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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0521.PDF
Wa^M ^—^™ FLIGHT International, 11 April 1963 499 COMSATS IN THE HOUSE THE first hint of a significant widening of the role of the Euro pean Launcher Development Organization was given by the Minister of Aviation in the House of Commons debate on March 29. After referring to the initial ELDO programme to develop a three-stage launch vehicle, Mr Amery went on to discuss possible types of operational communication satellite systems and said that, as a first step in deciding how best to proceed in providing an operational system, Britain would consult with "our partners in ELDO, and perhaps with other Commonwealth and European countries which may be interested." Although the preamble to the ELDO Convention uses the phrase "to co-operate in the development of space vehicle launchers and to study their scientific and commercial application," Mr Amery's statement was the first public occasion on which an extension from building launch vehicles to operating commercial satellite systems has been firmly proposed for the ELDO nations. The Minister made it clear that the ELDO launch vehicle was the one which the Government had in mind for use with whatever hardware might follow Britain's forthcoming "detailed design studies" for a com munication satellite, and gave the following time schedule:— "It is planned that the ELDO launcher should put a test pay- load into orbit by 1966-67. This means, on our calculations, that ELDO could provide the launching capability for an operational satellite system some two years later—in 1968-69. This is not more than two years after the anticipated date for the first stage of an American operational system." If Britain wished to purchase ELDO launchers with which to place a system of communication satellites in orbit, there is indeed no basic problem provided the other ELDO nations are offered an opportunity to participate "on reasonable terms." This is written into the Convention. Article 9 states: "Each Member State which has contributed to the cost of a programme of the Organization shall have the right to procure, for any peaceful pur pose of its own, the launchers and equipment jointly developed under such programme or any part thereof ..." Article 10 adds: "Member States which propose to exploit commercially, either alone or in conjunction with non-Member States, a space vehicle launcher jointly developed under a programme of the Organization shall give to all Member States which hav= contributed to the cost of that programme an opportunity to participate in such exploita tion on reasonable terms." The Commons debate was on a Private Member's motion by Mr F. W. Farey-Jones which stated "That this House, mindful of the fact that ever-improving communications are an absolute pre requisite for expanding trade both internal and external, and con scious of this country's past leadership in this vital field, calls upon Her Majesty's Government to announce plans for a general im provement in communications and in particular for the provision of a British and Commonwealth telecommunications satellite; and further calls upon the Government to treat this matter as one of great urgency, in order to maintain British leadership in com munications, to prevent the dissipation of existing design staffs and to restore confidence in the future of British scientists." Points from other Members' speeches included the following:— Mr Roy Mason "Two things are urgently required from the Government today. The first is a decision to go ahead with a satellite communications system, either by the UK and the Com monwealth, or ELDO and the Commonwealth. Britiain has now got to decide on one or the other. Secondly, we urgently require a centralized agency to act as a fulcrum for the various industries *hich are interested and the research organizations so that there may be proper co-ordination of all their activities and an avoidance of duplication and overlapping." Capt L. P. S. Orr "The great opportunities in space communica tions do not lie in communications across the North Atlantic, where the cables work very well. They are technically and economic ally sound. The challenge is in reaching out to all the smaller distant countries where submarine cables are either completely out of the question as being impracticable or are totally uneconomic. . . 1 can think of no greater single contribution to the general stability of the African continent and the general improvement of Africa's trade and ours than provision by this country of the necessary ground stations in Africa in order to put all the emergent countries in Africa in clear telephonic communication with Europe and the rest of the world and with each other." Mr Leslie Hale "There is a case for world co-operation and world co-ordination, and one has—I hate to say this, for I am most anxious to encourage these projects—one has to know the facts and one has seriously to consider whether we are in a position to compete, whether it is not too late, and whether our best road ahead lies in word co-operation in all this. "When the initial considerations were being made, Mr Murrow was the first witness who gave evidence. He is the Director of the Central Information Agency of the American Government, and this is what he said: 'We can best satisfy the national interest of other lands by bringing them into a partnership regarding the system. There is much technology to learn, minds to train, and men to organize. We cannot alone staff the world's communication systems.' "He finished with a peroration I should like to quote: 'Over much of this globe there are unfed bellies and tired bodies that will turn to our satellite system with but marginal interest. In many areas of this planet the grindstone of poverty will still remain the lodestone of policy. A system of communications satellites is a dream worth the trying. But history will record there were more people than nations, and more dreams than people. It may be that the history of our day will be decided by what dreams we choose to deliver. The issue is not how we deliver it; it is equally what our delivery has to say.'" Mr Ray Mawby (Assistant Postmaster-General) "At present, 80 per cent of intercontinental traffic passes across the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe . . . The British share of world intercontinental traffic is ten per cent of the total and the whole of the traffic between the countries of the Commonwealth is no more than 20 per cent of the total. Of the British share, about one-quarter is with the Commonwealth and two-thirds with the United States. It is, of course, natural that a high proportion of world telephone traffic originates or terminates in the United States, since the number of telephones in the United States is now 77 million out of a world total of 150 million. ., "Britain and Europe together are substantial users of inter continental telephone services. Their traffic with the rest of the world, excluding the United States, is 35 per cent of the total. Here again, however, the United States preponderance shows itself, since the 35 per cent figure becomes 87 per cent if traffic with the United States is included. "Briefly, this means that if the Commonwealth or the Common wealth and Europe go ahead with a satellite communications system which does not carry traffic to and from the United States it would be many years before it could pay its way. . . "At present, intercontinental telephone traffic amounts in total to 2.4m calls a year. Of this, the largest proportion crosses the Atlantic. Only 0.6m calls do not cross the Atlantic. We expect that the non-Atlantic traffic will increase to about three million by 1970 and to nine million by 1980; thus, to increase fivefold by 1970 and fifteenfold by 1980. On the other hand, we expect a rather smaller rate of growth in traffic across the Atlantic: by 1970 a fourfold increase, and by 1980 an elevenfold increase. Even so, by 1980 the transatlantic traffic will still represent 70 per cent of the total world intercontinental traffic.. . "With regard to cost and possible income, the first contribution towards a global commercial satellite communications system is likely to be made by the Americans. We do not know what the cost of this will be, but it is unlikely that the revenue available to support a global system giving worldwide coverage will exceed £60m a year by 1970. Our own studies have been directed to a system employing twelve station-keeping satellites in equatorial orbit. By itself, how ever, this would not constitute a global system. We estimate that the capital cost of such a separate system might be £160-£190m, the annual cost amounting to £32-37m. Revenue is a matter for
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