programmes and operations (status end-December 2001) In Orbit 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 PROJECT J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND COMMENTS SPACE TELESCOPE LAUNCHED APRIL1990 ULYSSES LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1990

SOHO LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1995

HUYGENS LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1997 SCIENCE

PROGRAMME XMM-NEWTON LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1999

CLUSTER RE-LAUNCHED MID 2000

MARECS-B2 POSSIBLE NEW LEASE

METEOSAT-5 (MOP-2) OPERATED BY EUMETSAT METEOSAT-6 (MOP-3) OPERATED BY EUMETSAT

METEOSAT-7 (MTP) OPERATED BY EUMETSAT

ERS - 2 LAUNCHED APRIL 1995

ECS - 4 OPERATED FOR EUTELSAT PROGRAMME APPLICATIONS ARTEMIS LAUNCHED JULY 2001

Under Development 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 PROJECT J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND J FMAMJ JASONDJ FMAMJ JASOND COMMENTS INTEGRAL LAUNCH OCTOBER 2002

ROSETTA LAUNCH JANUARY 2003 MARS EXPRESS LAUNCH MAY 2003 SMART-1 LAUNCH END 2002 SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME HERSCHEL/PLANCK LAUNCH FEBRUARY 2007 GNSS-1/EGNOS INITIAL OPS. END 2003 NAV.

PROG. GALILEOSAT FIRST LAUNCH 2003 COMMS./ EOPP CRYOSAT EOEP/ LAUNCH GOCE OCT. 2005 CRYOSAT/GOCE ENVISAT 1/ POLAR PLATFORM LAUNCH MARCH 2002 METOP-1 LAUNCH 2nd HALF 2005 PROGRAMME EARTH OBSERV. EARTH MSG-1 LAUNCH JULY 2002

COLUMBUS LAUNCH OCTOBER 2004

ATV LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2004 V201 TEST FLIGHT X-38 FEB. 2005 (UNDER REVIEW) CRV UNDER REVIEW NODE-2 & -3 LAUNCHES FEBRUARY 2004 & JULY 2005 LAUNCH JAN. 2005 CUPOLA (UNDER REVIEW) ERA LAUNCH UNDER REVIEW

DMS (R) LAUNCHED JULY 2000 PROGRAMME MELF I LAUNCH JANUARY 2003 GLOVEBOX LAUNCH MAY 2002

HEXAPOD LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2004

MANNED SPACE & MICROGRAVITY MANNED SPACE EDEN FAST/APCF/AGHF FLUIDPACK/ MOMO-3 APCF APCF-6/BIOBOX-5/ ARMS/ MATROSHKA MSL/EMS/ EMIR BIOBOX/MOMO-2 BIOPAN-3 BIOPACK/FAST-2 FLUIDPACK/ MARES/ BIOPAN PEMS MFC BIO, FSL, EPM, in COLUMBUS V503 V504 ARIANE-5 DEVELOP. OPERATIONAL ESC-A ARIANE-5 PLUS FIRST LAUNCH JULY 2002 VEGA LAUNCH END-2005

FESTIP REUSABLE LAUNCHER DEFIN. LAUNCHER PROGRAMME FTLP TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

DEFINITION PHASE MAIN DEVELOPMENT PHASE LAUNCH/READY FOR LAUNCH

OPERATIONS ADDITIONAL LIFE POSSIBLE RETRIEVAL STORAGE

135 r bulletin 109 — february 2002

ISO Science highlights XMM-Newton As ISO’s Post-Operations Phase came to With the end of the Post-Operations a close, exploitation of the ISO archive XMM-Newton operations continue to run Phase in December 2001, ISO has continued with around 120 refereed smoothly. In the last quarter of 2001, entered its five-year Active Archive Phase. papers being published during the year. some science time was unavoidably lost This phase will focus strongly on due to solar activity, but recently there increasing the ‘off-the-shelf’ usability of Recent highlights included the finding of have been almost no interruptions. the ISO archive products, while continuing thirty brown dwarfs, elusive objects at the to support and encourage the scientific boundary between planets and stars, in In December 2001, the ESA Science community in the exploitation of the ISO the rho Ophiuchi cloud. ISO results Programme Committee (SPC) data. The work will be pursued in close suggested they form star-like, by accretion unanimously approved the extension of collaboration with the National Data from a gaseous sphere, rather than XMM-Newton operations for four years Centres (NDCs) that are funded for the forming planet-like, out of a disk orbiting a until March-2006. During the extension Active Archive Phase, and with groups in star. Many brown dwarfs have their own discussions it was agreed that the so- the community. disks. called ‘guaranteed-time programme’ would be completed as soon as possible. Over the past few months, ongoing wrap- The discovery of more than 30 Earth This is important to the overall observing up activities for Post-Operations Phase masses of carbonates in two planetary programme, as it will prevent important have been directed towards the release nebulae has suggested formation celestial targets from being ‘proprietary’ of a reference Legacy Archive, to contain mechanisms not associated with the for too long a period. Implementation of all ISO data products automatically presence of liquid water. This calls into this will mean a delay of six months in reprocessed with the latest calibrations question the previously assumed role of starting the Second Announcement of and software. That bulk reprocessing has water (aqueous alteration) in the formation Opportunity (AO-2) observations, and a already been completed and refinement of of carbonates in the early Solar System, delay of approximately three months in the explanatory documentation is also with strong implications for estimates of their completion. nearing completion. the time of first appearance of liquid water, and of liquid-water-bearing planets, A successful observation of a gamma-ray There are now over 1200 registered in the system. burst, following a BeppoSAX trigger, took external users of the ISO Data Archive. place on 12 December 2001. XMM- Newton was on target approximately 10 h after the burst was detected. This was an excellent (overnight) achievement by ESA’s VILSPA (E) and ESOC (D) teams. An electronic circular giving the precise position (10”) was issued some 7 h after the start of the observation. The data, which were processed and made public on 27 December, are still being analysed, but a preview is available at: http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/news/GRB01121 1/grb011211.html

The overall XMM-Newton data-processing and data-shipment activities are going according to plan. So far 1427 observation sequences have been executed, and the data for 1282 of these have been shipped. A new, improved- calibration version of the XMM-Newton Science Analysis Software (SAS), developed jointly by ESA and the Survey Science Centre (SSC), will be released at the end of February 2002.

The XMM-Newton satellite will enter its fifth eclipse season in March 2002, and

The impressive rho Ophiuchi cloud, located 540 light-years away in the constellation Ophiucus, as seen by ISO

136 programmes & operations

The Integral launch pad in Kazakhstan ten months before launch

preparations for this have already been started. Work on the development of the XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA) continues, and it will be released in the first quarter of 2002.

A very successful symposium, attended by some 330 astronomers, entitled ‘New Visions of the X-ray Universe in the XMM- Newton and Chandra Era’, was held at ESTEC (NL) from 26 – 30 November 2001. The Proceedings will be published shortly by ESA Publications Division as ESA SP-488 (on paper and CD-ROM).

Integral campaign at ESTEC. The current status of on the spacecraft, have been successfully The two remaining flight-model work in all areas is compliant with the completed. The payload-calibration instruments – the IBIS imager and the October 2002 launch date. campaign, during which the performances JEM-X X-ray monitor – have been delivered of the various scientific instruments will be and integrated on the spacecraft. Integral The electromagnetic-compatibility test and verified using radioactive sources, has is therefore now complete and ready for subsequent system tests, the first such been kicked off. the final phase of its environ-mental test tests with the complete payload integrated The next major environmental test will be the acoustic test planned for the first quarter of 2002. It will be followed by thermal tests and final functional testing. The Flight Acceptance Review is scheduled for July 2002.

The manufacture of the Proton launcher by the Russians is progressing satis- factorily. A recent visit to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan showed that the Integral-specific adaptation work needed at the launch site has also been progressing according to schedule.

Rosetta

The flight-model spacecraft is now fully integrated and is undergoing final functional testing before the environmental test programme begins. It was moved from Alenia in Turin (I) to ESTEC in November 2001 and thermal-vacuum testing will commence there at the end of January 2002. Many minor problems have occurred which have necessitated three- shift-per-day working. The transponders

The Rosetta flight model under test at ESTEC in Noordwijk (NL)

137 r bulletin 109 — february 2002

have now been delivered, and also the November. By the end of December the closely scrutinised. The current plan onboard software required for the test harness and several flight-model sub- foresees launch-readiness by December phase. The electrical qualification model systems had been integrated onto the 2002. However, a firm launch date cannot programme is continuing in parallel and is platform. yet be committed to by Arianespace, as being used to debug all system functional this is driven by the main passenger with test sequences before they are run on the As regards the scientific payload, the whom SMART-1 will share the Ariane-5 protoflight model. sequence of Instrument Delivery Reviews ride. started before Christmas. Their main The scientific performance problems with objective is to review the completeness of Payload the COSIMA instrument have now been all instrument activities and release them The development of all six payload identified and a new unit is being for integration on the spacecraft. instruments is generally proceeding manufactured, which will be substituted according to plan. All the electrical-model later in the programme. The rest of the As far as the ground segment and the tests have been completed. The Critical scientific payload is operating nominally on launch services are concerned, there has Design Reviews have also been success- the spacecraft. been nominal progress towards readiness fully held for all instruments. Three for the launch of Mars Express on 23 May instrument flight models – AMIE, EPDP The Lander is integrated on the 2003. and SPEDE – have been electrically and spacecraft, but some problems were shock tested. experienced during final testing with the deployment of the landing gear. Solutions Propulsion to improve the gear’s robustness are SMART-1 The qualification of the new electric- being investigated and retrofits to the propulsion engine (PPS-1350G) has been existing gear will be introduced later. Spacecraft completed, but the lifetime test will run The development work has made good until the end of 2002. The SMART-1 The Ground Segment Implementation progress in the last months of 2001. After thruster firing test has been successfully Review successfully took place during completion of the second phase of performed (see accompanying photo). The November 2001 at ESOC in Darmstadt electrical system testing, involving the Power Processing Unit (PPU) flight model (D). Most ground-segment elements are payload and most of the spacecraft has been manufactured and tested by progressing according to plan, but the equipment, including the electric- ETCA (B). All other flight-model units have operational readiness of the New Norcia propulsion electrical models, the third also been manufactured, with the ground station, which is now planned for phase involving the flight models has exception of the Pressure Regulation August 2002, is a cause for concern. started. The development and integration Electronics (PRE); being a new of the onboard software has been development, a PRE qualification model The Launcher Preliminary Mission Analysis completed. The system tests are now has been made for further testing with the Review has successfully taken place with proceeding at Spacebel (B) for the data- SMART-1 system unit at Swedish Space Arianespace. The launcher’s performance handling part, and at Swedish Space Corporation. for the Rosetta mission is now confirmed, Corporation for the application cores. but some aspects of this unique Earth- Operations escape mission need still to be qualified The flight-model structure has been The ground-segment preparations are on the ground. manufactured and painted by APCO (CH) proceeding according to schedule, despite and sent for integration to Saab Ericsson some difficulties in the interface verification Space in Linkoping (S). The spacecraft with the spacecraft simulator and database. Critical Design Review was held in The Science and Technology Operations Mars Express September and followed by a Mission Coordination has been established at Critical Design Review in November, ESTEC (NL), sharing the facilities with the One of the major events in the project’s life where all of the mission elements were Rosetta Science Operations Centre. cycle took place in October, namely the successful completion of the mechanical qualification of the structural model at Intespace in Toulouse (F). In the case of Mars Express, the structural model is the final flight model, except that mass dummies replace the electronics boxes and the solar arrays. All other elements of the spacecraft are already of flight quality, including the main structure and the entire propulsion system.

After successful completion of the campaign, the model was transported back to Alenia (I), where the flight-model The SMART-1 thruster during firing tests at The flight model of the SMART-1 PPU at test programme started in early SNECMA (F) ETCA (B)

138 programmes & operations

Launcher Regarding the Planck reflectors, the spectacular has been the demonstration All launcher activities are on schedule. Agency’s participation in the procurement of the SILEX system, the inter-orbit data Work is also proceeding on the planning of these items together with the Danish link operating at laser wavelengths. The of the launch campaign in Kourou, to be Space Research Institute was approved SILEX terminal on SPOT-4 transmitted its conducted in parallel with that for Rosetta. by ESA’s Industrial Policy Committee (IPC) image data via a laser link to Artemis, in early December, and the technical which then retransmitted the data to the progress on this activity at Astrium GmbH Spot Image processing centre in Toulouse. is going according to plan. Up to now, all 26 links commanded have Herschel/Planck been successfully established and With respect to the payload, the work on maintained. The communication link’s The system-design activities for both updating the instrument interface quality is almost perfect, with a bit error spacecraft are progressing as expected. documents continued during the last rate of better than 10-9. The first major system-design review, the quarter of 2001, with the aim of System Requirements Review, was completing the revision process and The preparation of the new software completed on 12 October with the achieving approval and signature of the needed to support the contingency orbit successful conclusion of the Review documents in the near future. The raising using the spacecraft’s ion thrusters Board Meeting. The results of that review development status of the instruments took more time than expected. It was and the action items that resulted from it will be reviewed as part of the upcoming therefore not possible to start this phase dominated much of the subsequent Instrument Baseline Design Review, to in September as initially hoped. The final system-engineering work during the verify compliance with the spacecraft software was delivered by the middle of remainder of the year. development programme. This Review January 2002 and is now being validated will also formally release the start of using the satellite simulator at Telespazio, The Herschel/Planck procurement activities manufacture of the first hardware in Fucino (I). Nevertheless, the electrical also progressed during the last quarter. development models. propulsion system has been checked out The first subcontractors were brought and the availability of all hardware onboard following successful evaluation of The co-ordinated parts procurement for elements for the orbit-raising manoeuvre the first batch of offers and the decisions Herschel and Planck, now part of the confirmed. of the Senior Procurement Board. industrial contract for spacecraft Invitations to Tender (ITTs) and Requests development, is running smoothly. The orbit raising will be performed by the for Quotation (RFQs) for the second of a Activities are at present centered around almost continuous firing of two ion total of five batches were issued and the the parts procurement for the scientific thrusters, each delivering a thrust of just evaluation of the offers received is nearing instruments and will more and more 15 milliNewton. Due to their low thrust, it completion. The decisions on this second include the parts procurement for the two will take about 200 days for Artemis to set will be taken at the end of January spacecraft. reach its final orbital position, during 2002, leading to a new round of contract which less than 20 kg of xenon will be negotiations with the selected contractors consumed. This will still leave enough gas and a further enlargement of the Herschel/ in the tanks to support a 5 to 7 year Planck industrial team. Artemis mission. Once Artemis is on station, the xenon will be used for north-south station Regarding the procurement process, it is Following its arrival in the parking orbit at keeping, and chemical fuel for east-west worth noting that, following a training an altitude of 31 000 km, all of Artemis’s station keeping and wheel desaturation. programme between ESA’s Contracts subsystems were commissioned and Department and the main contractors, found to be working normally. The satellite Herschel/Planck is the first ESA is still in Earth-pointing mode. Its orbital programme for which Industry can issue period of 19 h means that it is over a procurement actions directly using the given point on the equator every 5 days. Earth Observation ESA EMITS computer-based system. This allows payload performance testing, Envelope Programme A second major milestone has been the albeit with limitations since not all approval to place a contract with a frequencies are allowed to be used from (EOEP) Portuguese company for the supply of the spacecraft’s non-nominal position. Documentation Control and Planning Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated Three Earth Watch elements were Support, making it the first contract that all payload functions are available and subscribed to at the ESA Ministerial awarded by the Herschel/Planck project that the communication programmes can Council in Edinburgh (UK) in November: to ESA’s newest Member State. be executed as planned, once the satellite reaches its nominal orbital position. – The GMES services element: This The mid-term review for the large, 3.5 m- element is meant to ensure a sustained diameter Herschel silicon-carbide The two main and most complex European supply of EO-based telescope was successfully completed at functions are working nominally: the large information products and services the end of November at Astrium SAS in inter-orbit antenna operating at Ka-band is derived from current and future EO Toulouse (F). All items being developed able to follow its partner satellite in low missions, in line with the goals of the under this contract are progressing Earth orbit in both programmed tracking joint European Commission-ESA GMES according to plan. and closed-loop RF tracking mode. Most initiative. This will be achieved by

139 r bulletin 109 — february 2002

supporting the putting into operation of and July 2001, were started in November. The Phase-A for SMOS has been these EO-based services. In the initial All of these activities target the exploitation completed. The Preliminary Requirements phase, this element will necessarily of the new capabilities offered by Envisat. Review took place successfully in October. concentrate on services derived from An Earth Observation Market Develop- Following the results of the scientific review, current missions. ment Workshop was held at ESRIN in ESAC recommended to proceed with the – The InfoTerra/Terrasar consolidation Frascati (I) in October. mission beyond Phase-A. The Earth- element: InfoTerra is an initiative aimed Observation Programme Board will decide at exploiting the requirements for geo- on the Phase-B authorisation in January. information services for institutional and commercial users. It is based on the Earth Observation exploitation of the Terrasar system, and Preparatory Meteosat Second includes satellites flying L-band and X- Programme (EOPP) band SAR instruments. The consoli- Generation dation phase will ensure completion of the system studies prior to the InfoTerra/ The Earth Science Advisory Group (ESAC) Terrasar implementation. Activities has recommended three Earth Explorer The preparation of the MSG-1 spacecraft related to the pre-development of the L- Core Missions, following the Third Earth for a July 2002 launch on an Ariane-4 band SAR have been started at the end Explorer Consultation Meeting held in launcher is proceeding on schedule. of 2001 and will provide an L-band SAR Granada last October: Consent to ship to the Kourou launch site demonstrator. – EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosol and in French Guiana is being sought in the – The Fuegosat consolidation element: Radiation Explorer), carrying a cloud March 2002 timeframe. During January Fuegosat is intended to be a demon- radar, a lidar, an imager, a radiometer 2002, System Verification Tests are being stration mission for the Fuego and a spectrometer, will peer closely at executed with the spacecraft located in constellation, aimed at providing early the interaction between clouds, aerosol Cannes (F), but monitored and warning for and monitoring of forest fires and radiation to better understand their commanded via telephone lines from in the Mediterranean areas and at similar impact on climate. It is a joint ESA/ ESOC and Eumetsat, both of which are latitudes in the rest of the world. The NASDA mission. located in Darmstadt, Germany. consolidation phase will prepare for – SPECTRA (Surface Processes and Fuegosat’s implementation. These Ecosystem Changes Through Response MSG-2 and MSG-3 and the engineering activities are planned to start in 2002. Analysis), carrying a high-performance model will remain in storage until after the imaging spectrometer and a thermal MSG-1 launch. The Aladin instrument second phase imager, will study the relationship between (manufacturing and testing of pre- vegetation and climate change, across development model) was kicked off in the entire world’s ecosystems. October. The PDM development and test –WALES (Water vapor and Lidar MetOp contract should last two years. The Experiment in Space), carrying a instrument developed will be flown on the differential-absorption lidar (DIAL), will The satellite Critical Design Review (CDR) ADM/Aeolus mission, planned for launch map atmospheric water-vapour was successfully concluded in October in 2007. concentrations. It will provide improved 2001, and an action plan has been agreed insights into the distribution of with the MetOp Prime Contractor Astrium The APEX Phase-C/D proposal was not atmospheric water vapour and (Toulouse) to address the CDR Board’s fully accepted by the Tender Evaluation information on aerosols in the tropos- recommendations. Board, and so the bidder will submit an phere and lower stratosphere. amended proposal at the beginning of The final step in the implementation of 2002. To ensure optimum coordination Following the ESAC’s recommendation, MetOp Assembly, Integration and with the EOEP-funded elements, ESA will the Executive submitted the Phase-A Verification (AIV) restructuring programme perform the technical management of study implementation proposal to the has been achieved, with the approval of Phase-C/D. November meeting of the Agency’s Earth- the related contract proposal by Observation Programme Board (PB-EO) Eumetsat’s Council in December 2001. The L-band SAR predevelopment activity and secured its approval. The relevant The space-segment integration baseline has been kicked off in January 2002 with ITTs will be issued in the first quarter of now accommodates the extended Astrium Ltd. as the main contractor. This 2002. Eumetsat ground-segment development activity is planned to last 28 months, period, as well as the recently announced roughly in line with the expected Comments were sent to the Lead delivery dates for the third-party completion of the activities within the Investigators of 29 outline proposals for instruments. Subject to the timely delivery Earth Watch InfoTerra/Terrasar Earth Explorer opportunity missions of the IASI instrument’s proto-flight model, consolidation element. received in September. As a result, 25 MetOp-2 is now earmarked as the fist consolidated full proposals were MetOp satellite for launch in 2005. In the Market Development area, the five subsequently received by the 8 January MetOp-1 will complete its nominal AIV new short-term and five new longer-term deadline. They will be evaluated in the programme without the IASI instrument activities, selected as a result of two coming months and the recommendations and will go into storage in 2004. The Invitations to Tender (ITTs) issued in May submitted to ESAC in April. integration of the IASI flight-model

140 programmes & operations

The MSG-2 spacecraft under integration at Alcatel Space Industry in Cannes (F)

Within the framework of the Soyuz launcher activities, the Preliminary Mission Analysis Review (PMAR) has been completed with the launcher authority Starsem (F). In parallel, Astrium has completed the first phase of the satellite/launcher compatibility study.

Envisat

Throughout the fourth quarter, Arianespace was striving to understand and correct the launch anomaly that afflicted the EPS upper-stage engine on flight 510. More than two hundred tests have now been performed on two test instrument is foreseen as part of the subsequent de-storage campaign. Envisat in the integration hall at Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in Kourou Meanwhile, the Payload Module integration work at Astrium in Friedrichshafen (D) continues on the proto-flight model. Several ad-hoc adaptations of the integration sequence have allowed these activities to cope with new instrument-delivery problems.

Following the interleaving logic of the restructured AIV baseline programme, the integration of the Payload Module FM-2 model has also commenced with the installation of the flight avionics.

The IASI engineering model – comprising the instrument avionics units IMS and DPS and an IASI sensor interface simulated by EGSE – has completed testing at the premises of the instrument manufacturer Alcatel in Cannes (F), and is now on its way to Astrium in Friedrichshafen. The status of the IASI flight model’s develop- ment will be subject of the instrument Critical Design Review planned to take place during the first two months of 2002.

The Delivery Review Board for the SMMS proto-flight model – representing the structural, thermal and propulsion sub- systems as well as the harness of the MetOp Service Module (SVM) – has been successfully concluded in December at Astrium (Stevenage). The further integration of the Service Module proto-flight model will take place at Astrium in Toulouse, starting with the avionics integration.

141 r bulletin 109 — february 2002 engines, and Arianespace believes that it CryoSat supplier has not yet been selected. It understands the most likely causes and was concluded that specific lifetime- has established a clear calendar for the The CryoSat project has now entered in demonstration testing with the two FEEP Envisat launch campaign. The latter was the core of its main development phase suppliers was needed before making the resumed on 3 January 2002, leading to a (Phase-C/D). After a detailed review of the final choice. During December, those test launch on 28 February 2002 (Kourou satellite’s design during November 2001, activities have been agreed and kicked-off time). the industrial partners of the Prime with both potential suppliers. Contractor, Astrium GmbH, are now In the meantime, Envisat has remained in preparing their manufacturing files. The Gradiometer Preliminary Design storage in Kourou. A two-week Review (PDR) was carried out between maintenance campaign was carried out Within the ground segment, development mid-November and mid-December. The starting in late October, with completely of the Payload Data Segment has also Board concluded that, despite the satisfactory results. been initiated. The development of the progress achieved, additional efforts had algorithms for the processing of the to be made before the Review could be Taking full advantage of the launch delay, scientific data (up to Level-1b) is also considered successfully closed. The the ground-segment and industrial- progressing nominally. An Announcement majority of the related actions are planned support teams have concentrated their of Opportunity (AO) for the Calibration and to be completed by end-January 2002. efforts on the Ground Segment Overall Validation activities has also been issued. Validation (GSOV) and the training of The GOCE Preliminary Design Review operators. The Flight Operation GOCE (PDR) is scheduled for the second half of Procedures within the Flight Operations February 2002. Segment (FOS) are complete and have The contract for the GOCE space been reviewed and validated by segment was signed at Alenia Spazio in The GOCE Web site has been released as simulations at ESOC, with support from Turin (I) on 23 November. The contract a part of the new ESA Earth Explorer site the project team and industry. The covers Phases-B/C/D/E1 of the GOCE under ESA’s Living Planet Programme remaining simulations have been re- satellite project, but only the Phase-B and (http://www.esa.int/livingplanet/goce). phased to adapt to the launch delay. advanced Phase-C/D activities have been released so far. As far as the Payload Data Segment (PDS) is concerned, efforts have been Good progress has been achieved in the concentrated on: competitive selection process involving International Space – The GSOV, with all external interfaces the various equipment suppliers, although tested, realistic operation scenarios the micro-propulsion area remains Station exercised jointly by the mission planning problematic. On the basis of the results of ISS Overall Assembly Sequence facilities at FOS and PDS, and recently the breadboard testing carried out by the Three assembly and logistic flights were an overall data-product circulation and various bidders and of the analyses made to the ISS during the last quarter of dissemination test. performed at platform/system level, it has 2001. A Soyuz ‘Taxi’ Flight 3S, launched – The training of the operation teams in finally been decided to select the Field- on 21 October, took ESA astronaut Kiruna (S) and at ESRIN (I) for the early Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) Claudie Haigneré to the ISS. The following operations after instrument switch on. technology. However, due to lack of Progress flight was launched on –The integration of the Processing and sufficient lifetime-test evidence, the final 26 November, while Assembly Flight UF1 Archiving Centres (PACs), which were initially accepted as standalone items and have subsequently been integrated successfully within the PDS.

In terms of preparation for the satellite Commissioning Phase, the Expert Support Laboratories and the Principal Investigators (PIs) have reorganised the planning of their activities to cope with the launch delay, and have been working to improve the quality and readiness of the tools to be used for the calibration and validation activities.

ISS in-orbit configuration, December 2001

142 programmes & operations

(STS-108) launched on 5 December X-38/CRV and Applied Re-entry was the fourth MPLM flight Technology (ART) (uploading experiment and storage A further drop test with the V131R facilities) and third crew rotation, with vehicle was successfully completed the Expedition Four crew taking over. in December 2001. Work is continuing in industry for the delivery Columbus Laboratory of the European contributions to Integration work continues. The the X-38 vehicle, and a contract Qualification Review for the Data- amendment has been signed Management System (DMS) has allowing further industrial activities. been completed, and all flight-model The US Congress has approved a hardware has been delivered and is $40 million budget line for X-38 being integrated. Qualification continuation in 2002, and NASA has testing on the electrical test model tentatively re-scheduled the X-38 is continuing. flight to 2005.

Columbus Launch Barter Ground-segment development Nodes-2 and -3 and operations preparation Node-2 flight-unit integration is The submission and evaluation of progressing, with the secondary- the Columbus Control Centre structure and harness deliveries subsystem proposals is continuing required for module integration and should be completed by end- having been completed. Node-3 March 2002. Implementation is primary-structure manufacturing proceeding incrementally to avoid continues, and the harness and schedule delays. The Request for secondary-structure Critical Design Reviews (CDRs) have been completed. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Crew Refrigerator/Freezer (RFR) structural/thermal model at ESTEC, in Noordwijk (NL) The Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the RFR has been The X-38 parafoil descent, December successfully completed. Cryogenic 2001 Freezer (CRYOS) negotiations with NASA, to agree on a final configuration, have continued.

Cupola The Cupola CDR and Safety Review-I/II have been successfully completed. Preparations for the Structural Test Article (STA) vibro-acoustic test are underway. It will be the last qualification test on this unit prior to its delivery to NASA in March 2003.

Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) The contract rider has been signed and the ESA/NASA Segment Specification, reflecting the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) results as agreed with NASA, has been finalised and signed by ESA. All elements of the structural/thermal model (STM) have been delivered to ESTEC and assembled, and the acoustic test – the first in a series of environmental tests – was performed successfully in December. The spacecraft electrical test model (ETM) integration is progressing, but the propulsion-subsystem schedule is being impacted by additional Ariane-5 tests that are occupying the same test facility.

143 r bulletin 109 — february 2002

Claudie Haigneré on board the ISS, October 2001

Quotation (RFQ) for the ATV Control Centre has been released.

The ATV-CC Operations Preparation Definition Phase has been kicked off with CNES. The offer for the equivalent contract with DLR has been received and is being evaluated.

Utilisation Preparation A significant number of the Microgravity Applications Promotion (MAP) projects have successfully passed their mid-term reviews. Of the 44 projects selected, 39 had been fully initiated by end-2001 and a further four are foreseen to start early in external payloads, i.e. Solar, Export and ISS was completed. The unit is planned 2002. EuTEF (European Technology Exposure for flight in 2003. Facility), the Phase-C/D activities have Payloads and their integration been running according to plan. Analytical integration of the Microgravity The industrial proposal for the main Preparations for design (Phase-A) studies Facilities for Columbus (MFC) – Biolab, development phase (Phase-C/D) of the of two space-science instruments (Lobster Fluid-Science Laboratory and the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) and EUSO) that could also use the Space European Physiology Modules – and for has been received, but it indicated a Station have been in progress. The Phase- the European Drawer Rack (EDR) has considerably higher cost than expected for A accommodation study for a commercial continued. The Requirements and Design part of the industrial work, and Earth-observation instrument (RapidEye) Definition Phase for the User Support and negotiations with industry are continuing. was completed. The PDR for the Operations Centres (USOC) is also in The earliest launch date for ACES now Matroshka radiation-measurement facility progress, with completion planned early in appears to be February 2006. For other baselined for the Russian segment of the 2002. The schedule and budgetary planning for USOC implementation has been initiated.

Astronaut activities The French/Russian Andromède mission with ESA astronaut Claudie Haigneré onboard as Soyuz Flight Engineer was successfully launched on 21 October. The Soyuz vehicle docked with the ISS on 23 October, and then returned safely to land in Kazakhstan on 31 October.

ESA astronaut R. Vittori has continued his training in Star City for a Soyuz Taxi Flight to the ISS in April 2002. F. de Winne, who will fly on a later mission, joined him in training. They have successfully completed the first round of examinations on Soyuz systems.

ESA astronauts R. Vittori and F. de Winne in training for flight in a Soyuz vehicle

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The second period of ISS Advanced The qualification test campaign on the Space Shuttle mission has continued. This Training at Johnson Space Center Hexapod linear actuator started in mission is now scheduled for June 2002 (NASA/JSC) was successfully concluded November. and the six ESA facilities for this flight are on 16 November. The Advanced Training currently in various stages of readiness. continued at NASDA on 12 December, ISS Exploitation Programme Similar preparations have been continuing with one week of training for each of the All five International Partners have agreed for the flight of ESA facilities (Fluidpac, participating ESA astronauts - P. Nespoli, the text of the multi-lateral ISS guidelines Biopan and Stone) on the Russian Foton- P. Duque, L. Eyharts and T. Reiter - and document for commercial ISS use. Formal M1 recoverable-capsule mission, which is one NASDA colleague. The first ISS programme approval is planned for early now scheduled for launch in October Advanced Training session at the 2002. 2002. The flight of the Maser-9 sounding- European Astronaut Centre (EAC) is in rocket mission originally planned for preparation and will take place in July Although approval of the Commercialisation November 2001 has been postponed to 2002. Programme Proposal by the ESA March 2002. The 31st parabolic-flight Ministerial Council was postponed in campaign took place successfully in Astronaut A. Kuipers has continued with November, activities are continuing to October, with 10 experiments including the complementary Basic Training courses define and implement pathfinder projects, two student experiments being during his stay in Star City. and to safeguard the proposed industrial conducted. contribution under the co-operation The mechanical configuration of the agreement. A first commercial experiment As the flight of the R-2 Spacehab mission, Columbus Trainer for EAC has been has been agreed with ASI to fly on the which would have represented a major delivered and was installed in December. upcoming Italian Taxi Flight mission. new flight opportunity for ESA payloads, has become increasingly less likely, Early deliveries Due to NASA’s budgetary problems and to alternative flight opportunities are being changes in the content of the Programme sought. Data Management System for the Russian Proposal for Exploitation Continuation, the Service Module (DMS-R) ESA RFQ sent out earlier was no longer The development within the EMIR The DMS-R is continuing to be problem- fully valid. Following the approval of the programmes of facilities for use on the free in operation. The accumulated run Exploitation Continuation for Period 1 ISS has continued. These include the time in orbit (24 h per day) reached 18 by the Ministerial Council meeting in European Modular Cultivation System months at the end of December. Edinburgh in November 2001, ESA will (EMCS), the Expose facility for exobiology update the RFQ and industry will submit a research, the Mares facility for muscle European Robotic Arm (ERA) binding offer in April 2002. research, and the PCDF facility for protein- The ERA flight-model functional crystallisation research. qualification testing at the prime contractor The Exploitation Programme Continuation Fokker (NL) is continuing. The pre-flight and in particular the Period 1 funding were The Advanced Protein Crystallisation Mission Preparation and Training approved in Edinburgh, but with 60% of Facility (APCF), which had been flying on Equipment (MPTE) has been accepted by that funding blocked until October 2002, the ISS since August 2001, was returned ESA. contingent on the US reconfirming its to ground in December and analysis of the commitment to the implementation of the results has started. APCF was ESA’s first The ERA launch date, which is also heavily Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA). The microgravity facility to fly on the ISS, influenced by the current US budgetary available funding is sufficient to start the enabling 108 days of protein crystal situation, is still open. A credible schedule time-critical procurement of spare parts, growth. is not now expected before late-2002. the ATV production programme, as well as maintenance and sustaining-engineering The Granada protein-crystallisation box, Laboratory Support Equipment (LSE) activities. which had been flying on the Space The Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Station and which was recently returned verification testing at Kennedy Space to Earth on a Russian Taxi Flight, has been Center (KSC) has continued to be Microgravity opened and the crystallised proteins problem-free. The use of MSG for ESA’s removed for analysis. experiments is under discussion with The Microgravity Programme Board has NASA, as is the possible location of the approved the experiments selected from Microgravity Facilities for Columbus ground model in Europe (at ESTEC) to the Physical Sciences 2001 Announce- (MFC) support preparations and initial training for ment of Opportunity (AO), the ESA Within the Microgravity Facilities for European experiments to be carried-out payload for the April 2002 Taxi Flight, and Columbus (MFC) Programme, the various on upcoming Taxi Flights. the replacement of the Maser-10 experimental facilities are well into their sounding-rocket flight by the more development. The Biolab engineering The verification test campaign for Flight powerful Maxus-6 within the EMIR-2 model has been accepted, the Science Unit 1 (FU1) of MELFI (-80 degC Freezer) Extension Programme. The related Reference Model Critical Design Review has continued. The Final Safety Review Maxus-6 experiments were also approved. (CDR) has been concluded, and flight- was successfully completed in November, model subsystem procurement/ and the FU1 launch is now scheduled for Preparation of the ESA microgravity manufacturing is proceeding well. For the January 2003. research facilities for flight on the STS-107 Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL), the

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engineering-model integration tests on all with the validation of the subsystems have been completed, with payload and the most the exception of the facility core element, advanced autonomous and the FSL baseline CDR has been onboard functions. All of the closed-out. For the Materials Science instruments (SREM, DEBIE Laboratory (MSL) in the US Lab, the and CHRIS) have already Solidification and Quench Furnace (SQF) been switched to acquisition CDR was successfully concluded and the mode and have returned engineering-model system testing excellent data, which are preparation is almost complete. The now being analysed by the contract for Phase-B of the scientists. Electromagnetic Levitation Furnace in MSL PROBA is currently being has been signed. For the European operated from its dedicated Physiology Modules (EPM), the CDR was ground station and control in preparation. For the EPM contribution centre at ESA’s Redu station to HRF-2, the flight model was delivered in Belgium, with additional to NASA at the end of November and support from the Kiruna (S) integration initiated in its HRF-2 facility. station. However, extension of the ground segment with PROBA the installation of a second identical ground station at Following launch on 22 October 2001, the Kiruna or Svalbard has been in-orbit commissioning of the spacecraft initiated. This will greatly platform lasted until early January. It has enhance the imaging confirmed that all of PROBA’s subsystems capability for the Earth- are performing as intended. observation community exploiting data from the CHRIS instrument. Image of the coast of Cuba reconstructed from The commissioning team, composed of r data in three spectral bands acquired with ESA and Verhaert engineers, is now busy PROBA’s CHRIS instrument

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