number 162 | 2nd quarter 2015 bulletin → space for europe European Space Agency The European Space Agency was formed out of, and took over the rights and The ESA headquarters are in Paris. obligations of, the two earlier European space organisations – the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) and the European Launcher Development The major establishments of ESA are: Organisation (ELDO). The Member States are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada is a Cooperating State. ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany. In the words of its Convention: the purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view ESAC, Madrid, Spain. to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems: EAC, Cologne, Germany. → by elaborating and implementing a long-term European space policy, by ECSAT, Harwell, United Kingdom. recommending space objectives to the Member States, and by concerting the policies of the Member States with respect to other national and international ESA Redu, Belgium. organisations and institutions; → by elaborating and implementing activities and programmes in the space field; → by coordinating the European space programme and national programmes, and by integrating the latter progressively and as completely as possible into the European space programme, in particular as regards the development of applications satellites; → by elaborating and implementing the industrial policy appropriate to its programme and by recommending a coherent industrial policy to the Member States. Co-Chairs of the Council: Bo Andersen and Jean Yves Le Gall The Agency is directed by a Council composed of representatives of the Member States. The Director General is the chief executive of the Agency and its legal Director General: representative. Jean-Jacques Dordain ← On cover: The 10-day ‘iriss’ mission will be ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen’s first flight into space and the first ever space mission by a Danish citizen (NASA/J. Blair) → contents 10 number 162 | 2nd quarter 2015 02 The ESA Bulletin is an ESA Communications production. Published by: ESA Communication Department ESTEC, PO Box 299 2200 AG Noordwijk The Netherlands Tel: +31 71 565 3408 Email: [email protected] 32 40 20 Editor Carl Walker Designer FORTY YEARS OF THE ESA CONVENTION Emiliana Colucci The creation of a single European space agency Organisation Nathalie Tinjod → 02 www.esa.int/credits MEETING THE BIG DATA CHALLENGE The ESA Bulletin is published by the European Space Agency. Individual The European Data Relay System articles may be reprinted provided the credit line reads ‘Reprinted from Giorgia Muirhead → 10 ESA Bulletin’, plus date of issue. Reprinted signed articles must bear the authors’ names. IRISS The ‘sprint’ mission of Andreas Mogensen ESA and the ESA logo are trademarks of the European Space Agency. Nadjejda Vicente & Carl Walker → 20 Images copyright ESA unless stated otherwise. Permission to reproduce or distribute material identified as copyright of a third party must be SEEING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH GRAVITATIONAL WAVES obtained from the copyright owner The LISA Pathfinder mission concerned. Claudia Mignone → 32 Copyright © 2015 PROGRAMMES IN PROGRESS → 40 European Space Agency ISSN 0376-4265 | e-ISSN 1608-4713 LETTER TO THE READERS → 67 WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG EUROPEAN STATES IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO THEIR BEING USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES AND FOR OPERATIONAL SPACE APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS… TO PURSUE AND TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN COOPERATION, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES, IN SPACE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR SPACE APPLICATION… TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE EUROPEAN SPACE ORGANISATION TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE TOTAL OF EUROPEAN SPACE EFFORTS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE RESOURCES AT PRESENT DEVOTED TO SPACE… THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENCY SHALL BE TO PROVIDE FOR AND TO PROMOTE, FOR EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL PURPOSES,COOPERATION AMONG