Technical and Operational Support

The highlights of the year for the Directorate as a whole were:

– Successful launch of XMM in December: the launch and subsequent operation of the satellite by ESOC was flawless. – ISO 9001 certification of ESOC and the Redu and Villafranca stations in November: all XMM and MSG project activities were executed according to ISO 9001. – Creation of an External Customer Services Unit at ESOC: the purpose of this unit is to fully utilise ESOC’s remaining capacity and so reduce the facility costs to ESA programmes; ESOC now has contracts worth 27 ME with seven external customers and half of the network support is for external customers. –Agreement to provide ESTEC test services through market-oriented arrangements in co- operation with IABG (D) and Intespace (F). – Co-operating with the Directorate for Industrial Matters and Technology Programmes in preparing the new three-year proposal for the Agency’s Technology Research Programme (TRP) and General Support Technology Programme (GSTP).

The highlights for the individual Departments are summarised below.

Mission Operations ECS and Marecs ECS-4 and 5 continued to provide successful communications services to Eutelsat throughout the year, with the operations conducted from the Redu (B) ground station, from which Marecs-B2, currently leased by ESA to Nuova Telespazio, is also controlled.

Ulysses Ulysses continues to follow a south-going trajectory since crossing the ecliptic plane in May 1998. The spacecraft, now is in its 10th year of operation, continued to provide scientific data from all of its on-board experiments, which are still functioning flawlessly. Real-time daily operations are conducted by an ESA flight control team, located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena (USA).

Huygens The Cassini/Huygens spacecraft is performing well as it commences the third year of its seven-year journey to Saturn, having already correctly performed three of the four fly-by manoeuvres that will enable it to reach its target in summer 2004. The second fly-by occurred when the spacecraft made its second pass of Venus, coming within 600 km of its surface on 24 June, and the third on 18 August when it flew by the Earth at a minimum altitude of 1171 km. Having also made its closest approach to the Sun at a perihelion distance of 0.72 AU, the spacecraft then headed out towards Jupiter, where it will perform its final fly-by manoeuvre on 31 December 2000. Both the Probe and its scientific instruments are in excellent health.

XMM XMM was launched on 10 December (on the first commercial flight of Ariane-5). All operations during the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) were conducted as per the planned timeline, from the Mission Operations Control Centre at ESOC, allowing switch-on of the scientific instruments to begin in the first week of 2000. Routine XMM mission operations will also be conducted from ESOC, with telemetry, telecommand and tracking provided by ESA’s Perth (Aus) and Kourou (Fr. Guiana) ground stations.

ERS-1 and ERS-2 These two remote-sensing spacecraft were operated smoothly from ESOC using the Kiruna (S) and Villafranca (E) stations. The payloads of both spacecraft were still in excellent condition,

43 and data delivery to ESRIN met the year’s performance objectives. Preparations for the replacement of on-board attitude-control software to extend ERS-2 gyroscope life were largely completed, and techniques were also developed for optimal use of the available power.

Missions in Preparation Cluster-II Transfer of the Odenwald (D) antenna to Villafranca (E) was successfully completed and four system validation tests were conducted between ESOC and the flight-model spacecraft. Mission operations preparation activities were also completed, allowing the training and simulations programme to start in early 2000.

Envisat Preparations at ESOC for Envisat’s operation proceeded according to plan, and the second system validation test was successfully completed. The status of system development and integration is such that ESOC will be ready to execute the LEOP and routine-phase operations as planned.

Integral Ground-segment activities concentrated in 1999 on the detailed design of major Mission Operation Centre (MOC) subsystems and culminated with the integration and testing of the first deliveries to be used in the system validation tests planned for early 2000. The design of the interfaces with the Science Ground Segment and with the DSN ground station at Goldstone (USA) also progressed significantly. The architectural design for upgrading the ground stations within the ESA network is progressing as planned.

Proba Proba mission operations will be conducted from the Redu (B) ground station and the associated preparation phase has commenced. The SCOS-II system will be used for both the satellite test/integration and flight phases to reduce costs.

SMART-1 Following the mission’s approval in September, work on the ground segment started for a launch in 2002. A Ground Segment Requirements Review held in October was completed successfully.

Rosetta Procurement activities for ESA’s new 35 m deep-space antenna, to be sited at New Norcia, about 130 km north of Perth (W. Australia), proceeded according to plan, with site- preparation activities also well underway. Definition of the Rosetta System Database, a common element for integration and testing as well as mission operations, was concluded and database population activities were started.

Mars Express With a fixed launch date in mid-2003, ground-segment activities progressed well, with the Ground Segment Requirements Review being successfully completed in October.

FIRST/Planck The FIRST/Planck project was supported throughout the year both in terms of the definition of the space and ground segments and mission analysis.

44 Ground Systems Engineering Flight Control Systems ESOC successfully upgraded its Mission Control System, known as ‘SCOS-2000’. Using state of the art technology (it received the OMG ’99 international award), it will underpin all ESOC control facilities for the next decade. Compared with similar available systems, SCOS-2000 is functionally extremely rich and can also be used also as an EGSE system.

Flight Dynamics There was a steady increase during the year in preparation efforts for projects with imminent launches, in particular XMM, Cluster-II, MSG and Envisat, and for the interplanetary missions Rosetta, Mars-Express, and SMART-1. The team and software facilities that supported the XMM launch in December will largely move over to support Integral. Work continued on the finalisation of GPS- and DORIS-related software facilities for ‘precise orbit determination’ in the context of the Envisat and future Earth Explorer and Earth Watch missions.

Ground Station Engineering The new 35 m deep-space antenna to be located at New Norcia in Western Australia has been designed not only to have a very high receive sensitivity and power transmission capability in S- and X-band, but also to allow later extension for Ka-band reception.

The new generation of data-processing equipment installed at the Kourou (Fr. Guiana), Villafranca (E) and Perth (Aus) ground stations was validated and handed over to support the XMM launch. The reconfiguration of the Kiruna ground station needed to support Envisat was completed and is already being used to support ERS. The new ground-station facilities at Villafranca (E) to support Cluster-II operations will be handed over at the beginning of 2000.

Development of the Intermediate Frequency and Modem System (IF-MS), a fully digital system that should replace all analogue receivers, modulators and tracking systems at ESA stations from 2001, is close to completion.

Simulation Implementation of the new version of the Software Infrastructure for Modelling Satellites The GAIA transfer trajectory from GTO (SIMSAT) continued in 1999. Planned to be available in mid-2000, it will be used for the to the L2 libration point development of the Rosetta and Mars-Express simulators, as well as for subsequent missions.

Mission Analysis and Space Debris Several future ESA lunar and interplanetary missions, e.g. SMART-1, LISA, SOLO, Mercury Cornerstone Mission, will use solar electric propulsion as their primary drive. A significant E SA’s Optical Ground Station at the effort was therefore made in 1999 to develop the necessary software tools for trajectory Teide Observatory optimisation and mission tra d e - o f fs. For missions with large energ y requirements, the combination of low-thrust propulsion and gravity assists is a promising option. The analysis of missions to the L2 libration point in the Earth- Sun system (e.g. GAIA) continued.

Two 24-hour small-size debris detection experiments were carried out using the FGAN 34 m L-band radar, which can detect 2 cm-sized objects at 1000 km altitude. Development of the 1 m Zeiss telescope at Teide Observatory is nearing completion. Test observations in the geostationary orbit have shown an unexpectedly large population of uncatalogued objects as small as 20 cm, which are probably the result of explosions.

The ESA Space Debris Mitigation Handbook was issued.

45 Mechanical Engineering

Major milestones were achieved in the development and verification of mechanical systems and mechatronic devices. In preparation for the challenging GAIA astrometry mission, an optical interferometry test bench was built to demonstrate the ability to measure optical p a t h - d i f f e rence variations with an accuracy of ±15 picometres, corresponding to a The picometre-resolution optical-path- 4 microarcsec angular resolution for the GAIA mission. A system-level deployment test of a difference measurement test bench for full-scale, 20 m x 20 m rigid solar-sail structure was successfully completed at the ESA Crew GAIA Training Centre in Cologne (D), within the framework of a joint development undertaking by ESA, DLR and Invent GmbH.

The development of innovative miniature space-robotics devices for planetary surface-science support, including micro rovers and robotically assembled deep drilling systems, showed very encouraging results. ESA participated in the highly successful in-orbit demonstrations of robotic satellite-servicing technologies on the Japanese ETS-7 mission, verifying the performance of advanced space-robot control schemes developed under the ESA Technology Demonstration Programme. Furthermore, the Telescience Support Unit (TSU) developed under ESTEC’s leadership for the FluidPac facility on the Foton-12 mission provided the first demonstration of interactive ‘telescience-mode’ operation of microgravity payloads from A solar-sail deployment test at the EAC ground user stations. Crew Training Centre, in Cologne Support provided in the implementation of the X38 programme using advanced analysis facilities and technology developments (under TRP and GSTP) contributed to the successful delivery of major mechanical elements for the V201 spaceflight vehicle to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, including the equipment pallets, a large section of the aft structure and the metallic rudders. The success of this rapid prototyping approach at ESTEC is leading to wider cooperation in the operational NASA CRV programme.

The International Space Station pro g ramme was supported with the development of m i c ro g ravity instrument technologies, including a tiny, fully automated, telescience- compatible microscope fitting into the 0.6 litre container volume of the European Modular ESA operators during a critical phase of Cultivation System (EMCS). A number of similar technology advances were achieved for the ETS-7 in-orbit robotics experiments material sciences, including the successful demonstration of microwave heating of zeolite solutions, the use of self-supporting carbon-based heaters at temperatures up to 1800 °C, The X38 prototype Crew Return Vehicle and the testing of an active alignment system for the compensation of instrument (CRV), with the ESA-supported elements deformations in fluid-science experiments using interferometry. highlighted Thermal-Control and Life-Support Technology The main thermal-control challenges continued to be in the areas of efficient heat-transfer control using single- and two- phase systems and the provision of very low temperatures, particularly for space-science missions such as FIRST/Planck.

D evelopment of two-phase technology was further consolidated, with particular emphasis on its adaptation to future telecommunications and navigation satellites and constellations, as well as thermal control for instruments, e l e c t ronics boxes and future mini/nano-satellites. Technology activities were initiated to develop miniature two-phase loops and heat pipes that can cool the printed- circuit boards inside electronics boxes or act as highly efficient ‘thermal straps’. At the other end of the size spectrum, work continued on developing deploya b l e radiator systems based on two-phase technology.

46 For the lower tempera t u re scale, the basic development of a pulse-tube cooler, foreseen as a simpler and therefore more reliable alternative to existing Stirling-cycle coolers, was completed. Far lower temperatures than can be achieved with these machines alone are required, however, for cooling the highly-sensitive detectors needed for scientific missions. In this context, work continued on the open-loop dilution refrigerator intended to provide 0 .1 K tempera t u res for the Planck mission (engineering model under test), and on the recyclable 0 .3 K He3 sorption re f r i g e ra tor for FIRST (manufacture in progress). In the nano-cryogenics field, work continued on the solid-state NIS cooler designed to achieve 0.1 K for small detectors.

As far as physico-chemical techniques are concerned, major progress was made by upgrading a i r - rev i talisation hard wa re and assembling and successfully testing a complete sys t e m d e m o n s t ra tor sized to fit in one half of an International Standard Payload Rack and suitable for a three-person crew. Development of atmosphere trace-gas monitoring equipment based on infrared absorption spectroscopy continued, with the aim of achieving the same level of development as for the air-revitalisation system. A study was started to analyse ‘blind’ gas mixtures for NASA (contract from W i l ey La b o ra tories with SINTEF) in order to demonstrate the applicability of current trace-gas monitoring equipment for use on the International Space Station.

Propulsion and Aerothermodynamics In the chemical-propulsion domain, rocket engines for spacecraft attitude and orbit control T h ree-m an-rated air-rev i talisation a re being improved and market-oriented pro p u l s i o n - s ystem components are being s ystem demonstra to r, with ox y g e n - d eveloped. The industrialisation of advanced-composite solid propellants for launcher generation and CO 2 concentration and processing assemblies applications, and the use of new, non-toxic propellants for spacecraft applications are being p u rsued. The development of micro - p ropulsion cold-gas thrusters and feed sys t e m s progressed well, such that a system is now baselined for ESA’s GOCE mission.

In the electric-propulsion field, important new development efforts together with European industry were initiated, e.g. the electric-propulsion system to be used as the primary engine for ESA’s SMART-1 mission, a new, high-power Hall-effect thruster for the next-generation The SMART-1 PPS 1350 thruster during European geostationary telecommunications satellites and for constellations in low Earth firing tests at SNECMA (F) orbits, and a field-emission electric-propulsion system to be flight-tested on the Shuttle Orbiter in 2001 and used on new, high-precision scientific missions and on micro-satellites.

In aerothermodynamics, major efforts were devoted to the definition of the X38 aerothermodynamic database, post-flight analysis of the ARD black-out, and the commissioning of the large ‘Scirocco’ plasma wind tunnel, which will be used for X38 thermal-pro t e c t i o n - s ys t e m qualification and for materials testing for planetary missions. The safe venting of unused propellants from Ariane-5’s attitude-control system

47 was successfully demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. At CNES’s request, an evaluation of Vulcain-2 side-loadings was initiated in close cooperation with industry, in which nozzle film cooling and turbine exhaust-gas injection effects on flow separation are being studied.

Electrical Engineering

The eve r - i n c reasing operational performance and lifetime demands on spacecraft have led to a number of innovative solutions, covering the lifecycle of a space mission.

The first is the verification of system and mission requirements very early in the project life cycle by compre h e n s i ve simulation using ESA’s Project Test Bed approach. This has already been done very successfully for a number of missions, Vulcain-2 mach-contour design such as SMART-1, Rosetta, Solar Orbiter and CESAR. Compatibility of the operational results constraints of several instruments mounted on the same platform can be checked, as well as ove rall platform constraints. Specific issues can then be investigated by refining the modelling of certain aspects of the spacecraft (e.g. electrical propulsion for SMART-1).

Secondly, in the drive for increased performances from, for example, micro- and nano- satellites, antennas and solar panels compete for the limited surface area available. One possibility may be to combine them into a single element via the SOLar ANTenna (SOLANT) concept. This is possible thanks to two innovative breakthroughs: the use of thin-film solar cells and their inclusion in the electromagnetic antenna design to achieve a compact and optimised structure. The SOLANT concept, developed together with EPFL (CH) and IMT (CH), can be an enabling technology for space missions such as science probes and landers, and it also has interesting spin-off potential for terrestrial applications.

Thirdly, once in orbit there is a growing need for increased visual monitoring of complex operations, as exemplified by ESA’s development of the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) in A 4 x 2 array antenna operating at co-operation with OIP (B) and IMEC (B). CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) technology was 4 GHz integrated with solar cells, with selected for its radiation tolerance and integration potential. Two of these 60 x 60 x 100 mm3 an MMIC amplifier on the back side ground-commanded cameras were included on XMM to provide visual information on, for powered by the solar cells. The antenna gain is 13 dBi (passive) and 30 dBi with example, solar-panel deployment. Similar cameras will be used on Cluster-II, and probably the MMIC amplifier. The 9 solar cells also on Mars Express. Development work is continuing, to produce smaller cameras with produce 5 V and 100 mW higher resolution and allowing video-like image sequencing using integrated image compression.

Product Assurance Product Assurance Support for ESA Projects The PA activities for electronic components, materials and software helped to ensure successful missions for several ESA satellites undergoing their final launch verifications during the year.

The Components Laboratory completed more than 70 failure and components analyses in 1999. One such failure analysis was performed on a state-of-the-art three-dimensional packaging technology used for stacking DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) dies into a gigabit solid-state mass-memory unit being built for the Cluster-II, Envisat and Metop projects. This investigation helped to improve the design of a critical stack assembly tool, which had caused microcracking in the die.

48 In addition, major efforts were devoted during the year to supporting commercial projects being undertaken by European industry. The Materials Laboratory, for example, investigated possible causes for the unexpected power losses due to rapid solar-array degradation reported on several spacecraft.

ESOC Qualified to ISO 9001 Standard After almost two years of intensive preparatory work, ESOC was awarded the international ISO 9001 quality-standard certificate in November by National Quality Assurance (NQA), an independent accredited registrar for ISO compliance. ESA thus became the first space agency in Europe to have one of its major facilities certified to the ISO 9001 standard. Focussed-ion-beam investigation of a The certification process had begun in June. More than 70 documents were prepared to defective memory device (DRAM die) describe how ESOC develops and delivers its products and services and the associated quality-assurance provisions. The certification audit was conducted at the end of October by two specialised auditors, visiting Darmstadt, Villafranca and Redu. It showed full compliance with the ISO 9001 standard, confirming the effectiveness of the new quality-management system as a complement to the proven technical excellence of ESOC.

European Space Component Cooperation (ESCC) Initiative This initiative has established a framework via which ESA, the national agencies, industry and the component manufacturers can work in close cooperation on all space-component-related matters. Particular goals are to achieve agreed and e f f e c t i ve methods of working, reduce component costs, establish mutual recognition of capabilities throughout the European space community, establish a co-funded components technology programme, promote the European system internationally, and sharing of the investments in and costs of all basic activities.

A number of important results were achieved in 1999, including: – the completion and approval of ‘Component Technology Dossiers’, providing recommendations for a five-year strategic R&D plan for component technologies Solar-cell testing in the ESTEC Materials – the first issue of a European Preferred Parts List Laboratory – the preparation for the transfer of the ESA/SCC Specification System to the new European Space Components Coordination Specification System – the setting up of a European Component Information Exchange System (ESCIES), giving The ESOC ISO 9001 Working Gro u p the European space community ready access to a host of space-component information. receiving the Certificate from Mr David J o h n s tone (right), Chairman of NQA, accompanied by (on his left) Mr European Cooperation for Space Standardisation Antonio Rodotà, ESA’s Director General, The European Cooperation for Space Standardisation (ECSS) aims to develop a single coherent and Mr David Dale, ESA’s Director of set of commercially oriented standards for use in all European space activities. ESA fully Technical and Operational Support supports the development of these ECSS sta n d a rd s , which replace the existing PSS documents as well as c reate completely new sta n d a rds not prev i o u s l y covered, by providing experts and convenors to the various active working groups, by publishing and distributing the new standards, and by providing the ECSS Secretariat.

It was a very productive year, with over 20 new ECSS standards published covering engineering, management and product-assurance subjects, bringing the present total to 42. In addition, the Secretariat has developed its own web site (www.estec.esa.nl/ecss) and generated training material, including a video introduction to ECSS. Last but not least, three of the ECSS standards were accepted as European Standards (EN).

49 External and Media Relations ESTEC In 1999 the ESTEC PR Office broke all records for arranging and co-hosting events, conducting visits for professional groups and politically high-ranking guests, organising media briefings, and striving to enhance internal corporate spirit. The PR staff were present at 167 different occasions, involving a total of more than 8000 participants.

As the largest ESA Establishment – including the always very popular and crowd-pulling Space Expo visitor centre – ESTEC provides an ideal setting for the visual media and for interviews with space experts, as the numbers confirm: 230 media representatives were received during the the year, including 54 TV units. They are especially drawn by the new ESA TV Dutch State Secretary Monique de Vries Broadcast Service and on-site TV studio in the Erasmus building. cutting the ribbon to unveil the full-scale Columbus training model and The Erasmus building is also the home of the newly opened User Centre for the International open the Erasmus User Centre on 28 June Space Station. This marketing and information focus for the Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity Directorate, with its full-scale mock-up of Columbus, is also proving very attractive for the media and special-interest groups, making it another useful tool for communicating the ESA message to different audiences.

ESTEC again organised ‘public tours’ (together with Space Expo) during several vacation periods. These are proving such a success that the door to the general public will be opened even wider for 2000, with a Space Train to shuttle guests around the site for a ‘look behind the scenes’ at Europe’s largest space centre. Dedicated stops on the tour will include the Erasmus User Centre and a visit to see real spacecraft in the ESTEC Test Centre, and an audio- guide to ESA and ESTEC will be available to visitors. This new initiative should further foster the cooperative PR efforts between ESTEC and Space Expo.

Among the highlights of 1999 were: the visit by the STS-95 Shuttle mission crew, including John Glenn and ESA's first Spaniard in space, Pedro Duque, in January; the grand opening of the Erasmus User Centre in June; the arrival of the full-scale model of Envisat in the grounds Wa tching the solar eclipse fro m of Space Expo; the strong involvement in the 50th Anniversary IAF Congress in Amsterdam N o o rdwijk (ESTEC/Space Expo) and in October; the happy moments around the XMM/Ariane-504 launch in December; and the Noyon (F) on 11 August year-round interview activities with ESA's new Dutch astronaut, André Kuipers.

50 The truly unforgettable event of 1999, however, was undoubtedly the day when the Sun darkened over Europe. The solar eclipse on 11 August was watched by hundreds of visitors and celebrated with a ‘space concert’ at Space Expo. In addition, 400 ESA staff from Noordwijk braved an adventurous overnight bus excursion to the French town of Noyen to – regrettably not quite! – observe the total eclipse, in the company of thousands of amateur astronomers gathered from all over Europe.

ESOC Judging by the growing numbers of requests for visits and information received at ESOC f rom the media and the general public, interest in ESA’s space activities is on the increase in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The Space Day organised by Hessischer Rundfunk in late January provided 16 hours of uninterrupted infotainment and fun for several thousand radio listeners. Experts from ESOC were on hand to quench the thirst for information of space fans young and old. An Industry Workshop on 9/10 June drew m o re than 100 industrial re p re s e n ta t i ve s , who were keen to learn about the future c o m m e rcialisation of ESOC’s external services.

The new Web site dedicated to ESOC was opened in late June. The XMM launch-associated e vent at ESOC on 10 December The Cassini/Huygens spacecraft fly-by of the Earth went smoothly, after several months of providing regular information to the German Press and the general public. The IADC Conference on 11-13 October devoted to space debris, attracted strong interest from the media, whose questions focussed on protecting the Earth from space debris and cleaning up The IADC Conference in pro g ress at the space environment. ESOC in October

The night of the Leonids (17/18 November) was followed by media representatives and thousands of members of the public, who could chat with an ESOC expert via the Internet. In close collaboration with ESA’s Directorate of Science, ESOC provided graphical illustrations of the Leonid storm live on the Web for the first time.

On 30 November, ESOC was awarded ISO 9001 certification, the first ESA centre and the first space opera t i o n s organisation in Europe to be ISO certified. Pride in this achievement was further enhanced by the successful launch of XMM on 10 December, witnessed from ESOC by more than 500 guests from the political, industrial and scientific communities, as well as the children of the class that had won the XMM drawing competition in Germany.

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