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number 153 | February 2013 bulletin → space for europe European Space Agency The European Space Agency was formed out of, and took over the rights and The ESA headquarters are in Paris. obligations of, the two earlier European space organisations – the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and the European Launcher Development The major establishments of ESA are: Organisation (ELDO). The Member States are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands. Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada is a Cooperating State. ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany. In the words of its Convention: the purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view ESAC, Madrid, Spain. to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems: Chairman of the Council: D. Williams (to Dec 2012) → by elaborating and implementing a long-term European space policy, by recommending space objectives to the Member States, and by concerting the Director General: J.-J. Dordain policies of the Member States with respect to other national and international organisations and institutions; → by elaborating and implementing activities and programmes in the space field; → by coordinating the European space programme and national programmes, and by integrating the latter progressively and as completely as possible into the European space programme, in particular as regards the development of applications satellites; → by elaborating and implementing the industrial policy appropriate to its programme and by recommending a coherent industrial policy to the Member States. The Agency is directed by a Council composed of representatives of the Member States. The Director General is the chief executive of the Agency and its legal representative. ← On cover: Soyuz flight VS03 lifts off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 12 October 2012, on its mission to place the second pair of Galileo satellites into orbit → contents 10 number 153 | February 2013 02 22 The ESA Bulletin is an ESA Communications production. Published by: ESA Communication Department ESTEC, PO Box 299 2200 AG Noordwijk The Netherlands Tel: +31 71 565 3408 Email: [email protected] Editor 32 43 56 Carl Walker Designer BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO EUROPEAN HAS GONE BEFORE Emiliana Colucci ESA’s Service Module for Orion Organisation Philippe Deloo & Carl Walker → 02 www.esa.int/credits ‘V’ FOR VEGETATION The mission of Proba-V The ESA Bulletin is published by the European Space Agency. Individual Sean Blair → 10 articles may be reprinted provided the credit line reads ‘Reprinted from GRAND SCIENCE ESA Bulletin’, plus date of issue. Reprinted signed articles must bear Setting the stage for ESA programmes of the future the authors’ names. Marc Heppener et al → 22 ESA and the ESA logo are trademarks FLYING HOME of the European Space Agency. IXV and ISV: a way to affordable and routine access to space Images copyright ESA unless stated otherwise. Permission to reproduce Giorgio Tumino → 32 or distribute material identified as copyright of a third party must be obtained from the copyright owner 2012 IN PICTURES concerned. Some of the most memorable moments and inspirational images taken last year → 43 Copyright © 2013 → 50 European Space Agency News IN brief ISSN 0376-4265 | e-ISSN 1608-4713 Programmes IN progress → 56 NASA’s Orion spacecraft will be using a Service Module built in Europe, based on ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle technology 2 www.esa.int orion service module orion service → → BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO EUROPEAN HAS GONE BEFORE ESA’s Service Module for Orion Philippe Deloo Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations, ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands Carl Walker Communications Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands ESA and NASA plan to send astronauts farther ATV is a versatile showcase of European space capability, into space than ever before, in Orion spacecraft performing many functions during a mission to the ISS. powered by European Automated Transfer Vehicle The space freighter is used to reboost the ISS and can even technology. push the Station out of the way of space debris. While docked, ATV becomes an extra module for the astronauts, When it blasts off atop the Space Launch System rocket and at the end of its mission it takes waste materials in 2017, NASA’s Orion spacecraft will be using a Service away from the Station. Module built in Europe, derived from ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). ATVs have been resupplying the ESA and NASA signed an agreement last December for the International Space Station (ISS) since 2008. The fourth in provision of a Service Module for the Orion’s Exploration the series, ATV Albert Einstein, is being readied for launch Mission-1 in 2017. The agreement maps out a plan for ESA to this year from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. fulfil its share of operational costs and additional supporting European Space Agency | Bulletin 153 | February 2013 3 services for the ISS by providing the Orion Service Module and necessary elements of its design. The plan was given the go-ahead at ESA’s Ministerial Council last November and allows European industry to capitalise ATV technology while significantly cutting research and production costs for NASA. NASA plans to make a first unmanned test flight in 2017, human spaceflight & operations human spaceflight meaning that ESA will have to deliver the first Service Module in 2016 – a tight schedule but the people behind ATV are used to delivering a model each year. The first Service Module will be delivered as part of ESA’s contract ↑ The first Orion spacecraft in orbit attached to a Delta for International Space Station utilisation, with an IV upper stage during Exploration Flight Test-1 (NASA) option for a second module to be exchanged in kind for other services still to be identified. Sending European astronauts on Orion is, of course, on the wishlist of the European space community. uncrewed lunar flyby, returning to Earth’s atmosphere at 11 km/s – the fastest reentry ever. Provided these missions The flights go well, Exploration Mission-2 will then launch an Orion with a crew of four astronauts into space in 2021. The first Orion flight will be Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, in which an uncrewed Orion will launch on a Delta IV heavy Thomas Reiter, ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and rocket and fly to an altitude of around 5700 km above Operations, said, “The cooperation with NASA in the Earth’s surface, farther than a manned spacecraft has gone critical path of a human-rated transportation system, in 40 years. For Flight Test-1, the system will not include a which will take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, Service Module, but only a structural test adapter built by opens a new page in the transatlantic relationship. It’s Lockheed Martin that connects the capsule to the launcher. a strong sign of trust and confidence in our capabilities, The main objective of this mission is to test the Crew and an important contribution to the future of human Module at re-entry speeds representative of returns from exploration.” beyond low-Earth orbit missions. Nico Dettmann, Head of ESA’s ATV Programme The first European Service Module will fly on Exploration Department, said, “ATV has proven itself on three flawless Mission-1, the first flight of the Orion spacecraft on NASA’s missions to the Space Station and this agreement is new Space Launch System (SLS). This mission will be an further confirmation that Europe is building advanced, reliable spacecraft.” Dan Dumbacher, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development, agrees: “It is a testament to the engineering progress made to date that we are ready to begin integrating designs of an ESA-built Service Module with Orion. Space has long been a frontier for international cooperation as we explore. This latest chapter builds on NASA’s excellent relationship with ESA as a partner in the International Space Station, and helps us move forward in our plans to send humans farther into space than we’ve ever been before.” The Orion vehicle ↑ The NASA/ESA Orion Partnership news conference Orion is the name given to the Multi-Purpose Crew in Houston, 16 January 2013 (from left): William Vehicle, a crewed spacecraft that will transport up to four Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for astronauts from Earth’s surface to a nearby destination Human Exploration and Operations; Thomas Reiter, or staging point and bring the crew safely back to Earth ESA Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations; at the end of a mission. Orion consists of a Crew Module, Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager; and Bernardo a Crew Module Adapter, a Service Module, a Spacecraft Patti, ESA Manager of ISS Operations (NASA) Adapter, Spacecraft Adapter Jettisoned Fairings and a Launch Abort System. 4 www.esa.int Spacecraft Adapter Jettisoned Fairings orion service module orion service → ESA-provided Service Module, with solar panels shown deployed Crew Module Adapter Crew Module Launch Abort System ↑ Components of NASA/ESA Orion spacecraft (NASA/ESA) Crew Module This vehicle will provide all services necessary to support a crew during all phases of a given mission, from launch The Crew Module is the command, control, communications operations to Earth entry, descent, landing and recovery and navigation centre for all in-space operations. This (for shorter duration (1–21 days) missions or until a crew module supports up to four astronauts and consists of a transfers to another space vehicle). Orion astronauts will closed, environmentally controlled cabin that provides the wear launch, entry and abort (LEA) suits to protect them habitable volume.