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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 1291.PDF
724 RIGHT International, 30 April 1964 Missiles and Space flight First launch of the Blue Streak stage of the European Launcher Develop- ment Organization's space vehicle is now scheduled for May 18. Here the fight stage is raised on the Lake Hart launcher at Woomera FRANCE DEVELOPS SPACE INDUSTRY THE need for an expansion of European space activity, and thethinking behind the well-co-ordinated French national spaceprogramme, were outlined in London last week by Gen Robert Aubiniere, Director-General of the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). By the end of 1964, he suggested, the fate of Europe as a space power would be decided. "Space research is a powerful incentive to industrial progress," the General declared at the beginning of his address on the French national space programme to the British Interplanetary Society on April 21. The need to develop an active space industry, both for France and for Europe in general, was indeed the theme of. his lecture. The existing technological lead held by the USA and the Soviet Union, and the disparity in resources, he said, might lead one to doubt the wisdom of a purely national French programme. Cer- tainly it was possible to follow a policy of collaboration with the USA, thanks to NASA's liberal attitude. Examples of this included General Robert Aubiniire (left), Director-General of the Centre National des Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with the president of the British Inter- planetary Society, Mr Michael Golovine of Hawker Siddeley Aviation. Mr Golovine was chairman of the B/S meeting at which Gen Aubiniire described the French space programme the co-operative work on the FR-1 satellite and, the general divulged, on the American OGO-C and OGO-E spacecraft. It was also possible, and desirable, to participate in other pro- grammes of international collaboration, such as those of the European Space Research Organization and the European Launcher Development Organization. But for France to depend solely on such participation was inconsistent with general French policy, Gen Aubiniere said, because this would mean dependence in an important industrial field on another country. In the French view it would be difficult for ESRO alone to bring about a significant development of the European space industry. Mere collaboration of this type would force Europe, in the absence of a competent industry of her own, to depend on the USA. The general suggested that ESRO should direct its efforts towards more ambitious projects, such as astronomical satellites and lunar probes, and these should be developed on a European rather than a national basis. The conclusion from the existing situation was that only an active national programme could bring about a significant development of the French space industry. Bilateral co-operation, also, would mean an unacceptable short-term technical dependency on another country. Tracing the two-year history of CNES, which, operating with an independent budget, was responsible for all space research in France, General Aubiniere listed three main points as the basis of the overall scientific and technical programme. First, it was decided to make the maximum use of existing national scientific and technical resources. No attempt was made to set up a special CNES scientific centre; instead, effort was concentrated on building up existing teams. On the technological side, industry backing at first was far from sufficient; CNES had therefore drawn up a technical programme, industry participation in which involved systematic competition based on many tenders for each project. Secondly, the development of launch vehicles was to be accomp- lished as cautiously as possible, using proven rockets. French sounding rockets had performed well, the General said, but the associated auxiliary equipment—in particular the airborne elec- tronic units—had not as yet come up to the requirements of 'he space environment. France was developing only one satellite launcher, Diamant, which should place its first satellite in orbit next year. Thirdly, CNES accepted the responsibility of promoting space technology in general. Young French technicians had been -cnt
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