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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 1713.PDF
EUROPE'S AEROSPACE CHALLENGE being used simply to circularise the 400km apogee altitude reached by Ariane 5's core. In this configuration Ariane 5 would be able to place 15 tonne payloads into LEO, or 11 tonnes into an 800km sun- synchronous orbit for about the same price as Shuttle. The third Ariane 5 "upper composite" is Hermes, described in more detail on page 106. The spaceplane, weighing around 17 tonnes, would be attached by an adaptor to the main core and injected into a low perigee transfer orbit, final orbit being achieved under its own power. Cnes admits that the ability to carry a manned vehicle partly drove Ariane 5's design, but claims that the launcher has not been compromised as a result. The principal demand of manned flight is reliability, a commodity that the agency notes is also vital for launching today's extremely costly satellites. The need for Ariane 5 is paralleled by the need for a purpose-built launch pad at Kourou, French Guiana. The ELA 3 facil ity will be compatible also with Ariane 4, and is expected to cost 100MAU. Of particular interest to proponents of an increased United Kingdom commit ment to Europe's future in space was ESA's recognition of Hotol, the UK proposal for an unmanned horizontal take-off and landing transporter. While it is extremely unlikely that Hotol will be funded by ESA as a major programme in the next ten-year period, it is seen as a possible valuable element of a recoverable transportation system thereafter. Studies on Hotol are at a very early stage, and little is being said about how it works. Sciences, earth resources, and telecommunications The third main prong of ESA's long- term plan covers the business end of the entire venture, the satellites and research tools that will eventually yield much of the revenue from space. Four main areas were identified at Rome; science, earth obser vation, space telecommunications, and microgravity research. Spending on scientific missions during the next decade is expected to exceed 2,000MAU, and can be split into projects costing around 400MAU, mid-range projects of around 200MAU (typified by Giotto, Ulysees, Hipparcos, and ISO), and those costing 100MAU or less, which can be executed more quickly. The principal elements of the European programme are; studies of Sun-Earth relationships, plane tary investigation, and X-ray and sub- millimetric astronomy. Earth observation currently centres on the ERS-1 project, already agreed, and for which spending this year will reach 150MAU. Due for launch in mid-1989, ERS-1 is expected to have a nominal life of two or three years. The follow-on satellite ERS-2 (almost identical to the first) was also agreed, along with funding of 230MAU. It will be launched around 1992-1993. Popsat funded ESA won agreement for an increase in annual spending on earth observation from 150MAU to 190MAU, to be spent (besides ERS) on a prototype polar orbiting oceanographic and meteoro logical satellite (220MAU), the Advanced Land 1 and 2 earth observation satellites (493MAU), and a second-generation geostationary meteorological satellite to follow Meteosat (150MAU). Another earth resources project of interest is for the development of Popsat, which will study movements in the earth's crust and give warnings of possible earthquakes and other seismological disturbances. Two Popsats costing 156MAU are envisaged, for launch between 1992 and 1998. Telecommunications funding will be reduced from 180MAU in 1985 to a yearly average of 170MAU. Work will centre on the development of advanced payloads incorporating, for example, reconfigurable antennae, and optical liaison between satellites. A significant proportion of spending between 1986-1995 has been set aside for the construction of the three-satellite DRS-1 data relay system for use prin cipally by Columbus and earth obser vation satellites. The cost of DRS-1 is estimated at 560MAU. A second genera tion satellite called DRS-2 will probably be built for the late 1990s. Microgravity research is set to increase dramatically with the advent of Columbus and the Eureca remote platform, funding being almost trebled to 80MAU between 1988 and 1992 (funding for the following years being included in the Columbus programme). The first Eureca flight in 1988 will be followed by two more during 1989-1992, each mission including microgravity experiments. Further microgravity experiments will fly on future Spacelab missions. One of ESA's main objectives is to educate industry to the potential bene fits of investment in microgravity research, for although at present only in its infancy, this work is expected to yield major returns. Much probably depends on the results of the electrophoresis work being carried out aboard Shuttle, which aims to produce biochemicals of far higher purity than possible on Earth. Decisions on the extent to which each country will contribute to the three main work areas will have to be made by 1987, by which time the programmes them selves will have been exactly defined. The only project for which workshares are already settled is the HM60 cryogenic engine for Ariane 5, for which France will take 53 per cent, West Germany 22 • 5 per FLIGHT International, 1 June 1985 105
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