, comunications services for the represent a new capacity that is not it it is hoped, will also contribute Spanish Ministry of Defence and other available in the current SpainSAT fleet. in the future to NATO CP130, the government agencies that use the Both satellites will offer repetition alliance’s capabilities package for existing fleet. in areas of interest for the Spanish communications satellites. SPAINSAT Armed Forces. They will incorporate NG will also continue to offer services SPAINSAT NG system will offer advanced protection against jamming to the current and future client base cover of an extensive area of the and spoofing and will be reinforced of XTAR LLc. world running from the United States and protected against nuclear and South America to the Middle phenomena at high altitudes. The development of SPAINSAT NG East, including África and Europe and will have the support of the Ministry reaching as far as Singapore in Asia. The satellites will be based on of Industry, Tourism and Trade as well Both satellites will enable Spain to: the Eurostar Neo platform, the as the Centre for the Development of new product for geostationary Industrial Technology (CDTI), within • Ensure its command and control telecommunications satellites from the framework of a public-private systems in operations beyond the Airbus. It is a notable development of agreement between the European line of sight in two thirds of the the Eurostar series, very reliable and Space Agency (ESA) and the Earth. successful, that incorporates a wide operator, Hisdesat. • Guarantee its communications range of new features. Among these capacities in operational theatres are a totally flexible payload in band X The SPAINSAT NG satellites will lacking communications that uses active antennas which can have an operative life of 15 years and infrastructure. be reconfigured in orbit, an on board will remain in service until 2037. • Improve moving satellite digital processor that will interconnect communications, with greater the payloads in band X and Ka military capacity, more secure and to allow a crossover of bands, and Araceli Serrano guaranteed communications. a high speed service link that will • Expand the potential of working in permit rapid reconfigurations. As a network during the operations. result it will have greater capacity and more flexibility, making it possible to Spanish industry will provide the electronically reorientate the beams communications payloads for both to meet the coverage needs. satellites, including the integration of the Communications Module in Spain, Hisdesat is the owner and which signifies a big step in itself. operator of this new generation of Airbus in Spain will be responsible communications satellites. The main for the payload in X band while Thales client is the Spanish Ministry of Alenia Space in Spain will be in charge Defence

33 latest news

geometrically packaged as a students and technical, auxiliary PREPARING FOR THE parallelepiped of 0.5 m x 0.5 m at and services staff from the its base and 0.6 m high. In general schools of E.T.S.I. Aeronautics LAUNCH OF the platform features an area of and Space and Computers and approximately 0.40 m × 0.40 m × Telecommunications at UPM, UPMSAT-2 0.25 m for payloads of up to 15 kg especially students from the and 15 W power for a polar orbit at University Masters in Space Systems an altitude of about 500 km. The (MUSE) coordinated by IDR. Also UPMSat-2 is a university scheduled launch date is the first involved in the development have microsatellite project led by the week of September on board a been companies and institutions “Ignacio Da Riva” Institute at the VEGA launcher from the European such as AIRBUS (the former CASA Polytechnic University of Madrid Spaceport in French Guiana. Its Espacio and CRISA), INTA, Saft, (IDR/UPM) in collaboration with estimated life cycle is two years. TECNOBIT and Iberespacio. UPM’s STRAST (Real-Time Systems and Architecture of Telematic The UPMSat-2 will carry out Ángel Sanz Services) group. It is seen as a the following experiments: Micro logical continuation of the previous Thermal Switch (the behaviour UPM-Sat 1 which was cleared for of a miniaturized switch from flight with the Ariane-4 in 1995 and Iberespacio); tests of a high sensitivity put into orbit in July of that year. The experimental magnetometer objective of the project is to design, (Bartington); grading of avionics construct and qualify, then launch in flight (TECNOBIT, STRAST, IDR); and operate a low cost platform monitoring onboard radiation and based on it, one that incorporates studying the development of the new tecnologies and adapts to the South Atlantic Anomaly (TECNOBIT; needs of current launchers. It needs STRAST); development of a new to be useable as a demonstration low cost solar sensor (IDR); in vehicle in orbit and for scientific and flight study of the behaviour of a educational applications, exhibiting reaction wheel (SSBV), and various UPM’s capacities in the field of tests on thermal controls and new Space technology. positioning control systems.

With this in view, UPMSat-2 has More than 80 people have been defined as a microsatellite collaborated on the development of Finishing tests on the satellite UPMSat-2. Coming out of the IDR thermal vacuum chamber. that belongs to the 50 kgs category, the satellite including professors, .

CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOplanet Cheops is the first ESA satellite CHEOPS: Satellite), the satellite built at the dedicated to exoplanets whose Airbus Spain plant, has been declared mission will be to observe brilliant READY TO FLY ready to fly for a date between 15 stars which have planetary systems October and 14 November 2019, once orbiting around them. The goal is the series of final tests on the craft are to gather more data about these complete. “The mission will enable stars and to detect the decrease in us to get a first characterization light when a planet passes in front of the composition and nature of of them. Results of the project will planets beyond our solar system” said enable scientists to learn about and Günther Hasinger, director of Science measure the size of the planet with at ESA. The European Space Agency great precision, as well as determining is very pleased to be able to launch exactly its radius and find out what it CHEOPS this year. The project is the is made of. first ESA mission to be adjudicated to Spain in an open competition and G .C forms part of the Cosmic Vision 2015- 2025 programme.

34 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Christina Koch were due to make THE FIRST SPACE WALK ONLY FOR WOMEN history by becoming the stars of the first space walk made exclusively by WILL HAVE TO WAIT women. It was sheduled for 29 March from the International Space Station prepared for Friday, 29 March and moment only one medium size and (ISS), but in the end it did not happen. that Koch should wear it, while one large size had been assembled The reason? The lack of an adapted McClain was replaced by Hague. and there was not enough time for suit for one of the two women, NASA the two medium size suits to be ready said in a statement. Because of this Stephanie Schierholz, spokesperson for 29 March. NASA has yet to tell McClain had to pass on her walking for NASA’s crew carrying flight whether the same two astronauts will place to her companion astronaut programme, said on Twitter that make a future space walk together. Nick Hague, which is why the first there were two medium size suits on space walk made up entirely of the space station. However, at that G .C. women will have to wait.

After the previous space walk on Friday, 22 March, in which McClain and Hague took part, McClain discovered she needed a medium size central piece of the suit that covers the body, the part where the vital support system and control module connect. The problem was that Christina Koch needed a piece of the same size. The final decision –according to the NASA statement– was that only one suit could be

off telling what the agency is: how system for Europe that has been DISCOVER ESA it was founded in 1975, has 22 state built by the ESA in collaboration with members, including Spain, and has the European Commission. In the UNITED SPACE IN been working on the promotion of same way, ESA collaborates in the European scientific and industrial protection and monitoring of Space, EUROPE interests in Space for more than 40 warning of the dangers from space years. It goes on to talk about the rubbish and asteroids. Discover ESA is the latest function of satellites, how they offer information leaflet launched by a unique perspective of our planet Exploration is one of the agency’s the European Space Agency – an and help promote communication major activities as it enables illustrated guide that explains in thanks to their technology. This ESA to experiment, discover and detail and in an instructive way all section looks in depth into Galileo, the innovate around Space and to help of the agency’s activities. It starts global and independent navigation in answering the big questions about the Universe. State of the art technology, such as Space probes, the development of launchers and Space vehicles for the future, are also covered in the contents of the guide which is available in six languages and also includes a Space poster. Both can be downloaded from the agency’s web page.

G .C. 35 latest news

Observation Architecture. The SPANISH SATELLITE SEOSAT-INGENIO data provided by SEOSAT-Ingenio will be accessible to institutional, INTO ORBIT WITH VEGA government and civil users in Spain as well as European personnel A Vega rocket will be used involved in the EU’s Copernicus to put into orbit the Earth programme and GEOSS, the observation satellite SEOSAT- Global Earth Observation System Ingenio, following the agreement of Systems being built by the signed between ESA and French Group on Earth Observations company Arianespace on 17 May (GEO). The aim of the Spanish in Madrid. The ESA and Spain’s satellite is to provide multispectral Centre for the Development of high resolution images of the Earth Industrial Technology (CDTI) have that can be used for applications also reached agreement for the such as the supervision of ground Agency to manage the launching use, water management and risk which will take place in 2020 at management. the European Spaceport in French G .C. Guiana. The CDTI is financing this mission as part of an international collaboration with the ESA within the context of the European Earth

suitable technologies for recycling natural process that trees and TENTH ANNIVERSARY the waste from space missions. It is plants develop to convert the carbon split into different modules that are dioxide that we exhale in breathing OF THE PILOT PLANT each occupied with one aspect of the into the oxygen that we need to live. conversion of unwanted molecules They are also researching chemical MELISSA into others that are necessary for processes, mechanical filters and human survival. The objective for ESA bio-reactors full of bacteria and and its partners is to create a system microalgae to develop systems MELiSSA, the acronym for Micro that transforms carbon dioxide, capable of providing food, drinking Ecological Life Support System urine and organic material into clean water and clean air in Space. Alternative, is a pilot plant installed air, water and foods, in a continuous According to Christophe Lasseur, at the University of Barcelona and practically undefined way. head of the MELiSSA project at which this year celebrates its 10th ESA, each year they are getting a anniversary. The project was set up The system to achieve this is little closer to their objective. with the aim of studying the most inspired, for example, by the same BLACK HOLE PHOTO

An historic picture of the black hole located in the centre of the Messier 87 galaxy, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) following an international study involving Spanish participation.

G.C.

36 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 LAST IMAGE FROM THE ROVER OPPORTUNITY ON MARS

In June 2018 the rover was at the time of the storm. the components of the all terrain Opportunity took its last The snapshot, provided by the vehicle such as the antenna and pictures before a dust storm panoramic camera (Pancam) some of the solar panels. After put an end to its nearly 15 year with its three filters, was taken eight months’ effort and a final adventure on Mars. The image, between 13 May and 10 June. attempt to reestablish contact published by NASA on its web with the rover, NASA declared page, is a 360 degree panoramic The panoramic view reflects the Opportunity’s mission to be shot put together from 354 Valley of Perseverance on the Red finished on 13 February 2019. photographs taken of the Valley Planet. One can also see the edge of Perseverance where the rover of the Endurance crater, some of G.C.

is to produce global maps showing past,” he adds. This mission will also SMOS, MARS EXPRESS the salinity of the oceans and the help contribute to studying climate humidity of the floor. But “since change on Earth. AND JUICE: it has been in orbit for 10 years it has sent other different ones, like Lastly, the JUICE mission, A MISSION IN COMMON weather predictions, warning about designed and assembled by the risk of fires through analyses of AIRBUS for ESA, which is targeted the aridity of the land or the tracking for a launch in 2022 and will be of hurricanes,” says Jorge Fauste, aimed at investigating water Operations Chief for the satellite’s phenomena on Jupiter. “It was MIRAS instrument. very interesting to discover in the ‘70s on Earth, at the bottom Mars Express is the mission aimed of oceans, hydrothermal springs at reconstructing the aquatic past where life can develop without of Mars, and in doing so offering sunlight,” says Nicolás Altobelli, answers as to why it ended up as a head of development of scientific desert planet. According to the head operations for the Juice mission at of scientific operations for Mars ESA. “The JUICE mission will study Express at ESA, Alejandro Cardesín, on Jupiter how the combination of the results of their research so far the presence of liquid water, basic La Through its Earth Observation affirm that they know how much chemical elements and energy can programme and its satellites sent ice there is and of what type. “The encourage or provide possibilities to other planets in the solar system, actual atmospheric pressure is for the existence of life as we know the European Space Agency (ESA) insufficient to maintain liquid water it on Earth, ” explained Altobelli has various missions dedicated on the surface, which is why the at a press conference. Scientific to the study of water, the aim of scientists have sought for it in the operations and the contribution which is to demonstrate just how subsoil,” he says. Research will try of results from the investigation important it is for life. to work out what happened for the will depend basically on Spanish water to be lost. “They are carrying colaboration from the AIRBUS SMOS is the one targeted with out climate models to understand factory in Madrid. studying the cycle of water on Earth. what the current atmosphere is The main objective of this mission like and how it developed from the G.C. 37 latest news

In March this year the dolls believes that Barbie has always were exhibited at the gala for empowered the unlimited potential THE BARBIE VERSION OF International Women’s Day of each girl. One of the ways to help ASTRONAUT organized by the association them keep believing in themselves Professional Women International is to demonstrate to them models SAMANTHA in Brusells and at ELLE magazine’s of conduct, women of different Power Girl event in París. origins and environments that CRISTOFORETTI break down barriers. Although they are not yet for sale, the dolls were created to highlight Mattel continues to integrate careers in which women are under cultural variety in its dolls’ lines with Barbie, the most famous doll in represented and to make people friends of Barbie and characters the world, has just celebrated her aware of this through events and from different ethnic groups. There 60th birthday. And to mark the marketing campaigns, in a way that are now more than 100 types of event ESA and Barbie have got girls can see the opportunities that dolls with different skin tones, facial together to create two unique dolls are open to them. features and hair and eye colours. that look like astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Since her creation in 1959, Barbie The communications collaboration has become an international unit at ESA organized the use of the The dolls, one wearing a stylized icon. Today she is still awakening two unique figures of Samantha reproduction of the Extravehicular the imagination and influencing Cristoforetti by Barbie Mattel Mobility Unit – the NASA spacesuit conversations all over the world. Italia to promote its long term – and the other the blue flight From milestones for woman to initiative, the “Dream Gap Project”. suit of ESA with its corresponding famous collaborations, Barbie The project derived from recent patches, were presented by Mattel represents a reflection of our times, research which showed that Italia at a special event to mark the a snapshot of popular culture. because of cultural stereotypes International Day of the Girl Child, and representations in the media 11 October 2018. Created to show that girls have as girls grow up they begin to think their own choices to make, Mattel they are not adequate for certain types of activity.

As the head of diversity at ESA, Ersilia Vaudo, explains: “One of the objectives of the agency is to serve as an inspiration to all of Europe’s citizens. The ESA is proud to be part of this initiative, fighting stereotypes and encouraging girls and youngsters to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.”

For her part, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti said: “I am pleased that the Barbie dolls of today not only reflect the bodies of real women but also their wide range of professional achievements. I hope this helps boys and girls to imagine a future in which they don’t see themselves limited by artificial barriers and which have no place in our times.”

Carl Walker / ESA

38 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 new flashes

ALTER TECHNOLOGY participates in HOLDON First Flying Hardware from LIDAR optimized for monitoring the payload for integrating in future GTD scheduled to launch effects and causes of global warming micro and mini-satellites. ALTER TECHNOLOGY has GTD GmbH developed and delivered The main objective of the been put in charge of making a a core part of the Photobioreactor HOLDON project is to develop a LIDAR echo emulator capable of Experiment for the International Space new detection chain for improving simulating signals for a range of Station. GTD developed the Electronic Box the performance of Lidars on missions of interest in the UV to that monitors all sensors (temperature, large platforms and reducing their NIR spectral range. pressure, gas concentration, optical density) and controls all actuators (valves, pumps, fans) to assure a correct experiment operation.

The experiment was launched on 30th April on the SpaceX CRS-17 mission to the ISS. The Photobioreactor is attached to the Life Support Rack (LSR).

ARQUIMEA successfully finishes the SEPHY project

of the Ethernet communications protocol in Space. ARQUIMEA has successfully led this segment, gaining praise from the European The Space Ethernet Physical Commission for its good work Layer Transceiver (SEPHY) project, and results. The project reinforces developed as part of the H2020 ARQUIMEA’s position as a supplier programme, has produced an of electronic components for Space electronic component that is unique applications. in the market and critical for the use Photobioreactor integrated at LSR

Elecnor-Deimos extends its TTC services for satellite operators As well as hosting the ground segment of the Deimos-2 satellite, The Elecnor Deimos complex at Puertollano also provides image reception services for third parties. To do this, it uses systems that are available at the centre or equipment provided by the client. Since the end of 2018, companies such as Norway’s KSAT and LeafSpace, an Italian New Space operator working on Earth observation, have expanded the Space communications services they have contracted with Elecnor Deimos.

39 new flashes

Crisa on 2020 Rover: The city council of Madrid receives one step closer to Mars its updated cartography The Consortium made up by EDEF (leader), COTESA and Telespazio Ibérica has finished the execution of the project “Actualización de la cartografía urbana de Madrid a escalas 1:1.000, 1:5.000 y 1.20.000“, with which the City Council of Madrid renews the cartography of the entire municipality of the capital. This cartography includes for the first time, the representation of nearly 200km of tunnels with centimetric precision; great contribution for maintenance and emergency management teams.

MEDA during acceptance tests at NASA-JPL in Pasdena (California)

From December 2018 till April 2019 we have completed H/W and S/W deliveries for MEDA instrument along with Nasa-JPL acceptance reviews. For this development, managed by (INTA-CSIC) Astrobiology Centre CAB, Crisa has performed systems engineering, mission product assurance, systems integration and tests as well as development of the control computer H/W and S/W and electrical design and/or manufacturing of wind and infrared sensors.

Indra radar is the first to detect fragments from the satellite destroyed by India

The Space monitoring radar S3TSR, designed and developed by Indra and installed at the Morón de la Frontera air base in the province of Seville, was the first in Europe to detect fragments from the Indian satellite that the country decided to destroy with a ballistic missile. Few other radars in the world were capable of doing it.

Thales Alenia Space contributes to NASA’s PACE and WFIRST missions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has awarded Thales Alenia Space in Spain a contract concerning the delivery of key communication equipment, the S-band transponders, for the PACE and WFIRST missions. PACE is a strategic continuity mission responding to the challenge of climate and environmental change, while WFIRST is an astronomical observatory designed to settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy research, exoplanets detection and infrared astrophysics.

40 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 The SENER Group secures five contracts to develop Hisdesat and COIT tighten their links the LOP-Gateway lunar mission Both gave an account of their activities in a series of seminars about technical and The engineering and international project in which regulatory aspects and the digital business technology group SENER has NASA, Roscosmos, CSA, JAXA scene in the Space sector. been awarded five contracts for and ESA space agencies are the definition phase (A/B1) of taking part, in order to design Hisdesat will continue supporting the a future space station in lunar and plan a station in orbit around Telecoms Engineering Awards for Best orbit, Lunar Orbital the Moon called Cislunar that Masters’ Work and Best Doctoral Thesis in Platform-Gateway can house astronauts for short Government Satellite Services. It will also (LOP-G). This is an periods of time. collaborate in developing the profession of telecoms engineer, helping support the administration and other stakeholders in the sector.

HISPAMAR starts operating from its new teleport and control centre SSPA based on GaN to be used in the next HISPAMAR, the Brazilian antennas and control equipment. generation of Ka band 5G satellites subsidiary of HISPASAT, has The centre is sued to operate the opened its new teleport and Amazonas satellites which offer a satellite control centre at broad range of telecoms services FLEXGAN, a European project led by TTI- Serviente (Río de Janeiro). The that include the transmission of Norte, will involve the designing, developing growth of the company’s fleet audiovisual content, corporate and testing in a representative Space made it necessary to provide networks, cellular backhaul and environment (TRL5) of a Solid State Power more space to house the high output connectivity. Amplifier (SSPA) using Gallium Nitride (GaN) for Ka band. The goal is providing a low cost, high power and capacity RF for 5G satellite applications. Taking part in the project are Airbus Defence & Space, the University of Rome Tor Vergata, OMMIC and TECNALIA.

41 new flashes

GMV controls the first satellites of H2020 OPTIMA OneWeb’s constellation Project final phase

Project OPTIMA “Towards Demonstration of Photonic Payload For Telecom Satellites” is entering the final demonstration phase. The photonic frequency generation and mixing units, optical switching matrix and opto-electronic receiver modules have been fully characterised and integrated at DAS facilities and are going to be tested by AIRBUS D&S AIT Department in Portsmouth (UK) during May-June 2019. OPTIMA is demonstrating to TRL6 a fully photonic frequency conversion chain including a switching matrix for High Throughput Satellites. More information available: @ https://www.photonic-payload-optima.eu

On 27 February the first constellation, for which GMV holds six satellites of OneWeb’s the constellation’s command and constellation were successfully control center (C2) development launched. Initially comprising 648 contract, is the highest capacity low earth orbit satellites (LEO), satellite-based broadband internet the final constellation may be system ever developed. extended to over 900. OneWeb’s

Airbus Spain wins the SMILE contract for studying Space climate

Airbus Spain has been selected the Sun and Earth, to learn Space successfully performs a drop test of as the main contractor for the about the interaction between a first stage demonstrator of the MIURA 5 payload module, the European particles of solar wind and the contribution to SMILE, the first magnetosphere, the magnetic orbital rocket5 joint Space mission between shield that protects and enables At the beginning of the second quarter of the ESA and China. The goal is the existence of life on Earth. 2019, PLD Space successfully completed a to carry out an in depth study drop test with a full-scale demonstrator of into the relationship between the first stage of the MIURA 5 orbital rocket. This trial was a part of the FLPP-LPSR program, supported by ESA. This milestone is an important step in the development of a reusable orbital launcher which will offer space access services for small satellites.

42 MAGAZINE PROESPACIO No. 42 ORGANIZE ASSOCIATES

NEXT NO. 43 I SEPTEMBER I 2019 ISSUE

With barely 60 years of history, the Spanish Space Congreso de Espacio (Space Congress) will be held industry has managed to create an opening for itself in Madrid on 9 - 10 October. in such a highly competitive market as aerospace, one that today is among the most influential in Promoted by TEDAE, the Spanish Association transforming society. of Defence, Security, Aeronautics and Space companies, the conference will bring together leading Despite the big successes achieved in recent years, professionals in the sector to share details of the such as GMV recently being chosen by the European pioneering initiatives of Spanish companies and Commission to control the ground system of the to analyze the big challenges we have to take on Galileo navigation system, the truth is that it’s a sector to overcome all the barriers. Congreso del Espacio that is still little talked about. With the aim of learning 2019 will count on the participation of renowned about its enormous potential, the achievements it professionals from industry, universities, public bodies has already made and the projects being worked on and other institutions who will raise the profile of the – and to tell people of the great opportunity that the Space sector. Spanish industry represents in the areas of innovation and technological development – the first ever

MADRID 9 - 10 SOON WE WILL BE GIVING YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS UNIQUE GATHERING OCTOBER IN WHICH TOGETHER WE WILL LEARN ABOUT OUR CAPABILITIES TO GO 2019 “BEYOND THE LIMITS” No. 42 I JULY I 2019 I JULY I 42 No.

“COLLABORATION BETWEEN BETWEEN “COLLABORATION TRADITIONAL SPACE AND NEW NEW AND SPACE TRADITIONAL GOING IS SPACE to be very strong very be to

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