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Home , Ariane 3, Ariane 4, Vega (rocket)

N°23 - September 2001

PreparingPreparing forfor Editorial oming back after fifteen years to take VVega...ega... C charge of the Directorate of Launchers makes me feel rather like a latter-day . Like him, I am struck by the magnitude of the changes that have taken place. I remembered Launchers as an engineers’ paradise, but find myself in a hard-nosed business world.

There have been some revolutionary changes. Firstly, we’ve had a commercial revolution, the signal for which, in , was given with the creation of . Secondly, there is structural revolution, with vertical industry consolidation in the USA and Europe. At the same time, a far-reaching cultural revolution has taken place. Just try to imagine fifteen years ago someone suggesting that Russian engines might be used in US Air Force launchers!

Amidst all these changes, things have been remarkably quiet on one front: most of the technology we use today dates back fifteen years. This is a challenge that has yet to be faced.

Ariane is a paragon of excellence in Europe. If we are going to consolidate and build on it, the launcher sector must adapt to the larger world around us. We need to broaden the role played by governments, including strategic investment and market intervention. We need to open the sector to international cooperation, while strengthening European solidarity. Finally, we must greatly accelerate the development of new technologies. ■ Jean-Jacques Dordain Director of Launchers

European Space Agency http://www.esa.int/launchers Directorate of Launchers Reaching for the Skies News in brief… at Ma

NEWS IN BRIEF 2 Major firsts for • Major firsts for Envisat •Busy schedule leading up to arrived on an Ministerial Council Antonov aircraft in • gets boost from EPCU-S5 two parts: the • Beluga delivers choice caviar Service Module, INTERVIEW 4 y responsible for with Jean-Jacques Dordain r keeping the • The new Director talks about operational, and a Europe’s launcher industry and his the Module vision for the future housing the actual m PREPARING FOR 6 mission instruments. •A report from Fiatavio’s Colleferro Measuring some

m manufacturing complex ten metres high Vega team roster completed 10 u • Perspectives from Stefano Bianchi once assembled, s and Mauro Balduccini Envisat will call for a Two tried-and-tested stands 12 large fairing. This is for the new launcher going to be a first, • Focus on the test stands on as is the use of the and in Kourou brand-new EPCU LIFTING THE BONNET ON 14 payload preparation -5 complex (see facing •A survey of the major launch page). Only two of missions as presented at the Paris the three rooms will Air Show in June be used: ES5-C for A NEW WINDOW ON 16 satellite integra- THE STARS tion/verification and •Take a spin in cyberspace The Envisat campaign was ushered in ES5-A for filling with . The on 26 March with the arrival in campaign continued through to , on container ship “Le 14 July with a break until Toucan”, of various items of ground mid-August; the launch MORE Reaching for the Skies equipment. More followed as air is scheduled for the end of on the Contributions (in English or French) should be sent to ■ WEB the coordinator: cargo on 9 and 16 May. Envisat itself the year. Philippe Willekens, ESA - D/Launchers 8-10, rue Mario-Nikis, F-75738 Paris Phone: (33)1 5369 7388 Fax: (33)1 5369 7678 E- mail: [email protected] Busy schedule leading up to

Writing: Michel Guyon Editors: Bruce Battrick & Huguette Sawaya Ministerial Council Layout: Eva Ekstrand Illustrations : Richard Roussel Business scheduled for the November Ministerial meeting of the ESA Council Photos: ESA-CNES-Arianespace-Service optique CSG, includes many decisions awaited regarding launchers: Ariane-5 Plus develop- Air Liquide, Cyospace, Snecma Moteurs Photo reportage (pages 6 to 11): Daniella Theis ment, funding to meet the fixed costs of the CSG and the Ariane launch sites, the Ariane Research and Technology Accompaniment programme and the reusable Published and distributed by: ESA Publications Division – ESTEC, launcher issue, plus the response to Russia’s request to launch from Kourou. Keplerlaan 1, 2200 AG Noordwijk – The In the meantime, attention is focussing on preparing for these decisions, at two Phone: (+31)71 565 3400 levels. To deal with matters specific to launchers, the Ariane Launcher Programme Fax: (+31)71 565 5433 Board will be meeting monthly. In parallel, a Council Working Group - likewise © 2001 meeting monthly but addressing the broader agenda - will integrate “launcher” Printed in The Netherlands ISSN 1013-9041 business with that relating to the “Space Station”, “Applications” and “Science”. ■

2 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ch 25 News in brief… at Mach 25

can be conducted simultaneously at the EPCU. Its great asset is its air- cushioned payload transit passages between the three main clean rooms. And while the satellite constellations that this configuration was designed to handle are now on hold, the EPCU, with its 3000 m2 of clean rooms and 20 metre high ceiling, will not be lying idle. “With the larger spacecraft now on the way, this is no luxury,” says Philippe Rolland. Especially as the complex will also have to accommo- date the nine Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) intended for servicing the International Space Station.

Kourou gets boost from EPCU-S5 “We would never have been to prepare ATVs in the old rooms. While With the opening of the EPCU-S5 in check out their hardware. The payload four-to-five tonne can be Kourou, things will never quite be the would then be transferred by lorry to handled using standard gantries, same again. Inaugurated only an area a safe distance away from things are quite different when you’re recently, the new payload preparation office buildings for fuelling. “In each manoeuvring gigantic hardware complex - cofunded by ESA (30%) and case, precious time was wasted on weighing over 20 tonnes,” explains Arianespace (70%) - will radically alter packing and unpacking,” explains Rolland. how things are done at Europe’s Philippe Rolland, Arianespace mission Thanks to these unique assets, EPCU- Space Port. manager. The operation was then S5 should make it possible in the short Until now, satellites were accommo- repeated for the journey to the final term to increase turnaround dated in the first instance in a building assembly building. rates, now that Kourou has MORE on the reserved for non-hazardous opera- But from now on, while the trip goes four filling rooms instead of tions. There, the customers would via the BAF, all preparatory operations just one. ■ WEB

Beluga delivers choice caviar!

Munich airport, 28 February. Rather like an Ariane-5 whose fairing parts to release its payload, the “Beluga” Airbus half opens to deliver its cargo. The comparison is apt enough, as the cargo in question is none other than the dynamic model of the ESC-A cryogenic upper stage – the upgrade soon to be fitted to Ariane-5. It will have taken Astrium five months to complete its integration, in Bremen (D). What is more, a new multi-purpose integration stand was also inaugurated and validated in the process. Next stop for the ESC-A: a campaign of tests at IABG in Ottobrunn (D). ■

Directorate of Launchers 3 Reaching for the Skies Interview with the new Director of Launchers Jean-Jacques Dordain

Last February able amount of attention to the Jean-Jacques Delegations. This type of contact is a crucial part of the preparations for a Dordain replaced Ministerial Council. Delegations need Frederick Engström to understand the logic behind our at ESA’s Directorate proposals, and we need to under- of Launchers. In an stand what they expect from the launcher programmes. interview with RFS he talks about his Vega – your first major first impressions task? This programme was decided just two and his personal months before I arrived, so it was my management style, predecessor who should be credited gives his take on with rallying the support needed to the current market, initiate this programme. Now we have to start constructional work, looking and outlines his ahead to 2005 and the first launch. strategy. This will be the first time that ESA will be managing the technical side of the development of a launcher, so it is a real challenge. I have already detected in what’s going on. So I a lot of enthusiasm, among the ESA hold weekly meetings with teams as well as in industry. all the staff, reviewing what was discussed the Looking further ahead, previous week, the results, what is your assessment of and the prospects for the the global market for Tell us a bit about your first upcoming week. I hope that it helps launchers? few months on the job. them in their work. The market is changing very rapidly. I’m still in the learning stage. The Today it consists mainly of large important thing for me is to establish a And outside the geostationary communications satel- close relationship with my new Directorate? lites. But parallel to this coveted colleagues. I’m someone who prefers I thoroughly enjoyed the conceptual segment, there is also a smaller, much talking to people around a table, work that I did in the Strategy more diverse institutional market that rather than on the phone or by e-mail. Directorate, but it’s worlds apart from includes scientific satellites and inter- So I don’t even have a computer in my working with a roaring engine on a planetary probes, but also the ATV for office! I’m trying to apply what I launcher. I spent fifteen years of my life the International Space Station. We learned in the Directorate of Strategy in research, so it’s in my blood: I need have to examine our strategy for (from 1993 to 2001). My belief is that to know what’s happening at the coal- coping with this diversity, so a range the best way to motivate a team of face, in the industry. But right now of competitive launchers will be people, especially a small group like there’s no time for visiting our indus- needed. Maintaining our own access this Directorate, is to involve them fully trial partners, and I devote a consider- to space and reducing costs are the

4 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY Shooting for the stars

1969. Engineering degree two most important factors for ments fund the development of “What I liked most about my studies? Finishing them! My graduation coincided Europe; naturally, this does not rule programmes, and Europe spends a lot with the first human landing on the Moon. out international cooperation. of money on the overhead costs for That left a lasting impression.” the Kourou Space Centre and launch But international coopera- complexes, to ensure a level playing 1976-1991. Lecturer at the Ecole Polytechnique (Department of tion is already a reality in field for Arianespace. But there isn’t Mechanical Engineering) Europe, isn’t it? enough funding for advanced tech- “Teaching is the most important profession I Of course. The thing to remember is nology. This is true for conventional ever practised. For me it was a valuable and richly rewarding experience.” that the process of globalisation is launchers, but even more so for driven by markets, and so creates reusable launchers, where efforts are 1977. Selected as one of the first strains and stresses within Europe, fragmented, to the detriment of five CNES candidates “It was the first selection of this type in while our governments have a overall effectiveness. And yet this is . It was an exciting time and taught mandate to strengthen the fabric of precisely where we can expect a tech- me a great deal about myself, physically and European cooperation. Just look at the nology revolution that will open up psychologically. I was appointed to head existing areas of cooperation with space to a larger body of users. ESA’s astronaut office (from 1986 to 1993), but I never got an opportunity to fly. And 20 non-European partners: it million dollars is still a lot of money...” takes place in a national, not European framework, 1977-1982. Coordinator for space activities at ONERA (Office Nationale with German-Russian d’Etudes Aérospatiales) companies like , “This was my first real job, and it profoundly and Franco-Russian ones shaped me. I learned an enormous amount, working in different posts. ONERA teems like Starsem, the Soyuz with high-powered engineers from all disci- operator. Or look at plines.” European industry, where you have ’s 1985. Edmond Brun Award from the French Academy of Sciences Contraves and ’s “Among the prizes I have been awarded, Saab-Eriksson working on this is the one that touched me the most. It the American -5 was the first time it had been awarded, but more importantly, Edmond Brun had been programme. What’s holding my professor, and I learned so much from us back is the fact that there him.” isn’t a unified policy behind 1990. Chairman of the Board of European cooperation. We Enquiry into the failure of the first need to define a single MAXUS launch ( for European policy that will microgravity research) encompass all the stake- “A board of enquiry is expected to carry out a meticulous search for clues and then to holders. Once that is done reconstruct exactly what happened, all in we should discuss the roles that can Is November’s Council the space of a few weeks. It’s a gruelling be played by governments, space meeting likely to move experience, especially as it takes place in the emotionally charged atmosphere created by agencies and commercial firms in this things along? a failure. Working at Kiruna, Sweden, 100 cooperation. The important thing is I don’t think that this Council will km north of the Arctic circle, was a magical to maintain consistency among completely adjust the balance of experience. There was the feeling that we were walking on completely untouched ourselves, so that collaboration on investments, or set up any important land. Not quite the Moon, but almost!” international projects is not perceived new schemes for international cooper- as harming European solidarity. ation. However, it may indicate the 1997. Executive Secretary of direction in which the launcher sector NASDA’s Evaluation Committee (Japan) “I’ve worked in Europe and in the USA, but Is this the only European should be moving in the years to Japan was really special. It is a different weak ? come, including the organisation of world. And the Japanese really appreciated We don’t do enough technology the public sector and its relations with the efforts I made to understand their point of view.” development here. Naturally, govern- industry. ■

Directorate of Launchers 5 Front Page Reaching for the Skies Preparing for Vega...

The solid boosters for the Ariane-5 launcher are processed in the heart of Fiatavio’s Colleferro complex not far from , home to some of the finest technology know-how in . The smoothly functioning machinery is now being geared up to produce components for Vega, on the same assembly lines and using the same tooling. In the meantime, the plant is anything but idle.

Focus he first thing that strikes a visitor the plant site. Old factory rail lines and T to Colleferro is the line-up of a row of dilapidated buildings near on Francesco containers in the yard. They bear the the entrance are mute witnesses to a Depascuale ESA logo and are waiting for the ship hundred years of history, relics of the Head of that will take them to Kourou. The industry as it appeared in 1913. production containers are the ‘outer shell’ for the and develop- cylindrical segments of case Ideal situation ment of new technologies for the Ariane-5 launcher. Inside, the That was the year it all began for at Colleferro segments are already covered with a Colleferro, against the sombre back- high-performance protective liner. ground of a Europe that had itself Aged 46, this aerospace engineer has Behind them lie weeks of painstaking become a powder-keg and was spent half his life in the business. A treatment in Fiatavio’s Colleferro plant poised for war. From that grim begin- graduate of Milan’s Scuola Politecnica, near Rome, an indispensable stage on ning, the site has steadily evolved, as he has performed research on Ariane-5 the path to success for the Ariane-5 illustrated by the historical maps solid- motors, before being booster – and tomorrow, for Vega. displayed at the plant’s entrance. The appointed head of engineering by The launcher components are demand for powder rose continu- Fiatavio. He spent four years in Paris as the head of the solid booster stage brought from Augsburg by a special ously, for military applications but also programme for Europropulsion. He is a train, then transferred to trucks for the the mining industry. The location was permanent member of the Comité trip to the production plant. On the found to be perfect for delicate work Technique of Arianespace. way, they traverse the ten hectares of with explosive substances: an ideal

6 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY level of atmospheric humidity, the Your papers, please coast situated nearby, a protective ....and your cigarette lighter! circle of hills to discourage low-flying Safety is not a joking matter at air attacks, and the absence of any Colleferro. Visitors are made to under- major settlements. It was not until stand this at the gate: among other 1935 that Colleferro came into things, they are required to hand over existence, and not until the 1950s that their automobile cigarette lighters! This it developed into a full-sized town with is only the visible part of a vast safety its own social infrastructure. organisation. Paolo Bellomi, the head of Up to 30 thousand employees worked solid propulsion for Fiatavio, explains here at the height of the Second that many of the traditional safety rules World War. Today the workforce is now play a largely symbolic function, down to 700 employees, and 80% of however. Still, it’s better to err on the side of the work is done for the space caution. Once solid propellant ignites, industry. Sheep graze obliviously there is no stopping it. Bellomi recalls an among the high-tech facilities, occasion during the early phase of the beneath a maze of pipes and conduits development of Ariane when a suspended six feet off the ground. Our defective charged booster segment had transporter follows the line of piping to be destroyed. Since there was no to reach the building in which the way of doing this on the test stand, it ❶ booster segments are going to be was decided to prop up the segment treated: first-class treatment from the horizontally on a wooden pyre, covered moment they are unloaded (see circulated through filters, and anyone by a corrugated metal roof. “It took ten photo 1). entering the room must wear special minutes to burn out,” recounts Bellomi, shoes, coats and bonnets. Up to 48 “and when we went to inspect it, there was nothing left: the segment had Scrubbed and powdered segments per year can be treated in consumed even the metallic parts, there “Our main job here is to apply the this cavernous hall, whose ceiling is was not even a trace of the roof thermal insulating liner to the steel dominated by hoists that silently rove remaining.” No wonder that special parts that make up the booster casing, back and forth, moving the various precautions are taken in the more to shield them from the 3000º parts of the booster casing in a sensitive areas. Special anti-static shoes temperatures that are developed precisely choreographed sequence. are required, to avoid the risk of static during the launch,” explains Next comes the crucial step of build-up, particularly when the air is Francesco Depascuale, responsible for applying the insulating primer. very dry. Lighters and cigarettes are advanced technologies at Colleferro. routinely banned, of course, but so are The first step is to clean the surface of 5 to 90 mm of rubber battery-powered watches that could the segments. To do this, the cylin- The rubber insulation is deposited induce a discharge around the propel- drical segments are placed upright in directly on the surface of the cylinder lant. Mobile phones are another no-no: Paolo Bellomi assures us that propellant a giant vat filled with solvent, to in layers that are one, two, three or powder and electromagnetic waves loosen any residual grease and other four millimetres thick. This makes it don’t mix! contaminants remaining from the possible to vary the final insulation In addition to the ubiquitous Faraday fabrication process. At the same time, thickness for different conditions of cage, each building is constructed with a dense spray of plastic particles is combustion, because some parts of a pre-weakened wall. In the event of applied to the inside walls of the the booster casing need more protec- runaway propellant combustion, the cylinder at high pressure, giving the tion than others. The actual thickness wall is designed to yield readily, thereby surface the required roughness before varies between 5 mm and 90 mm, the avoiding a dangerous build-up of the thermal protection is applied. thickest being reserved for the base of pressure that could lead to a cata- The scrubbing is a must for all parts the casing, exposed to the full brunt of strophic rupture of the building, with that end up in the clean room. The air combustion gases flowing towards flying debris and all the attendant in the clean room is constantly being the booster nozzle. The made-to- destruction.

Directorate of Launchers 7 Front Page Reaching for the Skies

Focus measure coat of thermal insulation, ultrasound inspection. A metallic made more complicated by spherical on Paolo boom with the ultrasound probe on portions of the casing, is tailored by a Bellomi the end is extended into the cylinder powerful computer that contains Head of solid to measure the thickness of the protec- geometrical profile information for propulsion at tive coating one minute portion at a each segment and monitors the Fiatavio time (see photos 4 and 5). A small correct profile, like a potter working by Holder of a degree in Mechanical stream of water ensures good probe touch (see photo 2). Engineering from the University of Rome, contact so that the ultrasound signal Paolo Bellomi has been working at goes straight to where it’s needed. To Fiatavio for sixteen years. Following a completely inspect an eleven metre- Biggest autoclave in Europe specialised course in aerodynamics in When it is first deposited the rubber is , he spent a period of time doing long segment takes more than three soft, which ensures good adhesion. It combustion research at the University of days. Throughout, engineers keep a then needs to be vulcanised to give a California. Since returning to Italy he has critical eye on the proceedings: “For been working on solid propulsion. Since permanent bond. To do this the tech- 1991 he has been working continuously all of our high-precision machinery, nicians wrap the segment in a giant on the Ariane programme, on military people remain the heart of Fiatavio,” plastic bag, which is then evacuated programmes and . The 42-year old emphasises Francesco Depascuale. has one dream: to watch Vega rise from to eliminate any air pockets or bubbles its , four years from now. This becomes clear when watching that might have formed between Giacomi Santucci perform the delicate successive applications of the rubber task of trimming by hand the edges of insulation. a segment’s protective coat using a We watch from a distance as the cylinder at ten times atmospheric simple utility knife (see photo 6). Pearls gaping maw of the autoclave, pressure and 180ºC for more than of perspiration glisten on his brow as measuring over three metres in twenty-four hours, secure behind two the expert technician carefully outlines diameter, is readied for the largest of inch-thick steel doors. the precise contours of the segment. the segments. The outsize oven is the In order to verify that the vulcanisation Any error could jeopardise the fit largest autoclave in Europe (see process has functioned correctly, the when the segments are transported to photo 3). It will keep the insulated segment is hoisted into a stand for Kourou for assembly.

❷❸

8 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY Solid propellant, solid experience Another of the tasks at Colleferro is to by Paolo Bellomi prepare the housing that receives the Head of Solid Propulsion at Colleferro booster igniter, which will be shipped to the Space Centre in a separate Solid propellant has a venerable history, going back much further than liquid container. The 1.2 metre-long igniter propellant. This explains many of the differences, such as its ease of handling and will be fitted into the booster, along comparatively low cost. In performance terms it is less attractive for upper-stage with a metallic tube into which a propulsion, but it remains a useful alternative. The practice world-wide is to use solid propellants if possible during an initial specialised combustible will be cast. ‘boost’ phase, reserving the more costly liquid fuels for the upper stages. This is The fast-burning material is designed because solid propellants provide high thrust, but their rapid combustion rate to react fully in three-eighths of a limits them to the first few minutes after lift-off. Most solid-propellant boosters second, creating a pressure and heat work for around two minutes, compared with ten minutes for the wave that will ignite the propellant engine, for example. evenly along the entire length of its The Ariane-4 is a good example. It exists in a solid and liquid booster configura- hollow -shaped interior. tion, the former producing much higher thrust levels than the latter. A modern Once its protective sheath is ready, the liquid-propellant engine such as Ariane-5’s Vulcain produces a respectable segment takes its place in the yard, 100 tonnes of thrust, but each of the two solid boosters develops over six times joining others already there. Another as much, enough to raise a naval frigate into the air! The combination gives an four to five weeks, and they will be ideal profile for the flight trajectory. unloaded at Kourou to be taken to the The solid’s other major advantages are its ease of storage, low maintenance and simple ignition. Italy has a considerable amount of expertise in the area, thanks to booster integration building. This is the early interest in gunpowder in this country. Thus, pyrotechnic began the culmination of a tightly coordi- to be studied in the 16th century. After examining fireworks imported from China, nated programme. As Francesco Italians produced the first learned treatises on solid-rocket propulsion. Solid Depascuale remarks, it is a graphic propellant continues to be the workhorse of rockets, particularly as pressure to cut illustration of what the somewhat costs grows. Of course, solid boosters do not lend themselves to re-utilisation as abstract notion of European coopera- readily as liquid engines do. But they could be ideal for powering future reusable tion is all about. And now the way is launchers during the rapid boost phase. prepared for the coming of Vega. ■

❹ ❺ ❻

Directorate of Launchers 9 Front Page Reaching for the Skies Vega team

For ESA, this is a crucial step, guided by the desire to cover Focus the full range of launch services by building on synergistic effects with Ariane and preparing the way for future projects on Stefano Bianchi, ESA

Head of Vega operations, with technical support the contract, Stefano Bianchi explains: Engineering from ESA and the Italian and French “The important thing will be to provide space agencies (ASI and CNES) at at a very early stage all of the technical Half-German, half-Italian, Stefano Bianchi, various levels. Thus, CNES’s ground specifications with the greatest 41, has a degree in Nuclear Engineering facilities sub-directorate (SDS) and its possible level of detail. Then, in from the Milan Polytechnic Institute. He Evry-based directorate of launchers started out working for the nuclear industry, in reactor controls, before joining (DLA) will be involved in the corre- ESTEC in 1987. Subsequently he joined sponding parts of the new the Ariane-5 programme, where he was programme. in charge of the solid-booster stage. For over ten years he commuted between Bianchi explains that the management Paris and Kourou to oversee booster tests structure for Vega will draw heavily on and qualification flights. In 1998 his the invaluable experience acquired by interest was drawn to the nascent Vega launcher. CNES. Incidentally, although France decided against financial participation in Vega, it will be directly involved in the programme. This is for the new team for a new challenge. development of Vega’s first stage, A Even more than earlier launcher which will also lead to upgraded developments, Vega will put the future boosters for Ariane-5. A team of European Space Agency in the front four or five managers will work in the line. The distribution of roles and tasks DLA’s offices at Evry, headed by a CNES is going to be tailored for the specific project manager who will be respon- needs of this programme. sible for coordinating this work with One reason for this is the origin of the Ariane-5 technology development. project. It was initially proposed by This is part of the strategy of culti- Italy, which will be contributing at vating synergies with Ariane. least 65% to the efforts (with 15% of the tab still to be found). As Stefano Benefits from Ariane Bianchi, Head of Vega Engineering at “When Ariane-5 was being developed ESA, reminds us, this situation is to replace Ariane-4, we had to change different from the successive Ariane everything,” recounts Mauro programmes in which France, via Balduccini, responsible for Vega CNES, always held the dominant programme technology and budget- share, between 40 and 50%. With ing in the Fiatavio/ASI joint venture Ariane, financial and technical European . “With Vega, authority alike were delegated: an that won’t be necessary.” The ESA team oversaw the work done by intention is to make use of what has CNES and reported to Delegations already been achieved: the technical and the Programme Board. expertise of DLA in Evry, the know- For Vega, an integrated programme how and systems of Arianespace for team (IPT) has been set up at ESRIN, the infrastructure, and the ELV team of where it will be deeply involved in Fiatavio for the launcher proper. As for

10 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY roster completed

making the design choices, we will giving a total budget of 463 MEuro. a new integration building and a strive to exploit new technologies “This is only possible thanks to the special launch table. where possible, while making the synergy effect,” admits Bianchi. maximum use of existing ones in order Despite its more modest scale, the A stage for every need to keep costs down.” The programme financial benefits of the programme Despite the modest budget, the is designed to operate on a lean are tangible, as Balduccini explains: project will be a challenge for ESA, budget, as the following figures show: “This is because we can exclude from notably with the development of three 128 MEuro for development of the the budget such things as infrastruc- new solid-rocket motors. In addition to P80 and 335 MEuro for launcher ture and production, assembly and guaranteeing access to space for small systems, of which 260 MEuro will be propellant plants.” Thus almost no , Vega could be the stepping- for the launcher itself and 45 MEuro new construction will be required in stone to future programmes, in for the ground-based infrastructure, Europe, and very little in Kourou: just particular for a medium launcher. “What we have in mind is more than a ‘family’ of launchers,” says Balduccini. “The idea is to create a line-up of stages designed with very similar components, to make the most of each development.” The objective would be to respond directly to evolving market demand with a fast, flexible modular approach – a build-to- order launcher! ■

Focus

on Mauro Balduccini, ELV

In charge of Vega programme technology and budgeting

A nuclear engineer with a degree from the University of Rome, Mauro Balduccini, 47, first put his training to work at Breda, a member of the Ansaldo group in Milan, working on nuclear reactors for six years. In 1982 he joined Fiatavio to work on the propulsion and altitude control system for Iris, which was flown on the . After a three-year stint at Alenia, where he contributed to the launch of Italsat 1 and 2, in 1993 Balduccini returned to Fiatavio, where he worked on a new vehicle concept that would break the ground for the future Vega design.

Directorate of Launchers 11 Front Page Reaching for the Skies Two tried-and-tested st

The launch complex for Vega will be set up at the CSG in Kourou. But in the meantime, Vega testing will straddle the Atlantic, with one test stand in Kourou for the P80 demonstrator and another in Sardinia for Vega’s second and third stages. The focus is on two different test technologies, two different experiences.

real difference for Vega’s is it’s compo- : from Ariane-3 to Zefiro sition, which is very hard to evaluate. “The technology to be tested is ast your mind back to the time definitive load for the Vega second completely different to that of Ariane- C when solid-propellant boosters stage being 23 tonnes. Bulkier than its 4, as the Vega booster casing material were still tested horizontally. It was predecessors on the stand – two is filament-wound,” he explains (see before Ariane-3, before adding twin metres in diameter as opposed to the box). Having good mechanical char- 7.3 tonne boosters to Ariane-1. The one-metre-diameter Ariane-3 and acteristics, this is much lighter than need became apparent Ariane-4 boosters – Zefiro conventional materials, but it is also to test the interfaces (the requires similar safety meas- much more fragile. The static firings attachment systems), ures, notably a vast cage-type will therefore serve to test the casing. connecting the strap-on structure with spikes on which The thickness of the carbon fibre will boosters to the it would impale itself and subsequently be adapted in line with launcher’s main body. explode in the event of a the results, the ultimate objective The designers had to be wrong manoeuvre. remaining, as always, to keep mass to sure that the structures a minimum. ■ of these two elements As head of the Ariane-3 and were compatible. This Ariane-4 programmes, André Controlled winding for Zefiro was the early 1980s van Gaver made several trips From a distance, the device is reminis- and preparations were to Sardinia. As he sees it, the cent of the looms of yesteryear – but under way for Europe look closer and it’s ultra-modern. Like a to achieve a first in the spider, it slowly spins its web around a area of solid propulsion. Zefiro motor, as the Vega programme A special test stand, gets seriously under way at Colleferro. enabling vertical testing, This module, spinning on itself, is was built at the Salto di wound by a mechanism continually Quirra military base on moving back and forth and feeding out Sardinia. It was design- filament wire, until completely covered. ed to take over from the This is the winding process at work, horizontal stand at exploiting this dual movement which Colleferro, on which lays the filament at a perfect angle. In Ariane-3 was first put through its one week, the machine’s twenty reels paces. Ariane-4 too would soon be spew out dozens of kilometres of carbon tasting the sea air on the cliff-side fibre, a material five times lighter than stand in Sardinia. steel and four times stronger. Thanks to this composite casing, the dry mass is Stringent safety measures reduced, as is the structural weight, a The first booster to be tested under process that will make it possible to the Vega programme, Zefiro has increase the launcher’s payload mass, already been put through three tests especially as the P80 draws on the same at Salto di Quirra in its 16-tonne technology. propellant load configuration, the

12 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ands for the new launcher

n this occasion, despite deliv- The BEAP, a born simulator! O ering 600 tonnes of thrust, the booster will not lift off. And this is many phases of the test. Right up to to inject water into the booster. The apparently the only major difference the last moment: immediately after objective is to freeze ablation of the from an actual launch. “It feels like the burn-out, a cannula pierces the casing nozzle throat and the divergent’s real thing,” says Jacques Gigou, head thermal protection, in order to observe of Ariane operations and installations the actual state of erosion, which at ESA, “the Ariane-5 solid-booster test natural cooling would have distorted. stand having been designed to In all, some 600 measurements are reproduce flight conditions so faith- taken on the BEAP, the first firing on fully”. A stand configuration that fits which dates back to 16 February the bill for the enormous Ariane-5 1993. Scheduled to follow are boosters and which will soon be four development tests and two adapted to the more modest dimen- qualification firings. All this spread out sions of the Vega P80. over two years. The same should be Unlike most American stands, which the case for Vega, even if the are horizontal, the BEAP stand tests cumulative experience gained from hardware vertically. This configuration testing the Ariane-5 boosters will obliged CNES (SDS) to dig a huge prove very useful. As Jacques Gigou trench, 60 metres deep and 200 explains: “The P80 basically cor- metres long. But doing so has proved responds to a segment of the Ariane-5 highly worthwhile, this option having P230, which has two 100-tonne overwhelming advantages: there is segments and one 30-tonne. The no need, for instance, to calculate the ballistics and the models having been interactions of a booster positioned developed at Europropulsion, devel- horizontally on rails. opment of the P80 should not involve too many surprises.” Especially as work A 30 mm lift-off! is under way to optimise the booster For safety reasons, the BEAP is fitted nozzle and Vega’s first stage will reuse with two restraining rings designed to those same technologies. neutralise any anomaly on the nozzle The main difference lies in the or where two segments interface. This structure of the P80, in filament- device is reinforced by a cable wound composite, whereas the embedded in concrete, clamping the P230 has a steel casing. The burst top of the booster. This kind of lasso testing will have to be changed would ground the booster and accordingly. Apart from that, prevent it from damaging the the safety rings will simply surrounding area in the event of an be repositioned and the uncontrolled release. platforms adapted to match During the test, the booster will well different access points. and truly lift off... all of thirty millime- Meanwhile, the BEAP will tres, before hitting the thrust measure- continue to play an active ment device positioned at the top of part in Ariane Research and the stand. “This produces a real thrust Technology Accompaniment measurement taking into account programme tests, with the gravity,” explains Gigou. This concern next stand firing of an to reproduce flight conditions as Ariane-5 booster scheduled closely as possible can be seen in for the end of the year. ■

Directorate of Launchers 13 Reaching for the Skies Lifting the bon A venue for insiders After a two-year interval, it was From 15 to 22 June visitors to the Paris Air Show got an inside time to refresh the show-case. upcoming ESA missions. From communication and observation New programmes, new launchers, Station service vehicle ATV, a wide range of different projects wi new prospects: the space world had undergone major changes Ariane-5. Proof of the European launcher’s versatility. since the last Paris Air Show.

Once again, ESA and CNES were , the comet chaser sharing a pavilion, under an A long chase is about to commence: spacecraft impressive dome providing a view Rosetta has its sights set on comet Wirtanen. The of the sky and the stars. The launch, planned for January 2003, will signal the whole space clan was represented; start of an eight-year pursuit before the target notably, the complete family of is reached, in August 2011. That calls for European launchers, modelled at endurance. Rosetta will have to pace 1/10th scale. Major themes such itself, economising on energy and as navigation, Earth observation making the most of three planetary and protection, space exploration, swing-by manoeuvres, once around Mars and twice around the Earth. science, and orbital infrastructure These active phases will punctuate prolonged dormant phases during (of which the ISS is an example) which Rosetta hibernates or overflies one of the two asteroids Otawara were presented in videos and and Siwa. The target will finally be reached on day 3140 of Rosetta’s panels. mission. At this point the space probe will go into around the comet, compiling a detailed map of its surface and deploying a lander Visitors were given a comprehen- equipped with scientific instruments. These will be used to study the sive overview of major projects, internal structure of the comet’s core and perform mineralogical, existing and planned, spanning chemical and isotope analysis. The information gathered will be both commercial and institutional relayed back to Earth by the main spacecraft, which remains in orbit. missions. “A chance to take a look Rosetta will take the comet’s ‘pulse’ by monitoring the surrounding at what Europe is doing in space,” plasma and vapour jets emanating from the core. This will said Philippe Willekens, an contribute immeasurably to the knowledge gained when engineer at ESA’s Directorate of flew past Halley’s comet at 70 km/sec on 14 March 1986. Launchers and in charge of presentations at the pavilion. Envisat, a guardian angel The important stakeholders, for planet Earth decision-makers in politics and Climate change, ocean movements, melting ice-caps, global industry, could all avail themselves warming, depletion of the ozone layer, atmospheric changes: of the ESA/CNES facilities in an there is no shortage of vital environmental phenomena for environment amenable to fostering Europe’s Envisat to track, helping scientists to understand them contacts, holding discussions and better. Following on from the successful European remote-sensing conducting negotiations. Willekens satellite programme (ERS) pointed out: “In many cases, this launched in 1991, Envisat’s is a chance to crown months of capabilities will mean a hard work and negotiations with quantum leap in the the announcement that a contract data available to European has been awarded or an researchers. Over its lifetime of agreement finalised.” And that five years the satellite will circle was an important part of the the Earth fourteen times a day in its business of this Air Show. . The launch is scheduled for late 2001.

14 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY net on Ariane-5

view of the major , the space-based data hub satellites to the Space In Greek mythology Artemis was the daughter of ill be entrusted to the Zeus and Leto. She was renowned for her unerring skill with bow and arrows. The same qualities of precision and speed are built into the satellite Artemis, which will be relaying large quantities of data. The initial plan to launch the satellite with a Japanese H-IIA rocket was abandoned, and Artemis was placed in orbit from Kourou this summer onboard an Ariane-5 launch vehicle. In a sense Artemis signals the start of construction for a huge navigation and communication system that will be crowned by Galileo. As the first element in place, Artemis will provide mobile communications services between Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, primarily for road and rail traffic but also for maritime traffic. The zone covered extends from the North Sea to the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Artemis is also equipped with Silex, a laser-optics communications system that will revolutionise the transmission of data to and from satellites in low-Earth orbit. In its relatively high geostationary orbital slot, Artemis will act as a hub connecting Spot-4 and Envisat, which sweep low over the Earth, continuously gathering large volumes of data, with the data collection centres at Frascati, Italy and Toulouse, France. The system will provide a similar data relay service for the International Space Station, giving scientists real-time control of operations and experiments in space.

ATV, a St. Bernard for the Space Station Without it, the International Space Station would not last long. The Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV, will travel to the Space Station on a regular basis, carrying the vital cargo needed to keep the Station operational on a long-term basis. At 8.5 m in length, the ATV is three times the size of the present Progress freighter. It will dock to the Russian service module on the Space Station, bringing provisions, spare parts and scientific material (some 5.5 tonnes), 840 kg of water and compressed gases, and large quantities of propellant: 860 kg for the Station’s attitude-control thrusters and over four tonnes for maintaining its altitude – 20.5 tonnes of freight in all. Once its mission has been accomplished, the ATV will undock and steer under its own power back into the atmos- phere, where it will disintegrate. The first of a planned nine vehicles should be launched in 2004, the rest following at twelve-month intervals.

Directorate of Launchers 15 Reaching for the Skies

Take a spin in cyberspace

main stage, or the payload fairing. And there are numerous video clips to illustrate the technical information. While you’re visiting, take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical Ariane launches.

Where this site really excels is in depicting the long and complex process that precedes a successful launch mission. You can visit manufacturing and assembly sites for different launcher components in Europe, then follow the satellites’ progress from an aerial perspective, all the way to Kourou and the space centre.

A personal angle on the news The new site is not only an invaluable basic reference on Europe’s launchers, but also a source of reports, interviews and other articles highlighting the people at the European Space Agency who make it all happen. Use the site to keep up with news on the launchers, get the latest launch A new window schedules and the technical specifications of individual missions, and view the post- on the stars flight commentary. ■ Spotlight on the ndulge your imagination – with your through this maze? You can take a Member States I eyes wide open. Take off is now, from complete guided tour, or look at the inside the new Internet site of ESA’s Directorate of of the launcher, stage by stage, or go to a Every mission, every new success Launchers. The site gives you access to a thematic overview. “Don’t worry if you get achieved or record established, owes mine of information about launchers, and overwhelmed at first,” Benaitier hastens to much to the combined efforts of a it’s fun to use. “We redesigned the reassure us. “Just stop the animation talented and diverse team. This is why Launchers site with a view to making it wherever you happen to be and take a we have created a separate portion of easier to use so that it will meet the needs closer look at the details that interest you.” the site that deals with the twelve of the general public, including students, Member States who participate in the engineers and decision makers,” explains Flash animations and launcher programme. The goal is to Florence Benaitier, a communication video clips show how each country makes its specialist at ESA who supervised the The new site is packed with technical, unique contribution to this vast joint creation of the new site. historical and even economic information. project. This gives you a snapshot of In addition to files on every launcher’s Europe’s current state of the art in terms The outcome: an enticing introduction to performance and unique features, Flash of technology, know-how and coopera- the world of launchers, with valuable animations let the user dissect the tion. All of this, naturally, in several information presented in a convincing launcher and peer inside. Just click on the different languages. format. Need help finding your way link for a close-up view of the boosters, the

European Space Agency http://www.esa.int/launchers Directorate of Launchers