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| Lost in space: Europe's final frontier? |
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| Tuesday, 22 February 2005 | |
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The European Union (EU) flexes its muscles in the direction of space. Five, four, three, two, one... oh well, let’s leave it to the Americans. The EU is committed to space. The European superstate’s critics will instantly notice the lack of the words ‘the utter waste of’ in that first sentence. They’d be wrong in this context.On 17 February, announcing its ‘Space Policy Review’, the EU announced: “Space provides a source of unique and essential tools, enabling governments and international bodies to tackle critical social and political issues.The European space industry is a key actor in the worldwide commercial market of satellite manufacturing, launch services, and satellite operators. Sustaining a competitive industry (including manufacturers, service providers and operators) requires new research and technologies.” Orbital velocity Thanks to Ariane-5, Europe now has by far the foremost active satellite launch and delivery capability on this planet. Unfortunately, it’s capability and capacity for launches is too often torn between conflicting demands for satellites covering telecom, broadcasting, sat-nav, meteorology, geo-fizz and those funny little things like military satellites (about which we dare not ask) and the scientific birds that head to the outer planets of the solar system. In the United States, the more flexible Shuttle is pulverised by its past mishaps, compounded by funding fears for the future. Other US launch alternatives are simplistic and out of date, thanks in part to limited US military demands for access to commercial launches. For this reason, satellite operators from far and wide (including the USA) beat a path to the door of Arianespace, the European consortium that builds these beasts. Ariansepace is co-owned by companies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden. For all that, it’s an engine (in the fullest sense) of the French state. Some of the other European countries ‘involved’ do little more than provide cups of coffee or those magnificent decals that line the body of the rocket when on its launchpad, in French Guiana. Azimuth? Those involved do not help themselves, however. Take the comments related to Arianespace contained in the ‘Space Policy Review. Under the heading: “Ariane - Access to space”, the Commission said: • The successful qualification of the upgraded version of Ariane-5 on 12 February is a key contribution to Europe’s guaranteed and competitive access to space for the years to come. • This new version will restore full Arianespace’s competitiveness by providing, for the next 10 years, a capability for systematic dual launches of the heaviest telecom satellites of the market. • The current basic version of Ariane-5 will be progressively phased out. The European launcher industry is now in a position to focus on a single model, reducing costs and improving efficiency of production. • While this new Ariane-5 will remain the central pillar of the European space launch capability, ESA complementary efforts, like the co-operation on Soyuz and the new VEGA small launcher, will provide additional flexibility. Zenith? It gets worse. Follow the EC’s recommended links to Arianespace’s own website for a 12 February launch report: "Flight 164 at a glance Flight 164 was carried out by the Ariane-5 ECA from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Saturday, February 12 at 6:03 p.m. local time in Kourou (21:03 GMT, 4:03 p.m. in Washington, D.C., and 10:03 p.m. in Paris). Provisional parameters at injection of the cryogenic upper stage (ESC-A) were: Perigee: 249.9 km. for a target of 249.9 km. (±4) Apogee: 35,821 km. for a target of 35,918 km. (±260) Inclination: 6.98 degrees for a target of 7.00 degrees (±0.07°) The Flight 164 launcher carried a total payload of 8,312 kg., including 3,772 kg. for the XTAR-EUR and Sloshsat satellites. To validate the launcher's performance, Ariane-5 also carried the MAQSAT-B2 structure, weighing 3,496 kg. and integrated in the upper composite. XTAR-EUR, the first commercial satellite to deliver X-band services, will be positioned at 29 degrees East, allowing it to offer coverage from the East Coast of Brazil to Southeast Asia. Built by Space System/Loral of the United States, XTAR-EUR is fitted with 12 high powered X-band transponders. XTAR is a joint venture of Loral and Hisdesat of Spain. The XTAR satellite will provide governmental and military communications, in particular for the United States and Spain.” Blinded by science? We’ve already mentioned that Europe leads the satellite launch business. Reading the above observations from the EU and its French ‘marionette’, is it any wonder that few Europeans realise this advanced position which is theirs? Or that they do not care? Or that they do not know that satellites are sources of wonder that we all want to see in the night sky or understand in other ways, such as the Internet? Hey, guys, that would be worthy of a “Space Policy Review”... Jim Chalmers |
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